How to Choose a Fireplace For Your Home

5 steps to a successful purchase

What could look better in a private home than a properly chosen stylish fireplace? This is not only a great way to keep warm, but also to create unique comfort in your home.

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Today there are several types of fireplaces, differing in design and functions:

• heating fireplace (with a real flame inside);
• ovens;
• electric fireplaces;
• bio fireplaces;

And other types.

In addition, fireplaces vary in size, shape, texture and available colors. Fireplaces are created in various styles:

• classic;
• eastern;
• African;
• modern;
• Art Deco;

And others.

If a person is seriously thinking about purchasing such an installation, then the best solution, which will subsequently protect him from headaches, is to take care of the place where the fireplace will be located, even at the stage of thinking through the design and design of the home. 

But it also happens that the idea of ​​installing a fireplace appears later, even when the house is completely ready and construction is completed, or a person is determined to buy it for the house in which he has been living for a long time. Even in this case, you can find a way out. But you will have to choose a fireplace in both the first and second cases, so it is necessary to consider the steps that will help you choose the right product.

Stage 1: Selecting the type of fireplace

The first step is to think about what kind of fireplace you want to have. And there are quite a lot of fireplaces. For ease of orientation, the main types and their descriptions will be described below. Undoubtedly, each of them is unique, but they all have one thing in common – each is able to create a unique atmosphere and make the house as comfortable as possible:

1) Traditional fireplace. It runs on solid fuel – coal and firewood. They are made mainly from brick, stone or cast iron. There are two types of firebox: closed and semi-open. If appearance and aesthetics are important to you, choose a semi-open firebox. If you are a supporter of practicality and value warmth, choose a fireplace with a closed firebox.

2) The second type is a decorative bio-fireplace. This type of fireplace runs exclusively on liquid fuel, namely bioethanol. Thanks to this, a real fire burns in the fireplace, but without smoke and soot – this is its unique feature. As a result, such a fireplace does not need a chimney – another plus during the installation process.

3) The third type of fireplace runs on gas, which means it can only be used in houses with gas heating. But no one prohibits the use of an ordinary separate gas cylinder specifically for the fireplace. It is used both for home decoration and for heating.

4) The fourth type is electric fireplaces, which are presented on the market in a wide variety of forms and modifications. They perform the function of a heater well, and at the same time look very aesthetically pleasing. 

The choice is extremely huge, and each of them is unique. For example, some with amazing accuracy imitate a real flame, or even firewood with smoldering coals. Also, many received such a feature as a regulator that allows you to change the height of the fire. Some are equipped with a firewood crackling simulator.

5) The fifth type is most often used in baths or saunas, but they can also be used in the home. In this case, it can have many functions: from a simple heater to a cooking device. As for fuel, it depends on the fireplace itself, since there are models that require gas, and there are those that require solid fuel. The firebox also differs. It comes in three types: open, half-open, closed. The peculiarity of these stoves is their decor with limitless imagination. This is an ideal field for competition between manufacturers, as they try to outdo each other by creating high-quality, safe models decorated with various delights: natural stone, glass, ceramics, forged products.

Stage 2: choosing a location for the fireplace.

Any fireplace belongs to one of three types: open, closed and semi-open. In accordance with this, the method of installing them will also differ:

• Open fireplaces are most often mounted in the wall and decorated in various ways;
• Closed ones can become a kind of center of a recreation area if you place them in the middle of the room, and place sofas, armchairs, ottomans, tables, and so on around them;
• Well, half-open ones can be placed near the wall, decorated with various heat-resistant accessories.

This step is very important, since its ease of use, safety and the overall appearance of the room will depend on the successful or, conversely, unsuccessful location of the fireplace. For fireplaces with a chimney, it is necessary to calculate its arrangement.

Stage 3. Selection of material and finish of the fireplace

As mentioned earlier, the manufacture of a fireplace is based on special heat-resistant components: cast iron, steel, stone. But there are no restrictions for decoration, except for one thing – safety requirements.

Decorating a fireplace correctly and beautifully is a real art. The selection of jewelry is insanely huge. You can veneer it with marble, granite, brick, use mosaics, use stained glass techniques, decorate it with wrought iron, cover it with tiles or specially treated wood. But the most commonly used method is finishing with stone or marble.

Stage 4. Understanding heat transfer 

Some people use a fireplace not only to improve the interior, but also to heat the room. In this case, it is necessary to find out in advance the degree of its heat transfer. Heat transfer is a value indicating how much room the device can heat over what period of time. A fireplace model with an open firebox will heat the room much faster than one with a closed firebox. 

It is also worth considering the thickness of the fireplace walls. They come in three types: single-layer, double-layer and three-layer. Accordingly, the more layers, the longer the heat is stored.

It should be clarified that fireplaces can heat in two ways:

• From radiation of heat/from the fire itself;
• Using a “water jacket”: it is necessary to lay pipes from the fireplace throughout the entire room that needs to be heated.

Stage 5. Study of technical characteristics.

The main factors to pay attention to are:

• efficiency;
• ease of use and design;
• comfort in use.

It will undoubtedly be a plus if the fireplace is equipped with an air collector or turbine, which will allow you to regulate the combustion process. Fireplace dampers can also be different. For example, it is advisable to find a fireplace with a damper made of heat-resistant glass, which will not get dirty from ash, which means the fireplace will always be in excellent shape.

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It would be a convenient addition if the manufacturer included in their product the ability to remove the hot ash pan from the fireplace, since you will not have to waste time waiting for it to cool down.

Alas, one article cannot tell you about all the intricacies of choosing the right fireplace. Therefore, we recommend that you read the product characteristics, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask them to the specialists of our Sonoma Old World Cast Stone.