Save Money While Decorating With Fireplace Covers
Fireplace covers have been both an excellent way to save on heating costs and add a touch of drama or elegance to your home fireplace. Covers and doors do more than perform their main function of blocking or closing off the firebox to prevent drafts and heat loss. Then you can remove fireplace covers when you want to use the fireplace.
A high quality fireplace cover can also update a tired looking fireplace as well. Both indoor and outdoor fireplace covers have come a long way and you can now actually replace an old one or install a new one for far less money than you might think.
Covers come in a wide array of options: (soft, hard or door-style), materials (metal, glass and wood), and styles (Contemporary, Victorian, French Empire, and Stamped Tin). You can buy standard pieces available for very reasonable prices from a local fireplace store or from the Internet. And of you course you can always have a custom cover designed for you. If you have napoleon fireplaces in your home, you can have a cover designed that fits in with the theme.
Why Use Covers?
The main reason is fuel costs. Covers save you money. It’s a fact of physics that hot air raises, and in the average home with a fireplace, you can lose as much as 30% of your home heat through your unprotected fireplace.
Another plus of such a tool, especially with outdoor fireplace covers is that they will protect your fireplace interior from dust, dirt and debris that can be blown into the firebox, causing a messy clean-up every time you want to use the fireplace.
And of course, there is the beauty of well made fireplace cover. Unless you are using your fireplace for heating your home, it will not be in operation all the time, and so you and your guests will be staring at a “black hole” most of the time.
An empty fireplace is a perfect opportunity for you to show off a fireplace cover or decorative fireplace screens that reflects your personal style and adds a focal point to your room. Below are the things you need to take into consideration for when selecting a fireplace cover.
Fireplace Cover Tip 1
Pick the right type of cover for your fireplace. Covers come in either soft or hard materials. Soft covers are normally canvas, nylon or polyester and are used most often for outdoor fireplaces. Hard or stationary covers are often made from metal, glass or wood.
Fireplace Cover Tip 2
Measure your fireplace accurately. Make sure you take careful notes and write down everything exactly as you see it. The main problem with most covers is the lack of a secure fit caused by inattention when doing the measurements.
Fireplace Cover Tip 3
Pick the right design to fit your fireplace. Covers either sit just inside the interior of fireplace or sit on the outside and overlap the exterior facing or wall by a few inches.
Fireplace Cover Tip 4
Pick the right style to match your home and personal tastes. Tin and other metals like brass have been used for a long time as ornamental covers that effectively block out chilling drafts. But on the other hand if your fireplace is factory-built or of a standard size, you can easily find a wide selection of glass fireplace cover doors that fits both your budget and your home décor.
Now that you have been made aware of the variety of fireplace covers available, you can find the one that best suits your lifestyle and budget.
