How to Build a New Fireplace Surround and Mantel HGTV

Historical fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of early indoor flame pits was that they produced hazardous or irritating smoke within the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but ventilation smoke relied on open windows or openings in roofs. The great hall typically needed a centrally located hearth, where a open flame burned with the smoke rising to the port in the roof. Louvers were developed during the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be covered so snow and rain wouldn't enter.

Additionally during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from spreading through a room and vent it outside via a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the middle of the room, and this allowed smaller chambers to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the issue of fumes, more reliably venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and also made it feasible to put fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings handily. They didn't come into general usage instantly, however, since they were more expensive to develop 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 improved the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a lengthier area at the very top. In the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design also improved greatly the amount of radiant heat projected to the room. Rumford's design is the basis for modern fireplaces.

Rather it relied on simple layouts with small unnecessary ornamentation. In the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, in which the emphasis was placed on supplying quality gems. Stone fireplaces now were a symbol of prosperity, which to a degree remains the idea today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a room. Modern fireplaces change in heat efficacy, based upon the design.

Historically they have been used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or alternative flue allows exhaust to escape. A fireplace might have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, house overmantel, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

Related Images with How to Build a New Fireplace Surround and Mantel HGTV

Gallery Kingston Marble Fireplace Surround/Mantel Fast Delivery

On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud serves to keep rainwater out of the outside of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners than with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

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

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

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws restricting these kinds of fireplaces. They must be properly sized to the area to be heated. There are also air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture they release into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are security essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the place that is heated, and vent all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

Edinburgh 56In x 42In Wood Fireplace Mantel Surround

AccessoriesFor the inside, common in recent Western cultures comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, bark baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to maintain fuel for a fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metallic frames set in front of the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash.

As time passes, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They were used for warmth on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the home. These fire pits were generally based within a space, allowing more people to gather around it.

Eldorado Stone Stone Siding, Brick Veneer, Stone Fireplace Surrounds and Outdoor Living

Fireplaceinsert.com, Pearl Mantels Blue Ridge Fireplace Mantel Surround

Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, necessitating a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of the period were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It was smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, instead of their dimensions.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of two components, the surround as well as the add. The encircle comprised of the mantlepiece and sides affirms, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was where the fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. In addition to providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian age were thought to add a cozy ambiance into houses.

Fireplaceinsert.com, Pearl Mantels Blue Ridge Fireplace Mantel Surround Video

Some fireplace units incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the atmosphere via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also enhanced by means of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also manufactured from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to warm the atmosphere. A fireplace with a fireback is a toaster, and has done so as the 15th century. The ideal way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat down or up.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency rating. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces still possess an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum necessity such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as large as 80% in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the fire is burning. In this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then equally radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Depending on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature.fireplace surround