
What is the top of a fireplace called?
The mantel is the top horizontal protruding shelf/ledge over a firebox. A fireplace mantel spans the top of a firebox and is often supported by legs; generally the deepest and heaviest section of the fireplace.
What are the parts of a fireplace&chimney?
Parts Of A Fireplace & Chimney Explained (With Diagrams And Real Pictures) 1 Parts Of A Fireplace Diagram 2 Anatomy Of A Fireplace (Labeled) 3 Firebox 4 Hearth 5 Fireplace Face 6 Surround 7 Back Panel 8 Mantel 9 Lintel 10 Chimney Throat More items...
What is the front of a firebox 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.
Where is the hearth located on a fireplace?
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. The hearth is located at the base of the fireplace.

What is the space above a fireplace called?
12. Mantel. A decorative shelf added safely above the firebox opening is called the fireplace mantle. It's one of the most commonly recognizable fireplace features and is one part of the fireplace surround.
What do you call the area above a fireplace mantel?
The term, mantelpiece …is the shelf at the top of a mantel. It can also be referred to as a mantel cap, cornice or mantel shelf.
What is the thing on the outside of the fireplace called?
Fireplace Face. The fireplace face or surround is the part of the fireplace surrounding the firebox that you see in the room. It's made of brick, stone, concrete or other noncombustible materials. Its purpose is to ensure the area outside the inner hearth doesn't catch fire.
What is a fireplace throat?
The throat is the opening immediately above the fire; it usually narrows to a few inches in width just below the damper, a door that can be closed when the furnace or fireplace is not in use. Above the damper is the smoke chamber.
What is a fireplace jamb?
The interior sides of the firebox, frequently splayed to reflect heat back into the room. Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
What is the purpose of a fireplace surround?
Fireplace surrounds help to make a fireplace into more a feature and a focal point for a home, as well as providing a shelf space above the fireplace to allow you to decorate it with personal items.
What is a fireplace slip?
Slips are used to cover the area between the surround and the chimney opening opening. Slip sets comprise of 3 rectangular pieces that are usually made to measure for the wall area around your stove. They are usually the same colour and made of the same material as the hearth but not always.
What is a fireplace box?
The firebox is the open-to-the-room, inner section of the fireplace where you light and burn fires. As the name suggests, a firebox has a standard box-like shape. It features a flat base, three walls, and an opening at the front and top. Since the fire burns inside of it, the walls and floor must be non-combustible.
What is the metal screen that sits in front of the fireplace opening?
Fender: A short and long piece of metal that sits on the hearth to protect the rug or floor from flying sparks. Firescreen: The metal screen that sits in front of the fireplace opening to prevent sparks from flying onto the rug or flooring.
What is the area on the floor just in front of the fireplace?
Hearth : The area on the floor just in front of the fireplace, usually made from bricks or stone. Jamb: One of two vertical pieces that are found on either side of the fireplace opening. Similar to the pieces surrounding the sides of a window frame. Image Credit: Siemasko + Verbridge.
What is a summer piece?
Summer Piece: A metal piece that fits over the fireplace opening. Used in the summer months or when the fireplace isn’t in use.
What is a mantel in a fireplace?
Mantle/Mantel: Refers to the framework around the fireplace, especially the piece above the entablature that protrudes out (mantelshelf, mantelpiece).
What is Anne's background?
With a background in furniture and antiques, Anne has spent the last several years writing about home improvement and interior design. An avid traveler, she loves to collect pieces that tell a story and in her off hours she can be found hunting for vintage furniture and textiles.
What is the piece that supports the logs in a fireplace?
Andiron: Also known as a Firedog. These metal pieces support the logs inside the fireplace. Image Credit: Gelotte Hommas. Chimney Breast: the piece covering the flue that projects out into a room. Often made of stone or marble, sometimes carved. Image Credit: Graciela Rutkowski.
Where is the entablature on a fireplace?
Entablature: This piece, which is usually found above the fireplace opening, includes the cornice (top), frieze (middle) and architrave (bottom). Often carved out of wood or stone and typically is found below the mantle.
What is the bracket on a fireplace called?
The bracket or block that projects from the face of a wall, is referred to as the corbel. While physically and visually supporting the elements placed above it, the corbel is a very popular design element for fireplaces.
What is a fireplace surround?
Ultimately, the surround is what makes up all parts of a fireplace in its entirety. The only exception to this would be the firebox itself.
What is a mantel in a fireplace?
Mantel. The mantel is the top horizontal protruding shelf/ledge over a firebox. A fireplace mantel spans the top of a firebox and is often supported by legs; generally the deepest and heaviest section of the fireplace. It can also be floating, supported by corbels, and can appear well above the firebox opening or right in line with the opening.
How long has a fireplace been around?
Fire has been an integral part of humanity since prehistoric times and by extension, fireplace. There may even be evidence of fireplaces as long ago as 300,000 years ago. The modern fireplace came into fashion about a thousand years ago as the fire pit began to be integrated into the living dwelling.
What is the purpose of cladding on a fireplace?
Distinct from the architectural or carved stone of the fireplace, cladding is the flatwork that is used to fill the center of an overmantel, hearth, or any other areas where matching flat stone is combined with carved architectural stone. Cladding may also be used to cover the chimney in some situations .
Where is the firebox in a fireplace?
Firebox. The firebox is the part of your fireplace that is typically inside of the wall. You usually can’t see much of it – maybe the back wall. This part is part of architecture of the home and actually comes in direct contact with the fire.
How deep is a hearth?
A hearth is usually as wide as the firebox and the legs combined. Its depth is strictly circumscribed anywhere from 18 inches to 24 inches. The depth and acceptable materials for the hearth may be governed by local building codes.
What does a timber fireplace look like?
Here’s what the timber fireplace surround looks like on its own from the front: And here’s what the timber fireplace surround looks like from behind: A fireplace sur round is typically hollow inside to prevent the manufacturers from using materials that wouldn’t have otherwise been seen, as well as keeping the weight down.
What is the area around the opening of a fireplace called?
What Is Behind A Fireplace Surround. The area around the opening of a fireplace is called the fireplace surround, and can be made from a number of different materials including wood, stone or metal.
Why do we need a fireplace surround?
Fireplace surrounds help to turn an open fireplace into more of a decorative feature of a home than simply a functional one.
Why was the back panel removed from a gas fireplace?
The gas fireplace insert and back panel was removed to leave just the open fireplace and hearth visible.
OVERSIZE MIRRORS
Mirrors are probably the number one most common thing to see above a fireplace. They do a wonderful job of bouncing light around a room and don’t require a color commitment. My tip though, is to be careful what your mirror reflects. It isn’t very appealing to see a reflection of the ceiling or a blank wall across from it.
GROUPINGS OF MULTIPLES
Grouping multiple prints together that coordinate with each other is a great way to use artwork that incorporates the styles and colors of the decor in the rest of the room.
OVERSIZE CLOCKS
A large wall clock makes quite a statement no matter where it hangs. They’ve been a hot trend over the last few years and go with almost anything else in the room. Plus – they’re relatively inexpensive so you can usually get a lot of bang for your buck!
WOOD ART
Art made with wood can add a homey element that you just can’t get from other materials. If you think of wood as being rustic, you can erase that notion from your mind! The popularity of wood art is at an all time high, so you’ll be pleasantly surprised at all of the different style options available.
What is an electric fireplace?
Electric fireplace. Traditional Serbian Ognjište. Ventless fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, some states and local counties have laws restricting these types of fireplaces.
What are the different types of chimneys?
Chimney and flue types: 1 Masonry (brick or stone fireplaces and chimneys) with or without tile-lined flue. 2 Reinforced concrete chimneys. Fundamental design flaws bankrupted the US manufacturers and made the design obsolete. These chimneys often show vertical cracks on the exterior. 3 Metal-lined flue: Double- or triple-walled metal pipe running up inside a new or existing wood-framed or masonry chase.
How does a fireplace work?
Some fireplace units incorporate a blower, which transfers more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection , resulting in a more evenly heated space and a lower heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be increased with the use of a Fireplace fireback , a piece of metal that sits behind the fire and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally made from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated concept, though, with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the effect of heating of the air. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the air. A fireplace with a fireback is a radiant heater, and has been so since the 15th century. The best way to gauge the output of a fireplace is if you notice you're turning the thermostat up or down.
What was the style of fireplace in the 1800s?
It was smaller, more brightly lit, with an emphasis on the quality of the materials used in their construction, instead of their size . By the 1800s, most new fireplaces were made up of two parts, the surround and the insert.
How efficient is a fireplace?
Most older fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of at least 80% (legal minimum requirement, for example, in Salzburg, Austria). To improve efficiency, fireplaces can also be modified by inserting special heavy fireboxes designed to burn much cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80% in heating the air. These modified fireplaces are often equipped with a large fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first phase the initial heat is provided through a large glass window while the fire is burning. During this time the structure, built of refractory bricks, absorbs the heat. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the second phase. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window only provide heat radiated from its surface. Depending on the outside temperature, 1 to 2 daily firings are sufficient to ensure a constant room temperature .
What is a fire grate?
A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash.
What are the accessories used in a fireplace?
For the interior, common in recent Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons and pellet baskets, all of which cradle fuel and accelerate combustion. A grate (or fire grate) is a frame, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are sometimes used to capture and re-radiate heat, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash. For fireplace tending, tools include pokers, bellows, tongs, shovels, brushes and tool stands. Other wider accessories can include log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and more.
