What is the difference between a plinth and a hearth?
The plinth is a square box base that helps support columns. Plinths are also decorative pieces that create a seamless visual transition between the columns and the floor they connect to. The hearth is a slab of non-combustible material that sits on the floor in front of the fireplace. Common materials used for hearths include:
What is a plinth in interior design?
These plinth designs add a classical or colonial touch to support beams, pedestals and other decór in the home. With pre-cut bevels, you can avoid having to carve your own accents.
What is a fireplace hearth?
It’s what the fire is built on or on which a fireplace grate is placed, and helps protect the floor of your home from the heat of a fire. The hearth inside the firebox can sometimes be referred to as the inner hearth, while the platform that extends out into the room can be referred to as the outer hearth.
What is the front of a fireplace called?
The front of the firebox is called the fireplace opening, where glass doors can sometimes be found, or where a fireplace screen would be located. Hearth. The hearth is located at the base of the fireplace. It forms the base of the firebox and extends out into the room, both length ways and width ways.
What is a hearth plinth?
The Hearth Plinth is the foundation of any fireplace and stove installation and the most popular hearth plinths tend to be the darker colours as they are the most practical and require less maintenance.
What are parts of a fireplace called?
At the base of the firebox is the hearth, and at the top of the firebox is the throat of the chimney, where a damper can be found in some fireplaces. The front of the firebox is called the fireplace opening, where glass doors can sometimes be found, or where a fireplace screen would be located.
What is the floor in front of a fireplace called?
Hearth. The hearth refers to the floor area of stone directly in front of the firebox opening.
What is the thing around a fireplace called?
Mantle/Mantel: Refers to the framework around the fireplace, especially the piece above the entablature that protrudes out (mantelshelf, mantelpiece).
What is a fireplace fascia?
Fireplace surround refers to the part of the fireplace that protrudes from the wall and surrounds the opening of the fireplace.
What are fireplace slips?
Fireplace slips are typically installed between the fire surround and opening of inglenook type fireplaces to cover up the brickwork. The slip sets come in 3 separate pieces and can be easily manipulated to suit most fireplace openings no matter the size.
Does a fireplace need a hearth?
A hearth is not required for electric fireplaces but can be used to enhance the aesthetics of owning an electric fireplace that looks like other types of fireplaces, such as wood burning stoves. Gas fireplaces don't typically require a hearth, but gas fireplaces with glass fronts require a hearth.
What is the thing on top of a chimney called?
A chimney crown, also known as a chimney wash, is a slab of cement that covers the top of the chimney. While the chimney cap covers the opening of the flue, the crown covers the whole top of the chimney. The crown prevents water from entering the chimney.
Where is the lintel located in a fireplace?
The lintel is located at the top of the firebox, between the throat of the chimney and the fireplace surround. Its main purpose is structural, and helps spread the load of the chimneybreast across the sides of the fireplace.
What materials are used in a fireplace?
Common materials used as a hearth include granite, marble, stone, concrete, brick, ceramic and quarry tiles. All solid fuel burning fireplaces are required to have a hearth, and the size and depth of a hearth must comply with your local building regulations and code.
What is the purpose of a chimney?
Chimney. A chimney provides a safe passageway for waste smoke and gases from a fire to leave the fireplace and be removed from a home. The chimney starts at the top of the firebox and extends vertically through the roof of the house. The chimney must protrude a certain distance above the roofline of the house to ensure sufficient draw on ...
What is a mantel made of?
The mantel in our living room is made from concrete, while the mantel of the fireplace surround I removed from our kitchen is made of wood.
What is the purpose of glass doors in a fireplace?
Much like a damper, glass doors can help to prevent heat loss from a home when the fireplace isn’t in use .
Why do you put a screen on a fireplace?
A fireplace screen is placed onto the hearth to help prevent any hot embers from getting into the room. Read more about fireplace screens here. You can also read my complete guide to fireplace hearths, including examples of materials used as hearths, and regulations for sizes and depths.
What is the internal passageway of a chimney called?
The internal passageway of the chimney can be known as the flue. The flue can be lined with a heat resistant material such as clay or ceramic, and protects the structure of the chimney from both moisture and the heat of the rising gases from a fire.
Fireplace Dimensions: A Summary
Obviously, not all fireplaces are the same. It’s important to note that the EPA recommends choosing the appropriate wood-burning appliance for your space and heating needs, rather than selecting based on aesthetics alone.
Standard Fireplace Dimensions
While there may not be a set of exact numbers for the typical dimensions of a fireplace, we can narrow it down to a range of averages for each of the main parts of a fireplace.
Determining the Right Fireplace Size
There are several variables that will determine the ideal dimensions for a fireplace, including:
Frequently Asked Questions
Still got questions about fireplace dimensions? We’ve got answers to some of the most commonly asked questions by people looking into this subject.
Things to Consider
There are a few universal rules to consider when planning a new fireplace. Follow these rules to avoid any potential complications:
So, What Are Fireplace Dimensions?
So there you have it — fireplace dimensions. Developing a plan for your home’s new fireplace takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s worth it in the end.
Where is the hearth located in a fireplace?
The hearth is found at the very bottom of a fireplace. It’s the slab of non-combustible material that sits flat at the base of the fireplace on which a fire or fireplace unit sits. It can be found surrounded by the walls of the fireplace inside the firebox, and extends out into the room past the fireplace opening.
What is a fireplace hearth made of?
Fireplace hearths are made out of a non-combustible material such as granite, stone, marble, ceramic, cement or slate.
How thick should a fireplace be?
InterNACHI recommends that for any size fireplace opening, the thickness of a hearth should be at least 4 inches (102mm). In the UK, Building Regulations state that hearths must be at least 12mm thick when temperatures on the surface of the hearth will not exceed 100 Degrees Celsius.
How far should a fireplace hearth extend?
InterNACHI recommends that for fireplaces that have an opening of 6 square feet (0.56 square meters) or smaller, a hearth should extend at least 16 inches (406mm) out into the room from the opening , and by at least 8 inches (203mm) away from the sides. For fireplaces that have an opening of greater than 6 square feet, the heath should extended at least 20 inches (508mm) out from the fireplace, and at least 12 inches (305mm) to the sides.
What is the floor of a fireplace called?
In some cases the hearth is the floor located outside of the firebox, while the inner floor of the fireplace can sometimes be known as the ‘firebox floor’. The extension of the hearth into the room from the fireplace opening is also referred to as the ‘hearth extension’.
Why do fireplaces extend out into the room?
A fireplace hearth extends out into the room in order to help prevent any soot, ash or burning embers from spilling or spitting out onto the floor of the room.
Why do you need a fire guard on a fireplace?
A hearth’s extension also provides a suitable and flat area for which a fire guard can be placed, in order to protect both users of the fireplace and furniture of the room from any hot embers that are released by the fire, and to help prevent young children and pets from getting near the fire.
What is a hearth?
Hearth (härth) n. The floor of a fireplace, usually extending into a room and paved with brick, flagstone, or cement. The hearth has been a part of the home for as long as humans have been able to put walls and a roof together. For over 300,000 years the hearth was where the fire burned for cooking and heating.
Why do we need a hearth?
A hearth helps protect your home from errant sparks that could turn an evening of roasting chestnuts into a traumatizing visit from the fire department. Whether you use your hearth for a gas-burning or wood-burning fireplace, there are many other ways that a hearth can be useful in your home.
Do you need a gas fireplace?
Gas burning fireplaces and electric fireplaces don’t need one but very often they are built with one anyway for aesthetics. Most homeowners would like their vented fireplace to look like a traditional one.
Is it necessary to have a fireplace in the winter?
In today’s modern age a fireplace typically isn’t necessary for cooking or keeping warm during cold months; it just feels good to cozy up in front of a warm fire with a mug of cocoa, even if you are in an area where there’s no such thing as winter.
Is it worth it to have a fireplace?
The truth is that yes, it’s totally worth it. You’ll love how it enhances the look of your fireplace whether you just want to impress your in-laws or a prospective buyer down the line. And, it helps keep your property safe.
Does a fireplace have a door?
This fireplace doesn't have a fireplace door, but fireplace doors are very practical when it comes to keeping your fireplace clean and keeping the temperature in your home regulated when it isn't in use. Imagine our Ancient Hidden Frame Masonry Fireplace Glass Door on this fireplace!
