Fireplace Design And Placement Options
Do you need to add a bit of flair to your living room, rest area, or dining hall? While fireplaces are no longer necessary whether you have electricity or not, the intricate dance of a flickering flame still pours inspiration and primal wonder into the hearts of people, even at a small level. From the fireplaces themselves to the construction materials and accessories such as mantels and grates, here are a few fireplace options to deliver a comfortable glow of flame:
Stone And Masonry Fireplaces
Keep in mind that true masonry is an art and a science. Unless you're using faux stones or imitation bricks, you'll want the masonry to be cut, weighed, and set by a professional. The adhesive material used between each brick or within cobblestone isn't just random caulk or binding cement; there are specific blends used for indoor installations and for installations near sources of heat.
Not all stone or masonry inserts are a series of bricks or stones. You can get a masonry insert that is a single slab cut into intricate designs, or Greek/Roman columns made out of a few different pieces of precision-cut artwork.
Make sure that the company you choose to create your decorative chimney stacks knows what you're doing. Don't just tell them that you're installing a chimney, because they will make an expensive, excessive chimney that won't fit in your home without tearing down walls, ruining the temperature-sealing ability, and paying for materials that you can't use in the first place.
Single slab/large slab marble and granite chimney will be cut to just a few inches and installed against your existing wall. There may be mounting studs or securing points added, but there's a big difference between the insert-mounted masonry and a full chimney stack.
Freestanding/Off-The-Wall Inserts
Not all inserts need to go into a previously-used fireplace or be grafted to the wall. Inserts can be added to the middle of the room, just a few inches from a wall, or as an installation piece for an art exhibit.
A freestanding insert can be used to bring the heat wherever you want. Just like a standalone kerosene heater, you can bring the insert to different parts of a room and keep the heating potential under your control.
For artistic purposes, you could make a few original designs using lights, waterscapes, or anything that is partially visible behind the inserts. Especially if you're using an insert that doesn't have a backing, you can place it a few feet in front of a window for a shimmering marriage of sunlight and flame, or place it in front of LED lighting to decorate the inner parts of the insert.
Contact a cast stone fireplace mantel distributor to discuss other options for your fireplace inspiration.