Those who went with Gas Fireplace.... Brick insert vs standard black
We are in the process of ordering our direct vent gas fireplace and
we were told we have the option of going with Standard Black Metal
Interior or we can pick the option to do the Realistic Rugged Brick
Pattern.. We are doing a stone veneer surround for the fireplace that
will run from floor to ceiling with limestone hearth and mantel.. I am
trying to decide if the brick interior will go with the stone surround
or if it would be too much of a contrast that it will just look
"off".. Also concerned that doing just black might lack style and be too
plain.. The picture below looks like it is just plain black, but not
sure if its just the angle we are seeing it.. By the way, we are looking
at a 36inch Lennox Direct Vent Gas Fireplace..
This is the look we are going for..
Comments (13)
autumn.4
8 years agoWe have a dark/black brick insert in ours. Truthfully it doesn't really stand out to me. I like it but it's an 'in the background' detail most of the time - especially when there is a glare from the light. That said I am glad we have it because it feels finished to me and it doesn't bother me that it's brick when we have a different kind of stone for the surround. This is a pic from last year when we just had moved in so there are still some stickers on things, no pics in frames and such. Excuse the not quite done look. We were still laying things out to see what we liked.
Hopefully the visual will help you decide either way.
anghuds
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Napoleon vs. Lennox gas fireplace
Comments (16)Sorry, forgot to post a followup after it was all installed! We've now had our two fireplaces (a small one upstairs in the bedroom and a 3-sided peninsula unit in the living/dining area) installed and operating for two years. As I mentioned before, I ordered Lennox units from Stoves Direct. The downstairs unit is wonderful. I had to play around a little with the log placement to prevent sooting, and it doesn't NOT soot entirely, but it's pretty good, especially considering how much we use it (it's our primary heat source for downstairs in the winter). It's very attractive, seems extremely well-built and sturdy, and puts out a lot of warmth. The louvers don't allow see- through between the rooms and the entire unit is a showpiece for the room (I'll try to figure out how to post a photo!) However, when I was doing my local research, a Seattle dealer talked me into getting a much smaller unit for our upstairs bedroom, and, alas, it doesn't even begin to heat up the room. Part of the problem may have been the way the gas man (from Northern Energy) adjusted the flame, so I might have it loooked at next time they're out that way. All in all, I'm happy with the Lennox units I bought from Stoves Direct, and am sorry that some people have had problems with either the product or the dealer. All I can say is that my own experiences have been positive....See Morepellet vs. wood vs. gas fireplace insert
Comments (22)I purchased a used Quadrafire Castile pellet stove for the basement. I have a high efficiency heat pump and strips but wanted something for back up that would run off of a small generator if we have an extended power outage. I purchased 2 tons of pellets last winter and when the temps were below 30 or if we were in the basement we ran it on low which is around 1lb or 7500btu/hr. I would turn it to medium when was below 20 and ran it on high when it was in the teens or below and the heat pump was locked out which is 8lbs per hour. The warm floor made the house feel more comfortable which allowed the stat to be a little coolder. It is not hastle free by NO means. It requires regular cleaning and maintenance and the pellets can be a pain for some to deal with. I enjoy going down stairs and sitting in front of it after being outside and freezing all day. I grew up with heat from a wood furnace once you get used to that warmth a heat pump or even heat strips doesn't compare when it is in the teens outside. If the cleaning and maintenance is not kept up then the efficiency will head toward the toilet. There are some models that can go a week or more with no problem and others that need the ashes dumped daily. It isn't horrible by any means but it is not just a pour in the fuel and forget it device. The ability to have a heat source that will operate on stored fuel and less electrical power than a 200 watt light bulb it is pretty hard to beat....See MoreAnyone care to post gas fireplace photos?
Comments (31)Joanie38, We are in the process of putting a direct vent gas fireplace in as well. We went with a Regancy and it's sitting in our living room waiting to be installed this week. We looked at the Excalibur as well. Although I liked both, the Regancy's flame (we purchased the extra ember kit) looked so real to me. Our cabinet maker is adding custom cabinets next to the fireplace to house our tv components and other items. It's going to be a long process. Chrissay...See MoreGas fireplace conversion: do we need an insert? Insert suggestions?
Comments (12)For those folks in similar situations the problem with gas inserts is that most manufacturers only make about 3 sizes of inserts - small medium and large. Since an insert has to fit various sized fireplaces they are generally short in height and don't adequately fill the opening hence the outer surround panels to cover out to the existing surface. The largest inserts rarely exceed 24" tall so in a 42" x 42" opening as shown in the sketch above, the gas unit does not fill the opening,and has way too much black surround. Valor Gas Fireplaces makes 4 Insert specific units, but their 7 zero clearance fireplaces can also be used as Inserts if the fireplace is large enough. If your F.P. opening is about 53" W x 54" H you can fit a 50" Linear inside. This means that Valor has 11 inserts, more than any other manufacturer. A Valor H6 fireplace is 42-1/4" w x 34-1/2" H which would fit if you have more than 42" If anyone needs more information contact me. Here is the Valor website for more information www.valorfireplaces.com...See More
worthy
8 years agoIn a traditional house I prefer the bricks. But, as noted above, it blends in so much that you barely notice it. Here are two I've done.
njbuilding143
8 years ago
beaglesdoitbetter
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoWe have red brick in all 3 of our gas fireplaces and you don't really notice it, it blends except when the fire is on and then creates a nice contrast, although not too much of one:
Here it is on, you can see the brick better here:
Here is our bedroom fireplace on, you don't see the brick as much when far away:
We have plain black in our Florida house. I like the three w/ the brick better:
User
8 years agonjbuilding143
8 years agoAppreciate all the input..
Beagles - I think the issue is that you don't have stone on the exterior so the blending issue isn't that big of a problem.. If using something like marble or such then you don't need to worry about the brick insert for the fireplace..
Sanford.. I understand that a true fireplace would have brick, however at the end of the day we all know a true wood burning fireplace from a gas fireplace.. I am not trying to portray a direct vent gas fireplace for a wood burning.. The brick liner looks very nice, however my concern is more about what kind of appearance it will give off when put next to the stone surround.. For example, in the picture below.. The brick sticks out like a sore thumb.. I understand that if it were a real fireplace it would have the bricks, however in that case you probably wouldn't have used a completely different stone for the surround..
amberm145
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agomrspete
8 years agoautumn.4
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
aec2013
8 years ago
autumn.4