Coordinated Fireplace and Hearth Products are the Secret To Making Your Fireplace the Focal Point of Your Room

By nature, fire places attract attention to an area, which is a reason the hearth is a common gathering point for so many people. The addition of a couple of wall sconces on each side of the mantle is a wonderful way to draw attention to your fireplace. But for a truly unified look that can’t help but make the fireplace mantle the focus of your room, try using coordinated fireplace hearth products made of similar materials and decoration. Log holders, accessories, firescreens, rugs, and wood baskets can be coordinated to unify the hearth space and make it the envy of all your guests.

Firebacks

Even though firebacks were popular throughout the 18th century in North America, they were actually invented in Europe with roots going much further back. But, in both the New and Old World, their popularity faded to all but collectors and true fireplace fanatics. However with energy costs sky rocketing to record breaking levels, everyone is looking to extract more of their heating needs from different sources like fireplaces, although they’re also looking for the most effective fireplace available. Fireplace firebacks are constructed with cast iron and retain heat (and therefore provide warmth to the room) for a long time after a fire has burned out.

Fireplace Grates

Fireplace grates are a requirement if you like to burn a wood fire in the fireplace. The grate is elevated above the surface of the hearth floor to allow air to feed the flame from underneath. It also alllows the ashes from the burning wood to fall so they do not smother the flame. When picking a grate for the fireplace it is extremely important to measure your fireplace opening correctly. You’ll need the width of your fireplace opening in the back and front (if it tapers) plus the depth of the opening to find the perfect fireplace grate. Allow a 1 to 2 inch clearance on each side.

Hearth Accessories

The amount of fireplace accessories on the market for the fireplace hearth seem only to be limited by your creativity with some of the more popular choices being: wood holders, firesets, and firescreens. But do not forget about the other accessories such as fireplace rugs that can add extra pleasure to your evening in front of the fireplace. They are also good presents for people who have everything already. Who couldn’t use a fireplace bellow ?

Fireplace Tools

What fireplace hearth isn’t more complete with some fireplace tools neatly placed to the side? While people may use them just as a stylish element in a room, firesets are some of the most necessary fireplace accessories especially if you plan on burning a real wood fire in your fireplace. In general, fireplace tool sets come with a poker, tongs, a broom, and a shovel. Everything that’s necessary in order to keep the fire burning and the hearth clear of wood debris. Keep in mind, not all fireplace tool sets are created equal. You will find a huge selection of styles, materials, finishes, and prices. If you’re looking for a tool set that is reliable enough to last a long time, then a wrought iron or brass set will be the way to go. Once you have chosen the level of quality you are looking for, then decide on a finish that will go with the rest of your other decor.

Fireplace Screens

While we all love to sit and relax by our fireplace after working hard all day, the truth is that our hearth space is an extremely dangerous placeparticularly for those of us who have both kids AND animals! Trapped gases inside the wood might cause sparks to fly from your fire. Wrought iron fire screens are necessary to safeguarding your family and house from the hazard of flying embers. They’re essential, but when coordinated correctly with your decor, it adds an individual sense of character and style to the space. So while you can get the standard screen for the fireplace that simply protects your floors and family, you can also match and coordinate the design features with the other decorations in the house for a more distinctive and full look. With that in mind, fireplace screens become decorations in their own sense.

Log Baskets and Wood Holders

Keep your firewood stored neatly with a log basket or log holder. These popular accessories for the fireplace typically appear to be more ornamental than practical, and many people use them to store their favorite magazines. But don’t undervalue the functionality of the wood basket. Lets face it, if you are burning a wood fire, where do you plan to hold your wood for the evening? Wood holders have a built in handle so you will be able to take them to your wood pile for an easy refill when needed. Standing log holders generally have a detachable log tote made of thick cloth or leather that can also be used to easily move your logs from the log pile to the log holder. Match the design and finish with your other fireplace accessories for a more complete look.

For more information and tips on fireplace gloves or fire glass screens, please visit FireplaceScreensEtc.com and sign up to receive a FREE Quick Guide to buying appropriate fireplace accessories for your home.



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Winter means bad weather in many parts of the United States.  And bad weather means power failure for many people.  In cold weather be prepared to use your fireplace or woodstove to keep your home warm until your power is restored.  What do you need to do to be prepared?  Here we will review what you need to do in preparation along with what to do in the midst of the power failure and also after the power has been restored. 

Be Prepared!  Long before you lose your power you need to be ready for it.  You never know when the power will go out (or how long before you get your power back).  Here’s your To Do List for preparing your fireplace before the power failure:

Ø  Stock up on whatever fuel source you use in your fireplace or woodstove.  If it is wood, make sure you have split and stacked it properly allowing for good air circulation while keeping it dry so it will age properly.  This will allow your fire to burn hotter and minimize the buildup of creosote while making it easier to start and maintain your fire. Also have a good supply of kindling on hand such as Fatwood. 

Ø  Make sure your fireplace or woodstove is in good working order.  If you are not sure, call in a professional to have it inspected.  You may have to use your alternative heat source non-stop for many days.

Ø  Have quality fireplace tools, fireplace screen and fireplace accessories.  You will be using them ALOT!  If you don’t have them, invest in them NOW!  They will make your job significantly easier and fire building safer.  Here are some key fireplace items and why you need them:

§  Fireplace Tools (Shovel, Poker, Tongs and Brush) – helps in the ease of building and maintaining fires and the cleaning of the fireplace after use.  Much safer than trying to reposition burning logs with your hands!

§  Fireplace Screen – critical item to prevent embers from flying out of the fireplace and still allow that necessary heat to flow into the room.  You want to prevent starting a house fire caused from a spark flying out of the fireplace and landing in the room.

§  Fireplace Bellow – building a fire is critical when you have a power failure and you do not want to be struggling to get it started.  Fireplace bellows easily provide the oxygen rich air that helps to get that fire going.  A good flow of air is critical for a successful fire. 

§  Fireplace Andirons – It was discovered many centuries ago that if your fuel material is up off the ground the fire burns better and with less smoke.  Andirons keep your logs off the floor of the fireplace and the vertical front piece of the andirons hold the logs in place and prevent them from rolling out of the fireplace.  Fireplace grates can also accomplish this task.

§  Fireplace Log Holder – this will allow you to keep extra logs by the fireplace.  The fewer times you have to open the door to the outside to get more wood the better.  Every time you open the door you are letting cold air into the house.  Keep it to a minimum by stocking logs in your fireplace log holder.

Get these items stocked and in place before a power outage so you can build the easiest, best fire possible when it is critical to have one.

Ø  Practice building a great fire before the power failure:

§  Make sure your damper is open

§  Place tinder (crumbled paper perhaps) on the fireplace floor between the andirons.  This is material that will catch fire instantly.

§  Place kindling such as Fatwood on top of the tinder.  This is material that will catch fire from the flames of the tinder.

§  Stack several fire logs on top of your fireplace andirons or fireplace grate making sure that everything is spaced about 1/2" apart to allow for good air circulation. Your burning kindling will start the logs burning.

§  Light the tinder with a long match  If you have a problem with back draft (smoke flowing into the room instead of up the chimney), open a window a little before you start the fire to create a flow of air from the outside to inside and up your chimney.  Once the fire has started and the smoke is going up the chimney close the window. 

§  If the flames are not taking off don’t forget to use your fireplace bellow to help the fire get going

§  Keep it going by adding wood from your fireplace log holder as needed and keep the burning logs stacked properly by using your fireplace tools to reposition the logs as they burn down and shift.  When not working on the fire keep your fireplace screen in place to prevent fire embers from entering your room.

Your power is out.  Now what?

Ø  Close off rooms you do not need to use.  The more areas closed off the better.  Let the fire heat only the rooms you need.

Ø  Build that fire and keep it going.

Ø  Fill containers with water and place on your fireplace hearth near the fire.  This is a great source of hot water for multiple uses while your power is out and your water pipes are running cold.  If you are using plastic containers make sure they are placed where they will not melt.

When the power comes back on:

Ø  You may want to continue your fire as your heating system begins to heat the whole house.  Keep in mind if you have only one thermostat and it is in the heated area then you will want to open the doors to the closed off rooms so the heater will kick on.  If this does not cause your heater to start you may need to raise the setting on the thermostat to above room temperature to get it to start.

Ø  Once the need for your supplemental fireplace heat has ended let your fireplace cool completely (this may be longer than 24 hours) before you clean your fireplace using your fireplace tools and prepare it for its next use.

There you have it.  With some good preparation, the next time you have a power failure you will be prepared to use your fireplace to stay warm.  Whether it is a few hours to over a week before you get power back on (depending on how wide spread the outage) if you have prepared properly you will have heat.   

CAUTION!!  Do not bring into your home or garage BBQs, gas fueled generators, or any other heat generating devices that are designed for outdoor use.  People have died from the undetected gases given off by some of these devices.  Please use caution and be safe when you lose your power and need heat.



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Many different fireplace tools are used when it comes to building and maintaining fires in home fireplaces and each one of these tools has a different story to be told as to how they came to appear on your fireplace hearth.  This history will deal with the andiron, bellows, pokers and fireplace screens.  Also included with fireplace tools are shovels, tongs, brushes but it is rather hard to determine how and when these particular tools began to be used.

To begin our discussion let’s start with the definition of tool. This is a device that provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task.  Archeology has determined that man was using various tools from the beginning of our existence.  A tool can be as simple as a stick used to poke at something to reach and move it.

Fireplace Poker

With that in mind let us start our exploration of the history of fireplace tools with the poker.  A poker, also known as a stoker, is a short, rigid rod, used to move the burning material in a fire.  Today’s fireplace pokers are usually made of metal with a point at one end for pushing burning material and a handle at the other end.  Archeology shows that we have used pokers as a fireplace tool since the Paleolithic period.  This period is the prehistoric era noted for the development of the first stone tools.  It covers the period from 2.5 or 2.6 million years ago until around 10,000 BC with the introduction of agriculture.  It represents the greatest portion of human time on Earth (about 99% of human history).  Archeologist think that fireplace pokers were invented right after the discovery of fire (790,000 years ago) and the earliest pokers were most likely of the same material as the fuel for the fire – that is wood.  At the beginning the fireplace poker, or "firestick"  was probably a large branch of some type used to help keep the fire going.

Down through the ages this fireplace tool has evolved and, as other tools were used, the fireplace poker has gone in and out of favor.  Up to the 17th century in England you might find only a fire fork and andirons for the fireplace but by the 19th century a fireplace poker was always used and the fire fork had almost disappeared.

The first successful mass production of pokers as a part of an entire fireplace set was designed and manufactured in Cape Girardeau, Missouri by the RL Hendrickson Manufacturing Corporation in 1898.  From that time until now the poker is almost always considered a part of the assemble of fireplace tools.  

"By fire-irons…the housekeeper and the ironmonger understand a fire-shovel, poker and pair of tongs.  These implements were not all of them found upon the ancient hearths of this country; nor were they all necessary when wood was burned upon a fire-place…The use of pit coal, and of close fire-places, let to the adoption of the poker now in universal requisition."   Robert Hunt, A Treatise on the Progressive Improvement and Present State of the Manufactures in Metal, 1853.

Fireplace Andirons

An andiron is a horizontal bar upon which logs are laid for burning in an open fireplace.  Andirons usually come in pairs.  They hold up the firewood so that a draft of air can pass around it and allow proper burning and less smoke.  Andirons stand on short legs and are usually connected with an upright guard.

As man began to study fire and its properties in earnest it was discovered that allowing the circulation of air around the fire led to better fires.  Because of this discovery andirons became more and more popular.  In the 16th to 18th century AD they were also used as a rest for a roasting spit or to hold porridge. 

Before the 14th century andirons were almost always forged from wrought iron and were very plain.  During the period of the Italian Renaissance (14th to 17th centuries AD) many ordinary objects of the household came to the attention of artists and design and skill were used to product andirons.  The andiron reached its most artistic development under Louis XIV of France (late 1600s).  The guard (the upright portion of the andiron) was elaborately ornamented.  Patterns consisted of heraldic symbols, sphinxes, grotesque animals, mythological creatures and much more. 

Sometimes andirons were referred to by the creature they portrayed.  One example of this that continues to this day is firedog.  Andirons that portrayed dogs were called firedogs.  This plays on the dual meaning of the word dog (canine and inanimate holder).    In some areas firedog began to be used to refer to any andiron.  In the United States andiron was once used only in the North and dog iron, firedog or just dog was used to identify andirons in the South.  The Southern term is still used in that region but andiron is now used everywhere.

"Fire-lighting, however simple, is an operation requiring some skill; a fire is readily made by laying a few cinders at the bottom in open order; over this a few pieces of paper, and over that again eight or ten pieces of dry wood; over the wood, a course of moderate-sized pieces of coal, taking care to leave hollow spaces between for air at the centre; and taking care to lay the whole well back in the grate, so that the smoke may go up the chimney, and not into the room.  This done, fire the paper with a match from below, and, if properly laid, it will soon burn up; the stream of flame from the wood and paper soon communicating to the coals and cinders, provided there is plenty of air at the centre."   Isabella Beeton, Book of Household Management, 1861.

Fireplace Bellows

The bellow is a mechanical device for creating a jet of air.  It usually consists of a hinged box with flexible sides, which expands to draw air in through an inward opening value and contracts to expel the air through a nozzle. 

The bellow was used extensively in medieval Europe (5th to 16th century).  It was used to speed combustion for a blacksmith and later to operate pipe organs.  One of the simplest and most familiar types of bellows is the manual one used with fireplaces.  The expandable chamber consists of a leather bag with pleated sides.  The bag is fixed between handles to expand and contract.  The inlet and outlet vents are provided with values so that air must enter through the first and leave through the second.  Thus the fireplace bellows becomes a simple air pump.

When we think of fireplaces we usually think of these simple bellows.  But bellows have had a major role in history.  Metal smelting was not possible until after the invention of the bellows which made the fore possible.  Bellows deliver additional air to fuel and raise the rate of heat output which is needed for smelting.  Around 3000 BC hand operated bellows were used for metal smelting (bronze). The first evidence of iron smelting is around 930 BC.

Though early man did not need to get their heating and cooking fires up to the temperatures needed for smelting they did discover that fireplace bellows made fire building easier.  Stoking kindling with a bellow produces a hotter flame and logs start much quicker.  This is especially important when you are working with wet logs.  Also, fireplace bellows were used early on to create an airstream to blow ashes out of the fireplace when cleaning. 

Today fireplace bellows are still a necessary tool on the fireplace hearth.  It is also a tool that many people like to design and make on their own.  Many bellows are made out of beautiful wood and can have very intricate designs creating an elegant object on display by the fire. 

Fireplace Screens

Though there is no exact date for when fireplace screens came into use we do know that they were first a form of furniture that shielded individuals from any excess heat that was coming from a log burning fireplace.  Early fireplace screens usually were shaped as flat panels standing on attached feet, or as adjustable shield-shaped panels mounted on tripod table legs.

Today’s fireplace screens come in many decorative designs and are made out of metal, glass or wire mesh and are placed in front of the fireplace to protect the room from flying embers that may come from the fire.  Sometimes they are used to cover the fireplace when not in use to make the area more decorative.

Whatever fireplace tool you use to help you build and maintain your fire, know that there is a long history behind each one of those fireplace tools and centuries of use has gone into perfecting the tool in your hand.  And remember that in modern society fire has evolved from providing necessary heat and cooking to a symbol of warmth and love shared by all that gather are the fireplace hearth



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