Straight from the Hearth: Beautiful Fireplace Surround Ideas Martha Stewart

Historical fire pits were sometimes built in the floor, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of ancient, man-made fires is present on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor fire pits was that they produced toxic and/or irritating smoke inside the house.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in buildings, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burned with all 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 snow and rain would not enter.

Also during the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from spreading through an area and vent it out through a ceiling or wall. These could be placed against stone walls, rather than taking up the center of the room, and this allowed smaller rooms to be heated.Chimneys were devised in northern Europe from the 11th or 12th centuries and mostly fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke outside. They made it possible to provide the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to put fireplaces in numerous rooms in buildings conveniently. They didn't come into general use instantly, however, as they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, increased the grate of the fireplace, improving the venting and airflow system. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting out a longer area at the top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox which was better at drawing the smoke up and from the building. 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 on a more conventional spectra based on rock and also deflected unnecessary ornamentation. Instead it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way to the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was placed on providing quality gems. Stone fireplaces now have been a sign of wealth, which to some degree is still the notion today.A fireplace is a structure made of brick, stone or metal made to contain a fire. Fireplaces are utilized for its relaxing ambiance that they create and also for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based on the design.

Historically they have been utilized for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry 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 room, a neck, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there's often a corbeled brick crown, where the casting courses of brick act as a drip course 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 larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metal liners compared with the standard masonry chimney, that soaks up all but the rain. Some chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the cap or crown.

Organizations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to various studies, fireplaces can pose a significant health threat. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you.

Types of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made with sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for gas or wood 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.

Masonry and prefabricated fireplaces can be fueled by wood, natural gas, biomass and propane fuel sources. In the USA, some states and local counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality control issues because of the amount of moisture they release into the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces have been fueled by liquid propane or natural gas. They are totally sealed from the place that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses into the exterior of the structure.

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AccessoriesA vast assortment of accessories are used with fireplaces, ranging between states, regions, and historical periods. For the interior, common in current Western civilizations comprise grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire puppies, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate burning. A grate (or flame grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel to your fire. Heavy metallic firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate warmth, to safeguard the rear of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set before the fireplace to include embers, soot and ash.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has transformed from one of requirement to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They have been used for heat on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also functioned as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually based within a space, allowing more people to collect around it.

The Best Basics of Fireplaces! – Katie Jane Interiors

The Best Basics of Fireplaces! – Katie Jane Interiors

Many defects were found in early fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came large scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most renowned fireplace designers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design which was used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly colored, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, as opposed to their size.

From the 1800s most new fireplaces were made up of 2 components, the surround and the insert. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, marble or granite. The fit was fire burnt, and was constructed of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to bring a cozy ambiance into homes.

The Best Basics of Fireplaces! – Katie Jane Interiors Video

Some fireplace components incorporate a blower that transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, leading to a more evenly heated area and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency is also increased with the use 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 efficacy tests consider just the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, designed to heat the air. The ideal way to gauge the output signal of a fireplace is in case you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most older fireplaces have a comparatively low efficiency score. Standard, contemporary, weatherproof masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by adding special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the atmosphere. These altered fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating system in two phases. During the first stage the first heat is offered through a big glass window while the fire is burning. In this time period the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This warmth is then equally radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces with no glass fire window only provide heat radiated from the surface. Based on temperatures 1 to two daily firings are enough to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace hearth