Advantages of the Faux Fireplace

If you've always loved the feel of a fireplace in the home but don't have one, you don't need to invest in chimney construction or renovation in order to have a fireplace in your home. Faux fireplaces are realistic simulations that create the same atmosphere and are essentially free to operate. Another major advantage of faux fireplaces is the absence of time-consuming maintenance. There's no fetching wood, no cleaning out the mess of soot and ash that's left behind, no chimney flue or damper cleaning and repair. Plus, it nearly completely eliminates the fire hazard a fireplace can pose.

Producing Heat
Faux fireplaces have their share of disadvantages, too. The most obvious disadvantage is that faux fireplaces do not naturally produce heat. Many homeowners choose faux fireplaces because they have an excellent home heating system or live in a warmer climate where heat is not usually an issue. That said, if you want your faux fireplace to emit heat, there are ways to make it happen. A small heater can be placed underneath the faux logs. These heaters can usually only produce a nominal amount of extra heat. More substantial, an electric fireplace can be inserted into your faux fireplace, but this may require custom building the fireplace to make sure it fits properly. This is a consideration best made before you have your faux fireplace installed.

Decorative Options
Like most wood projects, it's hard to underestimate the importance of a good finish. One of the advantages of a faux fireplace is that it can actually be moved around a room to diversify decorating options and spacing. A strong finish will ensure your fireplace can endure multiple incarnations, moves, and different kinds of lighting. For an extra touch of realism and beauty, expert artisans will hand-paint or hand-carve accents into your fireplace, customizing and enhancing its look. By nature decorative, faux fireplaces can be designed according any taste, style, or period.

Faux Fireplace Installation
Faux fireplaces can be installed in one of three ways. Pre-manufactured fireplaces are fully-assembled fireplaces that are ready to go on delivery. This is probably the best option as long as you have the space to get the full fireplace into position and plan to have or hire sufficient manpower to move it. Knocked down fireplaces require some assembly and typically aren't as sturdy as pre-manufactured fireplaces, but will make delivery and installation easier. High-end, custom fireplaces may be manufactured on site but at an additional cost and without the aid of factory machining.