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Choosing A Fireplace For Your Period Home

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  • Choosing A Fireplace For Your Period Home, Period Home Fireplace, Restoring a Cast Iron Fireplace, Creating a New Period Style Fireplace, Fireplace For a Period Home
  • Posted date:
  • 13-04-2022
Choosing A Fireplace For Your Period Home

Do you need tips and advice for choosing a fireplace for your period home? This article looks at period home fireplace considerations and how to find the right fireplace to suit your home.

How to find the right antique fireplace for your period home

Sourcing a fireplace that suits the style of your home can be a headscratcher, the first piece of advice we would give is to speak to some of your neighbours. 

Do they still have their home's original fireplace in situ? If not, take a look on a property selling website and have a look inside some houses on your street, if possible. Using these tips, you might be able to get an idea of how your home's original fireplace would look.

Although you may not be able to locate the exact same specific design that would have been found in your home, there are plenty of reclamation yards you can visit to help you find a pretty close match! 

If you are looking for other options, then we would recommend checking online selling sites where renovators who have ripped out fireplaces may be looking to get the installations off their hands. You could even get a much better price if they need it gone as soon as possible.

If your home is either Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian, then there is a huge selection of different styles you can select from during those timespans. Edwardian and Late Victorian fireplaces would commonly have tilted inserts. This requires the fireplace to have a larger opening. 

Georgian styles will often have urns, foliage, or flower motifs, whereas, on Victorian styled fireplaces, you will find corbels. During the 1930s, the big architectural movement was art deco. This meant that surfaces had sloped edges, rounded corners, and geometric shapes.

Is A Fireplace A Good Investment

Period Home Fireplace Considerations

 Choosing A Fireplace For Your Period Home

Cast Iron Combination Fireplaces

These fireplaces are filled to the brim with personality and great rustic charm. Commonly found as cast iron combination fireplaces, where the insert, shelf and surround are all combined for peak practicality. 

These combined units are also cheaper than choosing all the separate fireplace components separately. Cast iron combination fireplaces have deep blacks and wonderous polished finishes. 

They are available in Art Nouveau, Georgian, and Victorian designs too. These pieces contain such incredible detail that you will have no trouble finding one that is absolutely perfect for your home. 

If you are looking for even more customisation options, then some cast iron combination fireplaces can be used alongside tile holders. 

These can not only add an individual element but also help to draw the eye to the fireplace, making the whole ensemble even more striking.

Stoves

A multi-fuel stove is another option for homes; they are especially useful when trying to create a rustic and cosy aesthetic. 

Stoves are a great way to enjoy a real fire while keeping your home clean and efficient. In fact, stoves offer up to 85% efficiency compared to your run of the mill open fireplace. 

Multi-fuel burners are quintessential and classic in their design and practicality. Cast iron stoves are not only wonderfully efficient when they are burning wood, but they also come with a huge host of other features. This includes a secondary air inlet which makes for cleaner glass and far improved combustion. 

Carron burners even come with adjustable door handles, as well as fire rope compression for the best heating potential possible. 

If you find ash disposal to be a total headache, then a stove's multi-fuel great and external riddle grate mechanisms can make the whole process easier. Stoves that have a large window installed are undeniably peaceful, the perfect ambience for your home.

Stoves are purchasable in various different levels of kilowatt rating. Depending on what you will be using the stove for and the area that you will be heating, you are going to want a different level of the stove. 

If you are looking to heat a small room, then you will need a compact burner with a lower rating, for example, a 4.7kw stove. 

If you are planning on installing your stove in a bigger space, or perhaps want to heat multiple rooms instead of just one, then 5kw, 7.3kw, 11kw, and other options are available too.

Cast Iron Inserts and Surrounds

If you want to make your fireplace exactly suited to your personality, then you need to take a look at cast iron inserts and surrounds. You will find that inserts are generally used in smaller areas like bedrooms. 

They are an essential part of Victorian, Edwardian and Federation properties. Moulded cast-iron pieces make for incredibly timeless fireplaces, calling back to the past but always staying relevant. 

The designs of the pieces can range from sleek and elegant, while others are meticulously detailed with lavish motifs. Having the choice of different cast iron surrounds can help to set the personality and character of a room.

Wooden Surrounds

Wooden surrounds are a fantastic alternative for when you are trying to give your fireplace a more versatile feel. 

Wooden surrounds come in a huge range of different materials, including fruitwood, solid oak, solid pine, acacia, and Sheesham. 

There is a selection of finishes, too, including waxed, unwaxed, distressed, and weathered. The look of a wooden fireplace instantly provides comfort and a welcoming atmosphere. Wood's natural properties also make the material durable and reliable.

Restoring a Cast Iron Fireplace

If you have just moved into a new home and found a wonderful period fireplace inside, then, you may be wondering how you can get the unit looking at its absolute best. Restoring can be quite hard work, especially if the previous owners left the fireplace in poor condition. Below are some tips for getting that fireplace back to look incredible:

Restoring a Cast Iron Fireplace

If the fireplace has been painted, then use some paint stripper to remove it all. Ensure that you are not using a lead-based paint stripper, as this will release toxic fumes.

Once the paint stripped has done all the necessary work, scrape away the remains with a plastic scraper. Wire wool or stiff brush can also be used. Don't use anything to remove the paint that could potentially scratch the surface.

Even if you haven't needed to remove paint, ensure that you now clean the surface of the fireplace with white spirit. Any rust you can locate should be dealt with using a rust remover.

Use a black grate to polish the fireplace and protect the surface.

Cast iron will quickly begin to rust when exposed to moisture, so although it may seem tempting, do not clean any debris away with water.

Creating a New Period Style Fireplace

Step 1: Pick a Cast Iron Fireplace Insert

This will be the central part of your period fireplace. The centrepiece that holds the heat and draws the eye. There are countless cast iron fireplace inserts available, ranging from Victorian designs with detailed and stunning flourishes to the decadence of an Art Nouveau design.

One option you could consider is a tiled fireplace insert. They were extremely popular during the Victorian era and make a great addition to any period fireplace. Tiles are a fantastic way to brighten up your period fireplace, as well as personalise the unit.

Step 2: Choose Your Cast Iron Fire Surround

If you want a full statement period piece in your home, then a cast iron fire surround is needed to complete the look and tie the whole unit design together. 

Period style cast iron surrounds are packed with details and intricacies. Although, cast iron surrounds are not the only option for period fireplaces. Limestone period fire surrounds look timeless and fashionable.

Step 3: Consider A Cast Iron Combination Fireplace

Cast iron combination fireplaces are both small and compact. All the parts come together as a single unit, so there is no need to be shopping around for inserts and fire surrounds separately. 

Cast iron combination fireplaces were incredibly popular in the Victorian era and were often used in bedrooms due to their small size. If you're looking to purchase an antique fireplace for cheap, with an easy installation, then a cast iron combination fireplace is the way to go.


Do you have a period fireplace which needs repair or restoration? If you live in the Hastings and East Sussex area, our expert antique fireplace restoration services can help.