Fireplace Construction

For centuries, the Western Civilizations were so amazed with the use of fireplaces to keep them warm against the chilling and harsh coldness of the winter season. The Romans on the other hand had a great knack for monster size fireplace that were used for public bath. In China, fireplaces were used as decorative accessory to the temples.

In fireplace construction various components are used by masons for hundreds of years now. That includes the use of stones that needed to be quarried. Clay and bricks are popular in Europe and some places in the United States. The choice of stone or bricks is left to the owner while professional fireplace masons will help in the layout, design and finishing touches on your fireplace.

Seek expert help to build a stone fireplace. Building a stone fireplace could be very tedious. You might want to consider help from professional and experts in fireplace construction. Choosing the look and feel can be easy, but looking for the materials and lying out of the foundation can be daunting task. If you choose to hire a mason however make sure you are always around in the whole process.

For stone fireplaces, work usually starts at choosing the design of the fireplace. Most masons find their customers in a difficult time imagining what a good fireplace would look like. To assist clients, they usually hand them pictures of their recent works or photos of fireplaces that were built by other masons. In this way, they will be able to have an initial glimpse on what they’re looking. But more often than not, clients change preferences as the process takes place.

If customers are not so sure of the design, masons recommend they visit the actual location of their chosen photo of fireplace. This will be give them a realistic feel and texture of the stone material, the tiling and arrangement, the depth of the joints and the overall mass and size of the fireplace. Masons find out, that in this phase, customers make adjustments and modifications.

Shopping for materials is usually done by the masons. In some cases, alternative stone materials are preferred by a client, especially if there is much availability of it in the vicinity. When actual fireplace construction is jumpstarted, the firebox base is first to be laid out. It is built with a hole to provide a way for the ash dump door in the middle. The base is made out of special bricks that don’t crack when heat is applied.

Then the rest of the firebox will start to climb building until the whole basic structure of the box is completed. Spaces in between joints of the bricks will be filled in with refractory cement using a large cellophane squeeze bag that resembles that of a giant cake icing decorator.

Then the stones will be placed in frames that will support its shape and weight. Followed by mounting the frames to the designated places of the firebox and finishing of the upper stack.

Build fireplace mantel with the best materials. Stone is the most popular exterior material of fireplaces in most American homes. If you wish to build a brick fireplace, you might sacrifice your aesthetic requirements. The downside of using bricks, however, is that it gives a darker feel of the room. In this situation, an ornament called the fireplace mantel is added. There are pre-fabricated mantles available commercially. Delicate and older stone fireplaces may need customization for the most part. You can choose from a variety of mantle materials like wood, concrete or bricks. Wooden mantles, moreover, need to be placed carefully as it may catch fire sparks. Carvings and color add up beauty to a fireplace. Mantles are good space savers for books, figurines or even that new plasma TV.

Building your next fireplace may be a tiresome work but it can also be rewarding. At the end, the combined efforts of the mason, his creativity and your ideas will give you a decent fireplace that is custom fit for your home living. Just remember that in fireplace construction, safety, protection and use of materials should always be the top priority.