Sacramento – Fireplace Doors

4 Design Options for Custom Fireplace Doors

So you’ve decided to replace those old, brass-framed, bi-fold glass fireplace doors with a new, custom-designed door. While this is a great choice, it’s just the first of many you’ll need to make about the look and design of your new fireplace door. Here are four options to consider:

Door shape

Generally, the shape and size of your fireplace’s opening will determine that of your new door. However, there are certain options available if you want to think outside the box (or in this case, the hearth). For example, if your fireplace has a rectangular opening but you prefer the look of an arched door, a fireplace door fabricator can create an “arched inside” design that fits the actual opening and provides an arched visual.

Material

While wrought iron is the most commonly used material for custom fireplace doors, you also can choose stainless steel, bronze or copper. Additionally, you can opt to combine these elements—for example, an iron door with a bronze gilding or emblem. Keep in mind that fabricating a fireplace door out of copper or bronze is very expensive, both due to the price of the material itself and the greater difficulty of welding it.

Custom embellishments

While you can’t go wrong with a basic fireplace door design, you also have the option to get creative. A custom fireplace door fabricator can create almost any design you can think of and include ornate embellishments such as shapes, patterns or emblems.

Paint

Do you like the look of bronze or copper but can’t afford the actual materials? A bronze- or copper-tinted paint can provide an equivalent effect for a fraction of the price. Whatever color you’d like your new fireplace door to be, a custom fireplace door fabricator can provide it for you.

5 Ways to Enhance Your Fireplace

If you don’t use your fireplace very often, it might be because you haven’t realized its full potential. Perhaps its outdated design clashes with the rest of your living room, or maybe you’re just tired of buying, transporting and storing firewood. Whatever the case, you’ll be glad to know there are several ways to improve the look and practical use of your fireplace. Here are five fireplace enhancements to consider:

Custom door

If your fireplace still has the same brass-framed, glass bi-fold doors that were installed decades ago, they’re likely an eyesore, especially if the rest of your living room is sporting a more modern décor. In this case, why not have them replaced with a custom-made, wrought iron fireplace door?

A professional fireplace door fabricator can design a new door that will better suit the aesthetic style of your home environment. Furthermore, whereas glass doors must be opened in order to heat the room, most custom fireplace doors feature built-in screens that allow heat to pass through while shut. Finally, wrought iron fireplace doors don’t heat up nearly as much as glass, so this will reduce the chances of accidental burns.

Gas logs

If the inconveniences of burning wood are impinging on your ability to enjoy your fireplace, it’s time to consider switching to gas logs. Fueled by natural gas and composed of ceramic materials, gas logs are designed to provide the look and warmth of real firewood without drawbacks like smoke and soot, or the need to buy, transport and store firewood.

Converting your wood-burning fireplace to gas logs is simple. Since you already have ventilation, you just need to install a gas line, which, if your fireplace has a built-in pilot starter, should already be there. Just arrange the log set in the center of the hearth and you’ll have a clean-burning fireplace that looks and feels like the real deal.

Fire rocks

Gas-powered fire rocks function similarly to gas logs, but instead of imitating wood, they mimic the appearance of rocks. Like gas logs, fire rocks are made of ceramic materials that absorb and give off heat. Depending on your aesthetic preferences, fire rocks might be a more appealing option than logs.

Fire glass

If you’re more concerned about aesthetics than performance, fire glass provides a unique and artistic fireplace option. Fire glass is crushed, tempered glass that, like gas logs and fire rocks, utilizes a gas-powered flame. It’s available in a spectrum of colors, so you can combine hues to create a specific effect or match your home’s décor. You can also choose reflective fire glass, which is mirrored on one side to produce a dazzling array of light. While it won’t provide as much warmth as a gas log or fire rock set, fire glass is a unique way to enhance the visual aspect of your home.

Remote control

If you have a gas-powered fire log/rock/glass set, a remote control can make for more convenient operation. In addition to turning the pilot on and off, a remote control allows you to adjust the fire’s level as much as you want without getting up.

5 Benefits of Switching From a Wood-Burning Fireplace to a Gas Log Fireplace

When it comes to sheer comfort, it’s hard to beat the pleasant ambience of an authentic fireplace. Unfortunately, wood-burning fireplaces come with a lot of negative side effects and inconveniences. The good news is, thanks to modern ingenuity, homeowners can now enjoy the experience of a genuine fireplace without the many drawbacks posed by burning wood. By converting to a gas log fireplace, you can reap the following benefits:

No more “Spare the Air” days. In California, the use of wood-burning fireplaces and stoves is periodically restricted when air quality levels dip. These “Spare the Air” days can take place anytime from the beginning of November through the end of February, and if the air quality is particularly bad, they can occur for weeks at a time. As a California homeowner, this can make having a fireplace pretty impractical. That’s why it makes sense to switch to a gas log fireplace. Since your fireplace will no longer produce smoke, you can enjoy it all winter without interruption.

No more firewood. Firewood isn’t cheap, especially in California, where a cord of firewood can cost well over $300. Firewood is also heavy to transport and needs to be stored in a safe place. Not surprisingly, foregoing firewood in favor of gas logs will save you a lot of money and hassle.

No more cleanup. As if the cost and hassle of firewood wasn’t enough, the resulting ash and soot requires ongoing cleanup. Since gas logs don’t create any such residues, converting to a gas-powered fireplace will make cleanup a thing of the past.

It’s better for your health. Not only is the smoke from burning wood bad for the environment, it’s bad for your health. Firewood smoke contains carbon monoxide, and even a well-ventilated fireplace won’t spare a home’s inhabitants from inhaling a measure of that toxic chemical. In contrast, a gas log set uses clean-burning natural gas that, when properly ventilated, isn’t harmful to the environment or people.

Custom-adjust the level of heat. High-quality gas logs aren’t just for looks—they also perform. A gas log set made from crushed lava (as opposed to a cheaper material like cast concrete) will provide a level of warmth that’s equivalent to real firewood. Even better, gas-powered fire logs allow you to easily adjust the level of light and heat, which isn’t always the case with a wood-burning fireplace.

Why a Custom-Made Gas Log Set is Worth the Investment

If your heart holds a special place for the warm ambience of a fireplace, it can be hard to reconcile this affection with the real environmental and health-related drawbacks of burning wood. Good news: thanks to modern ingenuity, you can still enjoy the warm glow of a hearth in your home without impacting your health or the environment. The answer is gas logs.

Perhaps you’ve considered converting to a gas log fireplace before but were unconvinced by the cheap-looking models at your local home improvement or fireplace supply store. Or perhaps you have purchased a gas log insert before, only to be underwhelmed by its lack of genuine warmth or looks. If this is the case, you’ll be glad to know there are better options out there: gas logs that effectively reproduce the aesthetic of a wood-burning fireplace.

So, where can these high-quality gas logs be found? Not at a store. If you want the kind of quality that stands above the norm, you’ll need to go to a specialist. A custom gas log fabricator will give you the best of both aesthetics and performance. Here are a few reasons a custom-made gas log set is worth the investment:

Customized design

The gas logs you find at a home improvement or fireplace supply store are typically mass-produced, factory-made sets, which in itself lends to the overall lack of authenticity. Plus, the designs usually look cheap—less like real wood and more like ceramic imposters. In contrast, a custom-designed gas log set is one-of-a-kind. Most custom fabricators offer a variety of log sizes and looks and can imitate specific species of wood. Since gas logs are made with molds, a custom fabricator can create logs in a variety of sizes and shapes, which allows for further design customization.

Improved performance

The gas log sets you find in stores are typically made with cast concrete, a light-duty material that projects little heat. In contrast, when working with a custom fabricator, you can request fire logs that are made with crushed lava. Crushed lava is a natural material, and since it has already been fired by nature, it’s able to get red-hot and actually warm your home. This simple material upgrade can make all the difference in achieving the authentic wood fire aesthetic you’re looking for.

Greater durability

Due to their cheap composition, mass-produced gas log sets typically have a far lower lifespan than custom-fabricated sets made from high-quality materials. Even if your custom-made gas log set costs two or three times as much as a store-bought one, it’s likely to last two or three times as long, so you’ll get more for your investment.