Brick And Stone Make A Comeback In Fireplaces
Since 3200 BC people have using fireplaces and masonry fireplace designs to both cook food and warm their families. But it wasn’t until around the 1700’s when American Ben Franklin and Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, made several pivotal adjustment to the construction of masonry fireplace designs that the modern fireplace was developed.
Before this time, most indoor fireplaces were smoky, inefficient and dangerous. Many well-to-do households only used fireplaces for heating in cold weather and relied on stoves for cooking. Masonry outdoor fireplaces were often used in the summer months for cooking and heating water by poorer families.
Masonry Designs
Brick and stone are some of mankind’s oldest building materials. But while stone must be dug or quarried and transported from quarry to building site, bricks have been made for over 6000 years on site. Often a sophisticated mixture of clays, mineral sands and water, many hand fired masonry fireplaces are still in existence today.
Because of the ease of brick construction there are many different kinds of masonry fireplace designs. In the past the only things that limited design features was the efficiency of the fireplace and the architectural style of the home it was built in.
How to Build a Masonry Fireplace
Today due to several more developments in fireplace technology, there are virtually no restrictions on how a masonry fireplace should look or function. There are a couple of designs you can use.
#1 – Direct Vent Technology.
A direct vented heating unit can be a direct vent gas fireplace or it can burn wood and pellets. A direct vent fireplace doesn’t have to use a flue or chimney. It uses a simple duct or vent to expel exhaust gases from the unit through a wall into the outside air. Without the worry of chimneys and flues these units can go anyplace.
#2 – Zero Clearance Technology.
The biggest advantage to buying a direct vent fireplace is that all units use a form of zero clearance technology. These new units are made from fire proof metals at the factory and are designed so that they can safely be installed against combustible materials like the wooden frame of your house.
#3 – New Masonry Fireplaces Can Fit into Any Room Layout.
And without the need for a chimney or flue, almost any model of direct vent fireplace can be installed as a faux masonry fireplace. As long as you have an empty space along a wall or nook, you can install one. Certain models of direct vent fireplaces can be recessed inside a wall or in a bump out. No matter what size room you have or its floor plan, there is probably a masonry fireplace model that will fit.
Once you have your direct vent fireplace installed, all you need to do is simply add a masonry hearth and facing around the fireplace. You can make your fireplace mantel designs, brickwork or stone match almost any type of home décor you want.
And since, you are only basically creating an illusion, the masonry fireplace designs work will only be a fraction of the cost.
