A more conventional way to design a fireplace has always been through stone, brick, and mortar. It was only recently, and not until the advent of industrial revolution that new materials were introduced in the words, and with that, the evolution of architectural and interior designing as we know it. There is no one standard for material application on any one design object anymore – if someone wants a stainless steel fireplace, then they go and get a stainless steel fireplace. Similarly, adding a covering to your fireplace is far from a traditional convention. It is, however a budding trend. Not only does it make your fireplace more elegant, but adds a touch of chic that would have otherwise been delegated to rough organic of the standard stone cut built. But like all endeavors in construction, you have to be careful of any sort of blow backs, and in this article, we would be listing down some of the mistakes to avoid while ordering fireplace doors.
1. Broken Glass
If your protective covering is made of glass, then you need to be especially careful while ordering the fireplace door. Glass is a brittle material, and though it is heat resistant to a certain extent, it is also very delicate when it comes to holding its own against a fire for long amounts of time. If not ordered right, you may end up with a glass door that shatters, or cracks prematurely. So make sure that while you’re ordering that you do not end up with a 3/16th inch thick glass, and buy a fully tempered and safe ¼ inch thick glass. It would be more heat resistant, and avoid cracking in a short amount of time.
2. The Custom Door to the Custom Fireplace
With the innovative techniques and designs in the construction and interior design industry, it is not a dissimilar even for people to have a custom built and designed fireplace anymore. And when one has a custom designed fireplace it is only logical that they do not fit the conventional fireplace design measurement. So when you’re ordering a door for your fireplace, make sure that you have all the right dimensions, so that your doors align. If your fireplace is custom built, then you would have to have the doors custom built too.
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3. Brick Joints
When you’re ordering a door covering for a brick mortar fireplace, you have to be extra careful. Your sizing measurements might fall in perfect tandem with one of the measurements on the chart, but be warned, that the most common problem with finding a door covering for a brick mortar fireplace is that it does not include the mortar joints in its measurement charts.
4. Turning Colors
Do not burn a fire in your fireplace with the doors closed. It does not improve efficiency; neither does it keep the fire burning longer. It would, however burn the trimming on your fireplace doors so that they suddenly change colors. This is a more common phenomenon in brass plated fireplace doors. The heat affects the paint emulsion, and it starts to turn colors until the entire covered section has turned into an unrecognizable shade. It is important to note that you may only close the doors when the embers are dying out – only then would it enhance the heat efficiency of your fireplace.
5. The Sub-Height
As in most custom designed fireplaces, you have to be extremely careful while noting down the measurements, and pay careful attention to the design. One very common mistake is that people do not usually notice the discrepancy between the height of the inside and the outside of the hearth. If they vary, then any door of a specific height would certainly not fit.
6. The Ugly Gap
There are cases in custom built fireplaces in which the hearth does not go all the way to the fireplace opening. In such cases, be careful while noting the exact dimensions for submission, because if you do not, then there may be an ugly rectangular hole running across the bottom of your fireplace. If this has already happened, then you may install a toe bar, or fill it up with mortar to fix the hole.
7. The details
If you have detailed lining of any special material on the very outer edges of your fireplace than you have to be extremely careful while purchasing a fireplace door. The smallest discrepancy in dimensions would mean that your door is either too small, or too large to cover up the intricate work you so dearly paid to have had.
8. Rock Fireplace Treatment
A rock fireplace would always require a custom built fireplace door to fit all the openings between the inside of the rocks. The door would have to be especially designed to fit inside the nooks and crannies that vary from fireplace to fireplace. The gaps are then filled with mortar. It is to be noted that very few fireplace door professionals are well versed in this aspect, so be careful.
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9. Arched
An arched fireplace door is not exactly tricky to make, but for it to be a perfect fit, it needs to be perfectly aligned with the arch of the fireplace. For that to happen, make sure that you document the dimensions right. Arches are tricky to measure, and one false measurement can result in a not so uniquely aligned door.
10. Air spaces
Make sure to leave out room for air spaces in your door design, because they would fan out the fire and let it burn for longer than usual.
11. Exact Measuring
It is to be noted that most mistakes in the fireplace door installing genre happen because of wrong measurement taking. So even if you’re sure that you’re absolutely correct on the first try, there is no harm in taking the measuring tape to your fireplace a few more times – just to be sure.
