All about Fireplaces

Fireplace Design Ideas

2009-01-28T00:36:00.000-08:00

Are you trying to find some inspiring information about fireplace design ideas? There are some basic elements to any fireplace that are generally addressed in turn, in order to come up with a complete fireplace design. There are three main components to any fireplace design.

The three primary components to fireplace design include the hearth, the firebox and the type of opening that is employed between the firebox and the room in which the fireplace is located. The hearth is the area outside of the firebox, in general. The firebox is the area in which the fire itself will be burned.

Hearths

Let's first talk about hearths. A hearth may be flush with the floor, raised above the floor, or sunk down lower than the floor. Additionally, there may be no hearth to speak of at all. In these cases the firebox should be at least two inches above the floor, as the hearth is what helps protect the floor from the heat of the fire.

Another type of hearth may include hearth seats of various kinds. The most traditional and popular type of fireplace with hearth seats are the kinds that feature simply two blocks on either side of the firebox opening.

Fireboxes

As with the hearth types, the different kinds of fireboxes generally have mainly to do with the height relative to the floor and / or hearth. There are raised fireboxes, flush fireboxes that are the same height as the floor, and there are dropped fireboxes that are somewhat lower than the hearth and / or floor in front of the fireplace.

Fireplace Openings

Of course the most widely utilized type of fireplace opening is the rectangular opening. Generally, a rectangular opening will be just that: rectangular in shape. However, even with rectangular openings, the sides typically flare outward from the firebox toward the face of the fireplace.

There are flat arch top openings where the sides are straight, yet the tope of the opening has a slight arch to the shape. As with the traditional rectangular opening, the sides typically flare outward from the firebox toward the face of the fireplace.

There are full arch fireplace openings where the opening contains no straight lines. These types of fireplace openings have one continuous curve all around the fireplace opening. This is the type of opening you are probably used to seeing in American Southwestern style fireplaces.

There are also corner fireplace openings that allow for there to be two open sides to the fireplace. As the name suggests, a corner opening fireplace is situated in such a way that an entire corner section of the firebox is exposed.

There are U-shaped fireplace openings where the firebox is exposed on three sides, the front, as well as the two side areas. These last two types of fireplace openings will generally produce better heat radiation. If you will be using your fireplace to heat your home, and not merely as decoration these are certainly worth looking into. For images of these various fireplace styles, take a look at http://www.fireplacesnow.com/FireplaceStyles.htm .

Jon worked in construction for 10 years before starting his own local fireplace installation service 8 years ago. At his website, Jon will show you how his years of experience in the industry can help change your fireplace into the focal point of your home. To learn more about fireplace design ideas visit http://www.fireplacegate.com

Web Resources

2009-01-28T00:34:00.001-08:00

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Fireplaces 101 - Welcome fireplace lovers. In here you find hips of resources about fireplaces. You are welcome to post comments and links in regard to fireplaces.

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Build a Fireplace Mantel

2007-11-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

A fireplace is usually just a black hole in the wall until it is framed by decorative elements called a surround and mantel. The mantel makes the fireplace a focal point and sets the style for a room. If you have recently installed a zero-clearance fireplace or want to change the style of an existing masonry fireplace, you have two options: using a mantel kit or building one yourself. A mantel kit usually comes partially assembled with a surround that you can cut to suit the dimensions of your fireplace. If you have the skills and tools, you can design and build a mantel from premium boards and either stock or custom-milled moldings. Here are the basics for building a fireplace mantel using either of these two options.

Before you buy or design a fireplace mantel, check with your local building departments for important fire-safety guidelines specifying required side and top clearance between a fireplace opening and any combustible materials.

1. Plan the Mantel: Take accurate measurements and make a sketch of the fireplace. Drill pilot holes, as shown, to determine what solid backing (if any) is behind the wall where the mantel will be installed. Choose a suitable size and style mantel, or design your own mantel making scaled working drawings (elevations and section views).

Tip: Buy samples of available moldings so you know what you have to work with. Cut and assemble short, cross-section models of the sides, frieze board, and mantel shelf with a hot-melt glue gun to help you visualize the design and determine nailing and fastening requirements.

2. Install Noncombustible Surround: Masonry fireplaces will already have brick or stone around the immediate firebox opening. To give a zero-clearance fireplace a more traditional look, you may want to install tile, veneer stone or brick, or another noncombustible surround material around the immediate firebox opening. Most of these materials are simply adhered to the wall with the appropriate adhesive and the joints are grouted. Cutting is usually done with a wet saw, which is a safe, easy-to-use rental tool.

3. Mill Custom Moldings: If you have a well-equipped workshop with a table saw, a router, and power sanders, you can mill moldings to imitate or duplicate ones that you've seen in a book or magazine. Here, a router with a guide and a half-round bit are used to make the fluted sides of a mantel. Use only the best woods and very sharp blades and bits. Progressively sand your molding with papers from 80- to 400-grit that are wrapped over foam blocks that have be cut to duplicate the molding's profile.

4. Attach the Wood Surround: Attach the wood surround to the wall using construction adhesive and the appropriate fasteners. If possible, locate fasteners where they will be covered by subsequent moldings. Countersink and later fill all holes that are not covered.

5. Build Up Molding: Take precise measurements and don't forget: "Measure twice and cut once." A professional-quality miter box or, preferably, a 10-inch power miter saw are required for the precision miters and crosscuts. Both are available at tool rental outlets.

Tip: Glue all joints but be sure to wipe off all excess glue with a damp cloth, especially if you plan to stain the wood. Glue will prevent proper staining.

6. Apply Finish: After a final sanding, meticulously clean the surface with a tack cloth. Mask the wall and other adjoining surfaces that are not being finished. Brush or wipe on stain, smooth the surface with 0000-grade steel wool, and apply at least three coats of polyurethane or another clear protective coating. If you prefer a painted finish, apply a paint primer, lightly sand with very fine sandpaper, and apply two or more coats of trim enamel.

Materials List

Mantel kit, or boards and moldings
Hot-melt glue gun
Router, table saw, power sanders
Safety glasses

Noncombustible Surround:

Tile, stone, or other surround material
Suitable cutting and installation tools
Adhesive, mortar, grout, or other installation materials

Mantel Installation:

Tape measure
Combination and framing squares
Miter box or 10-inch power miter saw
Finishing nails and other fasteners
Hammer and nail sets
Drill/driver, bits, drills, countersinks, and other accessories
Sandpaper (80-, 120-, 220-, and 400-grit)
Rubber sanding block
Caulk, glue, and construction adhesive

Source (http://www.doityourself.com/fireplace/buildfireplacemantel.htm).

Contemporary fireplaces

2006-05-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some contemporary firepalces:

(photo by http://www.stonecarver.com)

(photo by http://www.diy-home-makeover.com)

What is a fireplace?

2006-05-10T04:41:00.000-07:00

A fireplace is an appliance built into many homes, consisting of a space designed to contain an open fire, generally for heating but sometimes also for cooking. A chimney or other vent allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape the building.

In colder climates throughout the world, the fireplace or hearth has traditionally been the central feature of the household, as it gives warmth to aid survival through an extended winter. The sensation of direct heat, and the mesmerizing leaps and flickers of a wood fire, make its use enjoyable in cold conditions even today.

As a result, people then and now gather around a fireplace for conversation, planning, or celebration in a more intimate fashion. After the workday, it is often the place a family meets at night before retiring to sleep. One famous use of this tradition in the United States during the Great Depression was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "fireside chats", weekly radio addresses in which he made use of the family gathering time to state his views on issues of national importance.

In many places, coal, wood or peat burning fires are being replaced by cleaner, safer and often cheaper natural gas and electric fires. Gas fireplaces very often burn off a small amount of their fuel in a flickering display meant to recall that of a wood fire. Alternatively, flame-shaped paper streamers wave vertically in the air, held up by the updraft produced by a heating element.

Many lower priced new homes are not equipped with a fireplace at all, its heating function long since taken over by central heating and its social function by the home entertainment center. Some fireplaces have been closed off not allowing them to be used, either the top of the chimney has a concrete slab installed over it or the bottom has had a board nailed to it. This is so the fireplace doesn't suck out warm air. Prefab fireplaces have become popular because of their lower construction cost but offer a limited range of sizes and styles. Brick or stone fireplaces have greater durablity and can be designed to meet exact specifications for opening size, depth, and facing material. They also cost a lot more to build.

A fireplace consists of foundation, hearth, firebox, facing, ashdump door, cleanout door, lintel, lintel bar, breast, damper, smoke chamber, throat, flue, chimney chase, crown, cap or shroud, and spark arrestor.

Types of fireplace include:

Manufactured or 'Prefab' fireplace with sheet metal fire box and double or triple walled metal pipe running up inside a wood framed chase with a chase cover and cap/spark arrestor at the top to keep the birds out and the sparks in. Within a hundred yards or so of salt water this type of chimney tends to rust out. Otherwise it's a good alternative to the more costly masonry chimney.

Masonry (brick or stone fireplaces and chimneys) with or without tile lined flue. Tiles are used to line the flue to keep the corrosive combustion products from eating away that the chimney flue lining. Unreinforced masonry chimney do not stand up to earthquakes well.

Reinforced Concrete Chimneys: Popular during the 1970s to 1980s. Fundamental flaws (the difference in thermal expansion rates between steel rebar and concrete which caused the chimney flues to crack when heated) bankrupted the US manufacturers and obsoleted the technique. This type of chimney often shows vertical cracks on the exterior of the chimney which worsen as the internal rebar rusts.

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2006-04-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

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2006-04-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

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