Home fireplaces appeared in Russia in the 13th century, and replaced the stove in some houses. The fireplace was not only a heating structure, but also a luxurious decor. An open fire and crackling firewood create a cozy and warm atmosphere. A fireplace, as a way of heating and decor, will easily fit into many interior styles: classic, modern, high-tech. With the help of a fireplace, you can zone the room and create a cozy corner for a family vacation.
Which is better: brick or cast iron?
Cast iron … The design of a modern fireplace usually consists of a thick-walled firebox, a body and a chimney. Some models can be piped using a heat exchanger. This eliminates the need to connect central heating and purchase water heaters. The service life with constant use will be more than 15 years. It is worth choosing high-quality models with firmly installed parts and made of thick cast iron.
A durable cast iron fireplace will last a long time. The material can withstand the highest temperatures and is less susceptible to fading.
When exposed to high temperatures, the furnace structure does not deform.
Cast iron has a high heat transfer. After the wood in the fireplace burns out, cast iron will store and distribute heat for a long time, which allows heating large rooms and saves costs.
Many companies offer to buy a ready-made cast iron fireplace. Assembly and installation will not be difficult, but if you plan to install a heat exchanger, it is better to enlist the support of a specialist.
The cast iron stove option will not be as expensive as stone or brick models. The average model will cost 20-25 thousand rubles.
Do not sharply cool the cast iron stove, cold water, ice or snow can damage the material. Also, you do not need to hit the red-hot fireplace, from this it can burst.
Regular and thorough care is required. All heavily contaminated parts of the fireplace: ash pan, chimney, must not be left unattended and must be cleaned regularly.
To many, this version of the fireplace seems unpresentable due to the black color and simplicity of the material. But the cast iron stove can be ordered with any finish, the special paint does not undergo changes even due to the high temperature.
A brick oven is most often installed in country houses. The material allows you to build a structure with your own hands. With regular use, a brick fireplace will start to deteriorate after 5 years. Brick stoves allow you to quickly heat up the room even in the cold season.
The design is strong enough, resistant to sudden changes in temperature and humidity, which makes it less fragile.
A real brick fireplace is quite easy to use, unlike cast iron, it does not need frequent cleaning.
High-quality brick does not emit harmful substances and unpleasant odors when heated.
To lay out a brick fireplace yourself, you must have the appropriate experience and special tools, otherwise you need the help of a specialist stove-maker. Even minor installation errors can affect the good performance of the fireplace.
Quality brick is an expensive material. Also, costs are needed for the work of a stove-maker, floor reinforcement and decoration.
Brick kilns are heavy enough and require a solid foundation to install.
Installation on lower floors. It is difficult to install a brick fireplace in modern apartments. The partition between the floors may not support the weight, and the installation of the hood will have to be coordinated with a special authority.
Varieties of material
The modern market offers a wide selection of bricks: fireclay, clinker, etc. Basic requirements for bricks for laying fireplaces and stoves:
Resistant to temperature changes. Unsuitable bricks can crack or deform when suddenly cooled or heated, which leads to rapid wear of the fireplace.
Accumulation and retention of heat for a long time. In the cold season, it is important enough that the room heats up quickly, and the brick retains heat for a long time, even after the firewood stops burning.
Mechanical strength
Resistance to open fire. It is definitely worth checking the quality certificate, which indicates the main characteristics and properties of the material. For fireplaces and stoves, GOST 390-96 must be specified.
Fireclay bricks are made from special clay "fireclay" and some additives. Aluminum oxide gives the brick special strength and protection against environmental influences.
Clinker brick - has high strength and low moisture absorption. It can be used both for construction and for cladding. The color palette ranges from yellow to dark brown.
A special type of clay, "skinny", is mixed with various mineral additives, which gives the brick special strength and temperature resistance. Clinker bricks wear out less, and versions with a glazed surface do not absorb moisture at all (ordinary brick absorbs up to 25% moisture), which is especially important for outdoor fireplaces.
Periclase brick is expensive, and rather rare minerals are used in its manufacture. But, at the same time, periclase bricks are highly refractory and are often used for the construction of fireplaces.
Figured bricks are used to decorate the fireplace. You can choose a different shape, texture and color. Do not forget that the facing material for the fireplace must have the same characteristics of strength and fire resistance. Sometimes, when facing, carved elements of ceramic bricks are used in the form of a triangle, arch, trapezoid and even a circle.
When choosing high-quality oven bricks, you should pay attention to the manufacturer's brand. One of the best firms producing facing and oven bricks is Lode. The Latvian company in the production uses high quality and environmentally friendly materials, follows modern technologies and trends. Thanks to a wide color palette, you can choose a brick for any interior: make a modern fireplace from light brick or an old one from a material with an artificial antiquity effect.
The antique effect of the fireplace can be given by using hand-molded bricks in the masonry. There is no need to worry about the quality of such a brick, it has the same high strength properties. But, such material is quite high in terms of cost. The advantage of hand-molded bricks is not only in appearance, but also in environmental friendliness; in its manufacture, pure clay is used without impurities.
To obtain a unique texture and color, apply:
- Firing with the addition of special carbon powder.
- Secondary firing is carried out.
- Press through the mold with water.
- They are treated with colored sand.
Types of models
You can choose a brick fireplace by location, by the amount of space and functional preferences. Modern manufacturers provide a large selection of fireplace designs with various features: small outdoor, for a house or even an apartment.
By location, there are classic options for fireplaces: corner model, built-in, island.
The corner model is suitable for relatively small rooms and does not take up much space. Such a summer cottage mini fireplace is quite simple to manufacture, has good traction and a stable structure. Corner models quickly heat up and heat the room.
If you need to install a fireplace in an apartment, you should choose an external wall for the bookmark, but not next to the window, this will reduce the heating of the brick. It is necessary to coordinate the project with the construction and fire inspection, find out what kind of ceilings in the room, you may have to install an electric smoke exhauster in addition to the chimney.
In order not to risk and avoid unnecessary red tape, you can install a small false fireplace or an electric wall-mounted one. You can make a false brick-like fireplace with your own hands, and the fire will be replaced by wax candles of different shapes and heights.
An island fireplace is perfect for zoning a room, unlike a wall fireplace, it can be placed anywhere. This model is suitable for large rooms, because takes up a lot of space. The suspended chimney is not wall-mounted and must be of a sufficiently strong, stable structure. The disadvantage of the island-type model is in low heat transfer, but this can be corrected by using high-quality bricks and additional decorative elements, they are also designed to retain heat.
The built-in version is the most compact. The chimney is laid inside the wall, and the portal protrudes from it by only half a brick. This option must be decorated with decorative material, it will keep warm and decorate the interior. Often, built-in models are complemented by an upper shelf; frames with photographs, graceful figurines or candles of different sizes and heights will perfectly fit on it.
Open or closed?
Classic open fireplace option. There are models in which the fire is visible from one side, two, three or four. Corner and built-in design offers one-way opening, and island - two, three or four. An open fire will create a cozy atmosphere in the interior, but the more open sides, the less heating the room. Due to the lack of brick walls, the heat goes into the chimney, without lingering in the room, the brick fireplace acquires a more decorative function.
An open firebox is more functional, it is more often installed on the street. On an open fire, you can cook a barbecue, which eliminates the need to buy a barbecue. A classic English fireplace is always open, this gives the interior more comfort. Models made of old brick look especially impressive.
A closed firebox is safer than an open one; combustion takes place behind heat-resistant glass. The heat generated during combustion stays in the room longer. The advantage is the ability to accurately control combustion up to several degrees, the air is supplied using special mechanical levers, and not through an open space. A closed firebox, even with panoramic glazing, can be the main source of heat in the house and at the same time allows you to admire the fire. A glazed fireplace can be combined with a stove.
Fireplace stoves
The fireplace looks great in the interior, but it has a lot of heat loss, in order to avoid this, you can combine two designs - a stove and a fireplace.
The stove will allow the heat to stay in the room longer, and if you equip a special plane with a hob, you can cook without using a gas stove. A fire in the oven can provide sufficient temperature for heating and cooking food. This model is called "Swede" and is suitable for cooking, heating, storage of clothes. The hob is made of cast iron and can have several burners.
The fire in the fireplace stove can be open or closed. The closed design is more functional and takes up less space. The glazed firebox can be used as a stove and a fireplace at the same time. Such designs are more suitable for home interiors than outdoor interiors.
Device and design
The chimney is an important part of the fireplace design and has two options:
Straight design. The version with a direct chimney is installed directly at the time of construction of the building. Simplicity and versatility make the design convenient and widely used.
Inclined design. Convenient for reconstruction or renovation, it allows you to connect the chimney to already finished channels.
The chimney can be with corners (rectangular, triangular) and made of brick, but experts recommend building a metal chimney with a smooth surface into it, this will help to avoid the formation of soot.
To improve heat transfer in the construction of the firebox, you can position its walls at a slight slope, and the installation of a special smoke chamber will protect the room from sparks and soot.
Also, to improve heating, you can additionally lay out a heating panel made of bricks, it will allow the heat to stay longer, which is very important in large rooms with fireplace heating.
The exterior design consists of a portal and cladding. The portal is the part that frames the firebox from the outside. Doors can be attached to the portal, if the brick fireplace is of a closed type. A fireplace with a glass door gives a full view of the fire and is not much inferior to an open device.
You can also insert a door made of high-strength tempered glass with tinted glass, the fire behind it looks very nice and soft. Warm bronze tones will do, but cool graphite tones will look good in a modern interior.
In old houses, a rough stove is often found. Such a stove can be converted into a fireplace, but it is worth contacting a specialist. Overlapping rough under the fireplace is not an easy task, you need to assess the condition of the stove, carefully inspect the chimney and all other structures, check the masonry for cracks. A small stove door is not suitable for installing a fireplace, you can expand it or close up the door and make it larger in another place.
If you plan to install a fireplace stove, you need two fireboxes and two chimneys, but such complications can be avoided if you install a fireplace with a heat-resistant glass door. This is a trick to keep it warm longer and you won't need an additional oven.
Styling
If all the preparatory work to strengthen the floor is completed (the floor must support the weight of the fireplace structure), schemes, plans and calculations have been drawn up, you can start laying a homemade fireplace.
For laying any fireplace, you need bricks of different sizes: whole, half and quarter, this will help to avoid misalignment with the plan. The number of bricks, binder mass and other materials is strictly calculated before starting work.
It is worth laying home-made rows in strict accordance with the plan, there should be no differences and errors, you can use a level to check. The height of the joints for a red brick fireplace of standard sizes should not be more than 0.5 cm, the mortar must be laid out in the middle of the brick plane.
But, it is worth remembering that only a specialist stove-maker can perfectly lay out a fireplace or stove. You should not entrust the work to non-professionals or do the calculation yourself, especially if you have no experience. Such a design is not assembled quickly and requires a careful approach.
How to finish
There are several ways to frame brick facades with a built-in firebox:
Plaster is one of the simplest and most practical options. The modern composition allows you to plaster relief patterns or a simple smooth surface. Paint or decorative plaster can be applied on top.
Painting is the easiest option. If you do not want to hide the relief of the bricks, it is enough to walk through 1-2 layers of paint, but it is worth choosing the least toxic and durable samples. To make the paint lay flat, you can plaster the brick with a thin layer of finishing putty and only then paint it.
Facing with tiles or stone. The option is quite expensive and effective. In the modern market, there are more images, different in color, texture, size and pattern. The facing stone can be laid out in order, or in any other chaotic order. Tiling the facade of a fireplace is not so easy, it is tedious to find a good adhesive. The option with chipped tiles looks quite interesting, such a design is much easier to do, you just need to pick up pieces of suitable size and dock.
If we are building a closed fireplace, we make the cladding corresponding to the glass and partitions. Here the decoration will be the brick itself or ceramic tiles.
Color solutions
The color scheme of the fireplace should match the main interior. For the "loft" style, hand-molded bricks with an aging effect are suitable. For a classic interior in beige tones - light yellow brick.
Modern colorful coatings and putties can withstand high temperatures and are easy to clean, this makes it possible to paint the fireplace in any color.
The cost
It is an expensive pleasure to lay out a fireplace made of high-quality material: prices vary, but generally the cost is 2-3 times more expensive than a cast-iron stove.
The manufacture of heat-resistant bricks is a costly and time-consuming process: it is necessary to harden the brick at the highest temperature, select high-quality clay, and get rid of harmful additives. How much the masonry will cost depends on the work of the stove-maker, strengthening the floor, the cost of bricks and bonding materials, on average - 50 tons.
Repair and maintenance
The fireplace needs regular maintenance: it is necessary to periodically clean up the ash pan and clean it. The chimney should be cleaned three times a year, as recommended by experts. You can invite a chimney sweep or do it yourself.
Restoration of brick fireplaces is a complex and costly process, it is easier to clean the structure once a season than to contact a master and waste precious time and money.
Interesting solutions in interior design
An interesting solution would be to install an island fireplace directly in the wall. In the middle of the room, a not wide brick wall is installed, and a hole for a fireplace is made in the middle. The flame will be visible from all four sides, but you should take care of the strength of the structure: install metal pins in the corners of the wall and line them with square bricks. The upper part of the wall will serve as a place for the chimney. Such a solution will be interesting in both open and closed versions.
Another option is an interesting cladding. At the time of Peter I, it was fashionable to install stoves with Dutch tiles with pastoral drawings with cobalt paint in rooms. Such a stove will decorate the interior and make you spend hours looking at the drawings against the background of small tiles. In a spacious apartment, such a solution is quite appropriate.
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