The Many Purposes Of Fireplace Doors

Fireplace doors are seen in many modern homes because they provide an array of benefits for the fireplaces they cover. These are more permanent solutions than fireplace screens, and they can actually add value to the home if they are installed properly. If you have been trying to figure out if you should install a door on your fireplace or not, consider some of the benefits listed below before making a decision.

Less Heat Loss

When you do not have a fireplace door, you tend to lose a lot of heat because of the airflow going throughout the fireplace. A fireplace glass door will allow heat to travel into your home without having it travel up the chimney. Glass doors also allow you to still watch the fire while it is going, so you can get the aesthetic effect without sacrificing the heat. If you have a warmer fire going, you should be able to save money on the heating bills for your home.

Safer Protection

If you have small children in your home, fireplace glass doors can allow your kid to see the fire without having an easy way to reach out and touch it. You need to be careful with doors though because there are some that are easy to open. Make sure you buy fireplace doors that stay secure and do not get too hot to the touch. Certain materials can be just as hot as the fire they protect if you leave them shut for too long.

Better Design

Fireplace doors can add a design element to an otherwise boring fireplace. You can update your old fireplace with modern glass doors and instantly raise the value of your home. You may also want to make your fireplace look older than it actually is by adding antique doors to it. These can be found easily on the market, and they can provide a unique look to your fireplace that other people in the area will not have. You could get an antique tool set to go along with it and tie the whole look together.

Cleaner Air

The doors will help you keep the ashes in your fireplace instead of having them float in the air. This can cut your dusting time in half, and it can also help your guests breathe better when there is a fire going. You will still get the same warm smell when you light a fire, but you will not have to deal with the embers and ash floating through your room.

Getting the right fireplace accessories will not only enhance your decor but it will get you one step closer to making your house feel like a home.

Using Your Fireplace Screen Properly

Everyone loves a fireplace. Wood burning fireplaces are particularly popular places for the family to gather on a chilly autumn or winter evening. And it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas Eve without a roaring fire to add a bit of extra festivity to the occasion. With the choice of the right antique fireplace screen, your hearth can continue to be the focal point of your room, even after the last ember has died away. Certain precautions, however, should be taken to protect your screen as well as your home and family.

There are a huge variety of fireplace screens available on the market today. Glass fireplace screens are particularly popular since they combine beauty with practicality. Not only does the glass provide a charming, elegant look to your hearth, but it also serves as a shield to keep cold drafts that can slip past the chimney damper from chilling the room. A stained glass fireplace screen can be particularly beautiful and, with the addition of a low-power electric light placed in the fire box, can create a dramatic visual effect between fires.

One mistake many people often make with a glass fireplace screen, however, is to close it when a fire is burning. Although tempered glass is incredibly strong, most grades are not designed to stand up to the intense heat generated by a roaring wood fire. The glass can easily crack when exposed to such heat. In fact, it can actually shatter violently if something cold (like a carelessly handled glass of water) happens to splash against it when it is extremely hot. While some types of glass doors are safe to close during a fire, most are not. Unless your screen specifically advertises itself as being safe, do not take the chance of closing it.

While the glass should never be closed when a fire is burning, the metal screen should always be firmly in place. Whether the screen is a curtain-like mesh that draws closed or a door-like design that swings into place, it is important to have it tightly closed when in use. Special care should be taken with a curtain-like screen to avoid leaving a small gap where the two pieces meet, which can allow an errant ember to pop out of the fire box, damaging your carpet or, worse yet, burning someone.

Dire warnings aside, a glass screen adds unsurpassed beauty, safety and convenience to any fireplace. As long as you understand its limitations and respect the inherent risks of an open flame in your home, your fireplace screen will continue to add charm and style to your home for a lifetime.