Guide to Fireplace Doors

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By rayroman

Just about every home these days has a fireplace, but many lack fireplace doors. The reason various but in most cased it's just that the owner of the home has not gotten around to buying one, or doesn't feel there is a need to have a fireplace door on the hearth.

There are actually some very advantages to having a fireplace door including some safety benefits that you will also get. If selection is an objection than that can be excluded since doors and screen are available all over the Internet and the selection and styles are very broad. There is really no reason not to have a fireplace door adding some style to your fireplace.

Let's take a look at the advantages of having a fireplace door and at some of the different styles that are available.

Advantages of fireplace doors

Fireplaces doors offer two very important benefits to homeowners. One benefit is that adding a fireplace door adds an attractive visual element to the home decor. Since there is such a wide selection of doors available it's actually quite easy to find one that will complement the rest of your surroundings. The one you choose can subtly complement the other elements you have in your home or it can be very ornate and can easily become the centerpiece of your home's unique style.

The other advantage of fireplace doors is the energy savings you get by having a doors. Well designed and installed doors increase the energy efficiency of your home by not letting the air in your house escape via the chimney. During the winter you spend lots of money heating your home and the last thing you want is for the warm air to escape out the chimney. A glass fireplace door will prevent that from happening.

In the summer you cool the air in your house and that too will escape out the chimney if you don't have a fireplace door.

Types of fireplace doors

There are several different types of fireplace doors and also several different types of materials from which they are made. Each design, style and material has advantages or disadvantages. You will need to consider just these differences as well as what is your budget before you decide on a particular door.

Let take a quick look at some of the different types of doors available and the pros and cons of each.

Glass fireplace doors

Glass fireplace doors are made using a special glass that can withstand extremely high heat without shattering. There are usually two types of glass that are used. Tempered glass and ceramic glass.

Tempered glass is highly heat resistant and does not allow the heat to pass through the glass. That is why having vents in the fireplace door is important so that the air just outside the firplace is heated.

Ceramic glass doors are also heat resistant but only to a certain degree as they allow radiant heat to pass through the glass and warm the inside air. Ceramic glass fireplace doors offer the better advantage and is the one I recommend. You will pay more but it is worth it in terms of efficiency and comfort.

Do keep in mind that either type of door does represent a hazard to children and pets. These doors will get hot and you will need to exercise some precautions in order to keep children and pets away from the heated glass.

Decorative fireplace doors

So you've been staring at your fireplace wondering what stylish look you want to give it. With the many different styles and design of decorative fireplace doors you are likely to find the one you need.

Decorative doors can come in tempered and ceramic glass as well as metal mesh. Decorative mesh fireplace doors offer protection from sparks but little advantage as far as home energy is concerned. In most cased mesh fireplace doors are cheaper and require less maintenance.

Tempered glass and ceramic fireplace doors can be made very decorative by adding visual elements to the metal frame that holds them in place. The metal frame surrounding the fireplace door can be bronze, pewter, and many other styles. These doors are very good in temrs of keeping heat and cool in the house where it belongs.


Installing fireplace doors

So you've chosen a beautiful fireplace doors for your hearth and are now wondering how to install it. You have two choices when it comes to installing a fireplace door. One if to hire a professional who will come in and install the door for you. Prices vary so it's important to call around and get some quotes and possibly even referrals before your hire and pay someone to do the work for you.

The other option you have is to install the fireplace door yourself. Using this option you are obviously going to save some money but you need to know what you are doing. The steps required to install fireplace doors is beyond the scope of this hubpage so I recommend you search online for instructions on how to do it yourself.

Below is a featured video on how to measure for replacement fireplace doors.

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