There are three things you can look at forever. And one of them is a game of flame in a fire or a home fireplace. This is an amazing invention of mankind, which is a symbol of domestic warmth and coziness. But, like any other perfection, it requires an aesthetic cut. The framing of the fireplace is an important point, which depends on aesthetic and functional properties. For these purposes, use a wide variety of materials - wood, stone, drywall, brick, polyurethane, MDF and other options.
Keeper of the family hearth
A fireplace is not only a functional invention, which is a source of heat. In the modern world, it is also a decorative element that should harmoniously fit into the entire interior. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly think over the style, character and order of its design.
The portal (literal translation - "front door") is an external frame of the fireplace with a furnace recess in the center. It is portals that take on most of the aesthetic load. If you have already decided to get a fireplace, you should carefully consider what material and style to design it.
The fireplace needs decoration
By itself, it looks great, but in a modern house - quite unusual and original. Decorative portal - this is the very part that needs special attention. The framing of the fireplace should be in harmony directly with the overall style of the room and the whole house as a whole.
When choosing one or another material, one should take into account the degree of its heating and resistance to high temperatures. The electric fireplace is also heated, therefore, it is worth choosing refractory materials for its design.
Often, fireplaces are sold together with a decorative portal - it only needs to be assembled and installed. But it often happens that the style of the portal does not fit into the overall interior, so you have to do the framing of the fireplace with your own hands. You can, of course, turn to professionals. But, as practice shows, if your hands grow from the right place, it’s not so difficult to build a decorative cut for a furnace recess on your own.
What could be the framing of the fireplace: stylistic variations
Your fireplace can be framed in one of the following styles:
- Classical. This is the most common option, which easily fits into almost any design, regardless of where the fireplace is equipped (in a country house, office or city apartment). The framing of the fireplace in this case is made in a simple and concise style, without elaborate elements, excessive pathos. The main features are strict lines and absolute symmetry.
- Country. This direction has firmly entered the life of modern man. Most often, such designs are created using stone (artificial or decorative). This style is the best suited for private homes.
- Modern. The decorative portal will look unconventional and very unusual. It can combine completely different styles, shapes, colors and materials.
- Baroque. Well, where the interior itself is made in the same style. Paphos, luxury and pomp are the main features of the fireplace decoration.
- Hi-tech or minimalism. The framing of the fireplace insert in this case will be performed using glass and ceramic tiles. The style is distinguished by simplicity and conciseness, tranquility and soft colors.
In what style to do the framing of the fireplace with your own hands - you decide. The main thing is that it is combined with the design of the room.
Combination of styles
The fireplace itself must be in harmony with the portal. It is best to install it along the floor line. In the event that you want to place the hearth itself a little higher, give preference to a wider model that will look good at any distance from the floor. Do not hide the fireplace frame with a stone behind the portal.
The main task of the decorative part is to emphasize the design of the fireplace. The design of the hearth should be placed at the same level as the surface of the fireplace portal. If your plan is to create a completely unusual and original design without taking into account the design of the fireplace, buy a special model, known as a hearth-insert. In this option, there is no specific design, so the final version of the decor will completely depend on individual preferences.
Size ratio
When choosing a fireplace, pay attention to its size. So, for example, the floor model provides for the presence of a certain free space. If everything is very complicated with free square meters, choose a beautiful model of a hearth of a wall type. Such a fireplace fits well into the interior of the house and does not differ at all from the traditional design.
It is imperative that the decorative framing of the fireplace harmoniously correlate with the dimensions of the portal itself. In practice, the dimensions of the structures are selected so that the fireplace itself occupies about 75% of the height and approximately 50% of the width of the decorative portal. If you have a wide model, its frame, respectively, will take up more space.
We assemble a drywall fireplace
This is the most simple and budget option for framing a fireplace. The photo clearly demonstrates how beautiful the decorative design of the portal looks. The only drawback of this design is that its installation must be planned at the planning stage of the room. The fact is that then to make any design changes will not work.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to prepare in advance a carefully verified plan with the coordination of all dimensions directly. It is necessary to foresee the presence of ventilation holes and electrical wires. The slots also maintain the optimum air temperature in the fireplace itself, prevent overheating and condensation.
Corner mantelpieces made of drywall look quite attractive. The technology of their arrangement is exactly the same as any other design made of the same material.
How to build a frame from drywall?
First of all, it is necessary to assemble the frame from profiles, then to attach sheets to them. The dimensions and configuration of the frame should be selected based on the individual features of the layout and personal preferences. Then you need to attach drywall sheets to the frame, securely fixing them.
Now you can attach the frame to the firebox and once again make sure that everything is done correctly. If necessary, make changes and attach sheets of decoration material. After this, the entire structure should be plastered. For these purposes, a gypsum-based composition is ideal. Once everything is dry, you can cover the plaster with varnish or facade paint. If desired, you can finish with any other material.
Wood fireplace mantel
Wood always looks luxurious and noble. Only a person who has experience with this material can make a wooden framing of a fireplace by himself. A wood processing wizard will be able to build a portal without assistance.
The following recommendations will help to cope with the task:
- The portal for the fireplace must be assembled only from carefully dried wood material. Of course, all boards should be made of the same wood species.
- It is best to glue structural elements using modern adhesives. Water-based glue should be avoided - it will make the wood more moist, which is highly undesirable for a fireplace.
- Wooden framing must be covered with a double layer of varnish. This will avoid deformation and damage to the material.
Array is not the best material for decorating a firebox. It is prone to cracking and cracking.
Polyurethane fireplace surround
This material is very popular in decorating. It is easy to use, durable and reliable. In addition, great for a budget fireplace. It was created to replace traditional gypsum. Due to its versatility, polyurethane can be used to decorate both the factory model of the fireplace, and made by yourself.
In the process of decorating, polyurethane stucco molding is often used. There are ready-made kits on sale, which consist of several elements:
- Floor base.
- Frame for the furnace cavity.
- Podium.
- Cap.
- Vertical racks.
- Decor
The advantages of polyurethane frames are obvious: fire safety, ease of installation, environmental safety, aesthetics, the ability to simulate various other materials.
Stone framing
This is a classic in its true manifestation. Unlike framing wood with fireplaces, stone portals look more luxurious and rich. You can use natural material, or you can purchase an artificial analog that is not as durable as a real stone.
This is the most expensive type of fireplace insert design. Firstly, because the material itself is worth a lot. And secondly, the finishing process itself is quite complicated - only an experienced master can do it, who will not work for free.
Which fireplace is better: stationary or mobile?
Before you buy and equip a fireplace space, think carefully about whether you want your cozy corner to be constantly in the same place. As for the wood fuel fireplace, there are no questions - it is tied to a chimney, and with all the desire to turn it in the other direction without a major overhaul of the structure, it will not work.
It is for this reason that electric fireplaces have become much more in demand than traditional models. It's all about mobility. The fireplace can stand in the living room all year, and closer to the New Year holidays, move to the spacious kitchen, where all the households will gather. Stationary portals are most often made at the stage of decoration. And for electric fireplaces, you can build a structure from drywall, which is easily transported to another place with the firebox.
Fireplace Design Options
The simplest and cheapest option is to build a frame of metal profiles, fix drywall and continue to do what you want (paint, plaster, decorate with a wide variety of materials).
The technology is simply indecent - even those who have never dealt with framing a fireplace insert will cope with it. First of all, it is necessary to draw a sketch on a scale with all sizes, then transfer the main lines of the picture directly to the floor and mount the frame from a metal profile. This is for drywall.
If you recently suffered a natural disaster called "repair" and you still have pieces of decoration material (ceramic tile, wood or parquet board), you can use them as a decorative frame for a fireplace insert.
Fireplaces mounted in furniture or a partition look very unusual and original. For their design, you can use MDF - the material is strong enough and reliable, holds high temperatures well, and is not afraid of moisture. If you want to build an electric fireplace in the wall, you can use one of these methods:
- Cut a niche in the wall and run an electric cable in it.
- To build a frame from a metal profile, as if pushing forward a niche for a fireplace.
It’s not as difficult to build the decorative design of a cozy and warm corner as it seems at first glance. The main thing is to be patient and follow some general recommendations so as not to spoil the finishing material.
Project, cash calculation
To find out how much the decoration of the fireplace will cost, you need to verify its size. The size of the outbreak depends on the dimensions of the room in which it will be located. There are uniform standards: for example, it is customary that the firebox be at least 1 to 50 of the total volume. Accordingly, the furnace opening can be from 0.2 to 0.4 square meters.
Let's try to calculate the cost of a fireplace with ceramic cladding. For this we need the following materials:
- Skirting board.
- Plinth angular.
- Regular mantelpiece.
- Corner mantelpiece.
- Inline tiles.
- The tile is angular.
- The frieze is ordinary.
- Frieze corner.
If you use ceramic tiles of the middle price segment, then the total cost of the fireplace with the frame will be about 100 thousand rubles. Accordingly, the more expensive the tile, the more expensive the work will cost. In many ways, the price is due to the cost of finishing material.