Fireplace Remodeling: Where to Start, What to Do

If your fireplace is looking old and drab, several different fireplace remodeling projects could turn it around and make it once again a pleasing centerpiece in your room.

Fireplace renovation can cover everything from needed repairs to a complete hearth-area makeover. The Chimney Guys of Pataskala, OH, can help you with any kind of fireplace remodel you have in mind.

First, does it just need to be fixed?

A firebox with deteriorated bricks or cracked panels can be an eyesore. It can also be a danger to you and your home.

Compromises in a firebox’s surfaces can allow intense heat, flames and dangerous combustion gases to escape. Heat and flames can lead to a house fire. Carbon monoxide in your home’s living spaces can lead to serious health risks.

Firebox repair will not only restore safety, but it will also spruce up the appearance of the fireplace.

Upgrade for efficiency

For homeowners with a traditional masonry fireplace, a fireplace remodel often includes upgrading with a powerful fireplace insert.

These appliances come ready to be placed into a masonry fireplace’s open firebox. The insert’s closed-combustion system retains 70% or more of the heat it produces. Compare that with 10% or maybe 20% retention with a traditional fireplace.

Inserts can run on gas or wood and use less fuel. And they look fantastic.

Retire a masonry fireplace and start from scratch

With the versatility of modern manufactured fireplaces, you have a lot of choices on where to place one in your home. If you love having a fireplace but wish it was somewhere other than where it is, installing a new gas or wood manufactured fireplace might be the perfect solution.

These appliances are great heat producers and highly efficient. They’re available in a range of design styles and finishes for stunning visual appeal, no matter where you install them.

Manufactured fireplaces are designed to be installed in a wall, on the outside of which will be built a handsome drafting chase. As long as there’s space for the chase, there’s room for the fireplace.

Transform the entire hearth area

Maybe it’s not the fireplace that’s bugging you but rather the overall hearth area. A boring wall can be dismal; a fireplace without a mantel can seem incomplete; an empty hearth isn’t very attractive and inviting.

Here are some upgrade ideas.

Fireplace surround

A gorgeous surround can be custom-made from granite, stone, brick and other gorgeous materials to showcase your fireplace and bring beauty to the entire room. Surrounds can be tight around the fireplace or take up an entire wall.

Fireplace mantel

Mantels add a feel of completion to a fireplace and are perfect places to put things. Clocks, antiques, kids’ schoolwork, artwork, candles, portraits – you name it. It all looks wonderful on a mantel.

Fireplace tools and glass fireplace doors

A set of handsome fireplace tools, with a brush, shovel, poker and other items, gives a classy appearance to a hearth area. Glass fireplace doors bring even more class and look great year-round when the fireplace isn’t in use.

You can also simply add a coat of paint to the surrounding fireplace masonry and the wall. You’d be surprised what a difference new paint makes.

Call your Ohio fireplace remodeling experts

The Chimney Guys specializes in fireplace repairs, installations and upgrades. Share your ideas and hear a few of our own by giving us a call. You can also get in touch through our contact form.