How to Cover a Fireplace Surround and Make a Mantel howtos DIY

Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, within caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor flame pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically needed a centrally situated hearth, where a open flame burned with the smoke climbing into the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so rain and snow would not enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were invented to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it out via a wall or roof. These could be placed against stone walls, instead of taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it feasible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general use immediately, however, as they were more expensive to build and maintain.

The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection room for the fireplace which greatly enhanced the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. He also enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a lengthier area on very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that was better at drawing the smoke up and from the construction. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the room. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern kitchens.

The Aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s took to a more traditional spectra based on stone and deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it depended on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now were a sign of wealth, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficiency, based on the design.

Historically they have been used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses.

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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, in which the projecting courses of brick function as a drip route to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater from the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much greater difficulty in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the traditional masonry chimney, that divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor incorporated into the crown or cap.

The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it is not good for you.

Kinds of fireplacesArtificial fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electrical fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electric mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing gas fireplaces.

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the USA, some states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. Additionally, there are air quality control problems because of the quantity of moisture they discharge in the room atmosphere, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed in the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in current Western civilizations comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire puppies, all of which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel to your fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally used to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to contemporary fireplaces. They were used for heat on chilly days and nights, as well as for cooking. They also served as a gathering place within the home. These fire pits were generally based within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.

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Monarch 54In x 39In Wood Fireplace Mantel Surround

Many flaws were found in ancient fireplace designs. Together with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of this period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with a emphasis on the level of the materials used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were composed of two parts, the surround as well as the insert. The surround comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The insert was where the fire burned, and was built of cast iron frequently backed with decorative tiles. In addition to providing warmth, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased by means of a fireback, a piece of metal that sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complex notion although with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider only the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the air. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you are turning the thermostat down or up.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency score. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces may also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These modified fireplaces are usually equipped with a large fire window, allowing an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a big glass while the fire is burning. In this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for several hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace surrounds