Fireplace covers
So you have a fireplace…
What could be better than keeping you warm on those cold days?
But did you know that a fireplace screen will help keep your bills down?
Then read along to find out how.
Fireplace Screen That Can Save You Money
Your fireplace is great, watching the flames flicker away and the comforting sound of the crackle.
But when you are not using your fireplace, do you notice that chilly draft flowing down from your fireplace right into the room?
Like it or not, you have a hole in your wall, all fireplaces have to have this in order to let the embers out.
Yet there is a downside to this.
You are not going to keep the elements out when your fireplace is not burning…
Enter the Fireplace Screen
Fireplace screen, fireplace covers…
They are all the same thing, just in different terms.
When the fireplace is out, and you are not using it, you will notice a draft flowing down from your fireplace right into your room.
Can’t avoid it I’m afraid.
Without the fire pushing up the air when alight, you are going to get the breeze in.
So you have checked the damper and done everything you know, but still, the elements have a way of finding their way into your room, and it is still too cool.
The best solution that I may add that has been around since this problem with fireplaces occurred is fireplace covers.
So What is a Fireplace Cover?
You may well ask…
Fireplace covers or fireplace screens come in various materials, sizes, and styles.
Though overall, with all that design and quaint beauty, they do perform a function.
Their main function is to close off or block the firebox.
Now, this is the main area where the flames are located from the rest of the room or from the outside elements.
Fire screens basically come in main designs, soft and hard.
The soft screen covers are more flexible and also inexpensive in price.
While the hard fireplace screens are more expensive in their price, often the hardcovers often work better when it comes to blocking those drafts out of your room.
You could almost call it a fireplace cover-up…
Hard Fireplace Covers
Under the hard fireplace category, you would be looking at:
- glass fireplace screens
These airtight glass door screens are made from special high-temperature glass that can take the heat and block out the draught.
Why Would You Buy Indoor Fireplace Covers?
Fuel costs are not always cheap, and if you have draught coming into your room.
You, therefore, put the fireplace on more to warm the room up.
This can start to get a little expensive when you don’t have to, right?
Fireplace overs just generally save you money.
Hot air raises, and in a home with a fireplace, you can actually lose as much as 30% of your home heat right through your unprotected fireplace.
So apart from keeping the draught coming in.
And here you are with a nice snug room and you out your fireplace of or out.
Depending on what you have or course.
You can also stop the heat from rising. Rising right up your chimney.
Oh…
And there is another advantage that you might not have thought of.
And that fireplace covers will go as far as protecting your fireplaces’ interior from all that debris, dirt and dust.
That can come blowing into your firebox, now every time you want to use the fireplace you don’t want to be cleaned up every time beforehand, do you?
So How do You Buy Fireplace Covers Then
Your first decision will be, do you want a soft fire cover or a hard fire cover or even fireplace doors?
Soft Fireplace Covers
Are normally made of a canvas which is for indoor use only ok…
No, taking it outdoors and finding it does not last long.
For outdoor fireplace use, you can use such materials such as polyester and nylon.
You need to use either clamps or ties for example to attach these covers to your fireplace openings.
And…
These easy-to-remove fireplace covers are quite affordable…
That should make you smile.
Hard Fireplace Covers
Now hard fireplace screens have a much wider range of styles and colours:
- French Empire
- Contemporary
- Stamped Tin
With materials such as:
- glass
- wood
- metals
In fact, if you are good at DIY or craft you can in fact make a simple wooden fireplace cover yourself.
That would give you the satisfaction of making something yourself and to your taste…
Measuring Your Fireplace
Whether you buy or want to make a fireplace cover yourself, there are a few things you need to decide first.
Do you want your fireplace screen to fit just inside the interior of your fireplace, or do you want your cover just to go outside of your fireplace and overlap the exterior facing or wall by a few inches or so?
One of the main problems that people face is that with most fireplace covers, is the lack of a secure fit caused by being careless when they do the measurements.
So be careful, so you don’t end up with a fireplace cover that does not fit, and you start jumping around in anger because of it.
Now…
Once you have made sure that you do have the right measurements for your fireplace cover, choose the fireplace cover that matches the style of your room.
And by making sure that it fits snugly over your fireplace opening will keep that warm air in or cold air out…
Tin and other stamped metals have been used for centuries by many cultures as they are both effective and, with such decorative covers, take pride and place in their dwellings.
Now, if your own fireplace is factory-built or of a standard size, you will most probably find a nice selection of glass fireplace cover doors that suit your personal tastes and fits your individual budget.
That it is a good idea for many reasons…
So if you can not find a fireplace cover that suits you.
Why not make one?