Opening Up Your Fireplace

So you've just moving into a new house or flat and notice there is a chimney breast in your living room but no fireplace! No living room can be complete without a fireplace, both as a focal point and as a compliment to other heating the room, allowing you to turn down the central heating and just enjoy the warmth that a gas, solid fuel or electric fire offers.
Where Do I Start?
To start you'll need to find out if your chimney breast has a fireplace opening. Tap where you thing the fireplace is, or if there is an air-brick, remove it. This will help determine what has been used to block up the opening, whether plasterboard, MDF, timber or block-work.
If you're a competent handy-person you may be able to try and remove the material blocking the opening, but if you find a broken lintel, or no lintel at all, STOP IMMEDIATELY and call in a building professional.
Now I've Made My Opening, Is My Chimney Usable?
Whether the chimney is usable rests entirely on your chimney or flue has a pull, or up- draught, without this there would be no way of drawing the harmful exhaust gases out of the room. (To get an  idea of what flue you have click here)

Most gas fitters, or solid fuel engineers will test the pull of a chimney by using a smoke pellet or match, but you can test this yourself. Try lighting a match, blowing it out near the entrance to the flue, see if the smoke trail is sucked up the chimney.
Ideally you should see the smoke trail be sucked up the chimney, indicating a good pull by the flue. If not, this may be because the flue has been partially or completely blocked, or even removed! Check rooms above or in the loft, the chimney breast should go through those rooms too, a missing chimney breast would need to be rebuilt to re-instate the flue before you could use a conventionally flued appliance.
Although it does not stop you using a catalytic flueless gas fire or a bio-ethanol fire. Another issue may be that the chimney has been capped, head outside (weather permitting) and look up at the chimney, binoculars may be helpful, to see if there is a metal cap on the chimney pots. This cap would need to be removed and providing that the rest of flue is intact then removal of the cap will re-instate the pull of the flue, allowing the freedom to have fires such as the stunning Drugasar Eclipse suite (shown right).
I've done all of the above, but my chimney still has no pull, I think it's blocked.
The best thing to do would be to consult a chimney sweep and see if they can sweep the chimney and clear any blockage. If you're looking to install a wood or solid fuel appliance then most manufacturers recommend having the chimney swept every 6 months, with many stove manufacturers advising that a flue liner be fitted to ensure the flue has a uniform pull.
I've Decided What Fire I Want, Can I Fit It Myself?
No, Simple As That. Gas fires must be fitted by an installer registered with Gas Safe, likewise any solid fuel appliance must be fitted by a HETAS registered engineer. Both of these are legal requirements and doing it yourself may make it very difficult to sell the property, or worse, could seriously endanger your life.

Interior Design Trends For 2012 - Victoriana

In our second entry on design trends for 2012 we look at Victoriana. Family life revolved around the fireplace, hot water would come from the stove, almost all heat came exclusively from the fireplace with the Cast Iron "Victorian" radiator not becoming commonplace until the very late 19th Century.
No Victorian style living room would be complete without the traditional fireplace, so in this entry we shall suggest some of the very best ideas to complete that Victoriana finish. Forget the over-furnished rooms and heavy drapes. While traditional and would give the Victorian finish, they are a little bit over the top for our liking.
Our first suggestion is part of the Premier range from Cast Tec, The Cast Tec Dublin Cast Iron Insert with  the Harton Cast Iron Surround. The traditional Victorian finish is displayed in the quality antique finish and complements the matt black and highlight polished areas of the Harton fireplace surround.
Available with either gas, electric or solid fuel means this fire is suitable for anyone, whether you have a chimney or not:

• Gas fire with a maximum heat input of 6.9kW with natural gas as standard and is suitable for class 1 or 2 flues
• Electric fire that comes with two heat settings of 900W & 1800W which is controlled by a remote control as standard, top venting fire with LED effect and adjustable height
• Solid fuel kit which comes complete with fret, ashpan, grate and operating tool. Capable of burning wood peat, and other smokeless fuels

The Dublin & Harton could be used just to give that Victorian highlight and a focal point, or, as pictured in conjunction with other furniture in the room to create a stunning theme that can be the basis for a beautiful home.

Our next suggestion is another cast-iron combination, This time from Carron. The Lambourn Cast-Iron Combination features traditional Victorian styling, that just like the Cast Tec Dublin would create an ideal talking point in any room. The detailing on the mantle and the canopy both add to the effect, while the choice of solid fuel, natural gas or LPG mean that you can have that stunning center-piece, while the choice of tiles means that you can cater the apperaance to your existing decor.

Both of the above fireplaces would create that a stunning Victorian feel to any room, rarely was any piece of furniture not adorned with accessories, pieces were carefully positioned for maximum impact.  Pick lighting, throws and cushions with needlepoint detailing, lampshades with intricate patterns; mini statuettes and even faux stuffed animals to complete that Victoriana look.

Hot Property For 2012

With just a week left in 2011, and with our first snowfall across most of the UK last week, most people, along with ourselves are focusing on 2012. We thought we'd take a look at some of the things that we forsee becoming 'hot' property for 2012.

Bio-Ethanol Fires: 
These  eco-friendly and incredibly simple and elegant fires are becoming more and more popular with energy prices rising and installation, servicing and other costs of gas and soli-fuel appliances to consider Bio-Ethanol are beginning to become the appliance of choice for both heat and a stunning flame effect. While the fact that most bio-ethanol fires only feature one moving part which means there is almost nothing to go wrong with the fire. This means an end to expensive engineer/gas fitter visits and an end to struggling to find spare parts.


Other amazing feature is that some of the fires are portable, allowing for use both indoors during the colder nights or using Citronella Gel outside during the summer to provide that amazing ambience while keeping the insects away. While some people claim that the Bio-Ethanol costs an arm & a leg, most larger internet retailers are able to sell larger quanities at substanitally cheaper prices to that of a local showroom or garden centre.

You can find an incredible selection of  bio-ethanol fires; portable, freestanding and wall-mounted from the House 2 Home Megastore


Stoves In Colour:

With stoves becoming more and more popular as the idea of carbon-neutral heating and reduced fuel bills becomes more mainstream most people will start looking into purchasing a wood-burning or multifuel stove.
The general consensus of the market is matt black cast iron or steel is the only available colour. But why settle with just matt black?
With manufacturer's such as Firebelly or Carron offer many more colours, while Carron offer enamel colours that may chip or discolour due to heat Firebelly offer a wide variety of colours or heat resistant paint that are hard-wearing and can be touched up. Combined with the optional Stainless steel legs as pictured can give you an incredibly unique stove.

Drugasar Fires:
Drugasar fires are set to become the must-have gas fires. With the Global Range being an incredibly high quality range of gas fires for Chimney's & balanced flue systems that are also much more affordable than some other similar fires on the market. With the Eclipse, Aura, Cara & Grace suites also set to become more and more popular. The Ceraglass interior has also become a must-have, with not many other fires offering such a contemporary finish.
“We develop products that continuously meet the highest stipulations and as such retain the level of quality we are used to. Where homes are becoming increasingly better insulated, we offer products for example that still delievr a lovely fire but with less capacity," 

How To Recreate The Look And Feel Of A Period Fireplace

With the period look and feel becoming ever more desirable as people move away from cold contemporary or traditional furnishings and more towards something that gives a feel of history and period architecture.

Carron due an amazing range of period cast iron combinations and baskets which would be a perfect solution for anyone looking to recreate that 19th century period look and feel, but we are going to suggest a surround and cast iron insert for your reading pleasure.

Traditional fireplaces are very much the focal point of the room, both in size and in appearance, their presence on the hearth demands attention, and when the fire is lit then the room is filled with the warmth and glow from the fire.

The Carron Thakat fits the bill exactly for a period fireplace, made from solid Acacia wood, that during the 19th century would have been brought back from the colonies of Africa and Australia, this dark wooden surround stands proud on the hearth at 54inches wide and 41inches high. The dark wood finish of the surround, combined with the rustic detailing and corner pieces really gives the impression of an antique fire surround.

The perfect companion to the Thakat surround is the Ce Lux cast iron insert, as shown in the image above.

The Ce Lux surround is made of traditional cast iron and is available in the very traditional cast black or in the slightly more modern highlighted finish which accentuates the victorian detailing around the arch, this adds to the real period feel.

The Ce Lux cast iron arch is available with a natural gas, lpg or solid fuel option allowing you to choose the fuel option most appropriate for you. With gas prices forever on the rise (seem to be constantly mentioning that at the moment!) the solid fuel option is becoming ever more popular and I must say that this surround and cast iron insert combination really works with the solid fuel option, it gives a more lively flame picture and fills the room with more of that wonderful glow that warms everything in the room.

Carron Cast Iron Combinations

British manufacturers Carron have released a fantastic range of solid cast iron combinations with various traditional design and finishes to complement any home. The combinations are complete with surround and fire making it a lot easier to purchase and to also install. The fires that have been supplied by Carron provide you with a number of options such as Natural gas, LPG or a solid fuel option.

The intricate styling on these combinations is what sets them apart from any other combination on the market. The designs are taken from a wide range of styles such as art nouveau, late Victorian and gothic styling.

The Carron Toulouse is one of the most detailed combinations that Carron offers because of the spectacular flower patterns through the surround and the hood of the fire. These design set the Toulouse apart from any of the other combination design. Along with the choice of fire you can also select tiles to go with this combination to complement the room, these tiles can also be switched when redecorating or just fancying a change.

One of the more unique combinations is the Carron Classic which features a large hood with art nouveau styling throughout the combination. The Classic comes as standard with a more modern full polish finish that looks great in any surrounding. With the traditional art nouveau design the Classic comes with a choice of either a natural gas, LPG or a solid fuel fire and also a choice of black granite hearth size. The gas fires that are available are all suitable for class 1 & 2 chimneys or flues and have an input of 6 kW but are mainly used for decorative purposes only.

Because of Carron’s traditional techniques and quality materials the combinations that are available are amongst the finest offered in the UK.

Carron Surrounds

Carron offer a brilliant range of fireplace surrounds in a variety of contemporary and traditional styles and finishes to make sure that there is one that is perfect for your home. Carron have made sure that each fireplace is unique with its original detailing and stylish features to complement the fire that has been chosen.

One of the finest surrounds that Carron offers is the Buckingham cast iron surround which features intricate detailing throughout the header and the legs that show the true quality of the material and the work that has gone into it. The Buckingham is one of the largest surrounds that Carron has to offer with a top shelf of 1730 mm which makes it more suitable for a large room.

Carron have some of the finest materials available with their surrounds such as solid oak, solid pine, cast iron, sheesham and solid acacia. These materials ensure that the surrounds supplied by Carron are amongst the best currently available in the UK.

Some of the more contemporary designs are mainly available in hardwood and come with simple clean designs that would suit any room. One of the best contemporary hard wood surrounds is the Vermont which is made from natural solid sheesham which provides a traditional feel to a contemporary styled surround.

One of the most unique surrounds that Carron has to offer is the Somerset Cast Iron because it is capable of adjusting the legs to change its opening width from anywhere between 940 mm -1020 mm. This feature is extremely useful when selecting a fire because it provides a lot more freedom of choice and also helps when installing the fire so that it fits perfectly into the surround.

All of the surrounds that Carron supply are available with a black granite hearth in a variety of different sizes and also with the options of a tongue and also a slabbed hearth which is required with a solid fuel fire.

Carron Cast Iron Inserts

Carron are one of the leading British manufacturers by using traditional methods to create some of the finest cast iron products currently available in the UK. The cast iron inserts that Carron produce are available in a wide variety of traditional designs and finishes to complement the quality of the product.

One of the best cast iron inserts that is available from Carron is the Celtic Arch which is available in 4 different polished finishes and comes in a traditional Victorian arched design to suit any home. The Celtic Arch is also available with a choice between a natural gas or an LPG fire as well as a solid fuel option all of which are suitable for a class 1 & 2 chimney.

Each of the cast iron surrounds available from Carron are provided with a black granite hearth available in a variety of sizes and also available with options of a tongue and a slabbed hearth for solid fuel fires.

Carron have created some of the most unique fireplaces available with intricate detailing throughout the insert. The best example of this would be the Carron Rococo Cast Iron insert which features rococo styling in the arch with precise detailing. The styles that Carron have incorporated into their fireplaces range from Georgian designs circa 1840 to late Victorian design circa 1905 which truly shows the tradition of Carron.

A lot of Carron cast iron inserts are available with tile options so that you can customise the look of the fireplace to how you want it. There is a large variety of tiles that have been made available by Carron to make sure that you can choose exactly the one you want. A number of these tiles can also be purchased so that they can be changed to suit your room if you redecorate or simply fancy a change.

Carron cast iron inserts are a quality product and some of the finest cast iron inserts available, they are currently available from the Fireplace Megastore.