Please help! Disguising Duct Work on a Fireplace

Lindsay McFarland

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Hey there!

Looking to upgrade our builder grade fireplace.

The plan is to paint the fireplace tile Green Black by SW and do the same colour of shiplap above.

I’m noticing now the duct work beside the fireplace and wondering whats the best way the disguise it?

- horizontal shiplap? or vertical?

- shelving under the duct work?

Any ideas welcome!

You’ll see my poorly illustrated drawings below pointing to the duct work and the other with the paint idea.

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Comments (13)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
What is that soffit for? Are you sure there is something in there because you have soffits all over your home?

There is likely room for a downlight or two to highlight whatever you decide to place in the niche.

Make the soffit look like it has a purpose.
Lindsay McFarland
Original Author
3 years ago
Great suggestion, thanks. I have no idea what’s in there. First time home buyer and new to all of these things :) I’ll ask a contractor to check it out! Thanks!
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-We feel the home is very dry hence the unfortunate necessity. I can honestly say I've never felt like this before. We wake up with dry throat, dry eyes and lips, etc. It wasn't like that at my folk's home ;) Plus with all our wood flooring, I think some humidity is needed. To comment on what's been said so far, thankfully, NONE of the ductwork is flex. It's all that tin/metal tubing. So first, as you described, I would seal all the joints, then wrap them with some sort of radiant heat insulating sheet. (That was what I saw at Lowes.) Any other recommendations on what to wrap them with? The furnace is pretty accessible. I was actually looking at a Honeywell model and considering mounting it just as you described, with the bypass on the cold air return and warm air unit on the hot air. In fact, I'm gonna take a photo now.... "A" is where I was going to install the drum, "B" is the return where I figured the bypass duct would go and "C" is the furnace. Did I tag that correctly? Oh, and B is where there was an old humidity humidistat that was removed and simply replaced with duct tape. I only saw the plate type humidifers at Home Depot. Tell me more about the drum type. And please let me know any recommendations on what models to get. THe home is small, about 1300 squ feet. Any recommendations on brands, etc? Here is a link that might be useful:
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Thanks very much for your reply. The upstairs is 1100 sq ft. The main level is the same, as is the basement. The upstairs furnace is 50 BTU. The heating is natural gas. There is ductwork in the basement that supplies the main floor. The basement is unfinished currently. That may change. There are six vents upstairs with one return in the hall area. The return is 12x24. There are eight vents downstairs with one return in the hall area. The return is 12x24. I was told that the unit upstairs had a leak/crack in the compressor that could possibly leak carbon monoxide. There are marks on the outside of the unit that looks like burn marks. The heating unit performed fine the last time we used it before we found out about the burn marks. It is about 25 years old and about 8 SEER. The cooling unit seems to run almost all of the time in the summer. The downstairs unit also performs ok but needs a serious duct cleaning due to water from a pipe bursting in the kitchen getting into some of the ducts. We haven't used it in quite a while. The house has humidity problems sometimes (window condensation and my indoor hygrometer can get near 80% in the summer but is around 50% in the winter) and we would like a system that can take care of that and be more efficient. The upstairs unit seems to run all of the time in the summer. The stat is usually set around 75. I was told that 16 SEER two-stage would fit the bill. Other ac companies told me I needed nothing more than the typical 13 SEER. Some family members have asthma and I also want something that will help with that. How can I tell if my ductwork really needs to be enlarged? Thanks much for your input
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Well THANK you Weissman, Breezy and Madeline for your strength on this! I'm recharged to have it done properly, according to Code. DH is on board with this too. We do not have a GC so will have to take the stand ourselves. Madeline, I was unaware of Coburn's. The closest one is in Athens TX, about 1.5 hours away, but I'm going to call them tomorrow. Thanks so much for sharing that. At least mine does not go up into the attic -- it is all self-contained in the hood itself, and goes straight out the wall behind the hood. But your point is well-taken -- one squish or kink in the flexduct and that can ruin the whole reason for having it. One more question for you: I see his problem. There is no access panel, so how is he supposed to get his hands up there to connect the unit to the rigid duct after he has pushed it up into the wood hood? Thus he's saying he needs the flexduct to dangle down... BUT, don't you think that with precise measurements and good care, he could arrange and position the rigid pipe so that it mates up perfectly with the unit when he pushes it up there?? Or should the cabinetmaker have made some kind of access panel on the front of the hood? I see a lot of pics of hoods that definitely don't look like they have access panels. I've just spoken to our plumber about this, who's coming tomorrow to hook up the sink etc., and he thinks the above is do-able (mate the two pipes as the unit is being pushed up and positioned.) What's your experience on this? Thank you again, I'm so glad I asked.
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PRO
CDR Design, LLC
3 years ago
Hi. For the soffit area, I would either

1) Eliminate it (if possible)

2) Fill in the entire area with drywall

or

3) Make it useful by adding artwork or shelving.

For the fireplace, forget the shiplap. That ship has sailed. A single product on the fireplace would make it feel much more updated.

Finally, my largest concern is your floor plan. The tv is really high and where is the furniture going to go?
Lindsay McFarland
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks! What material would you suggest for the full floor to ceiling?

The TV will be coming down - this is just the photo from the listing.

Ive attached the floor plan for layout. The couch will likely be infront of staircase unfortunately. Hoping not cutting off the flow too much.

This is a townhouse so more of a narrow design and limited sq footage
Rachel Lee
3 years ago
I would turn the space into a built in for the tv.
PRO
CDR Design, LLC
3 years ago
You cannot put the sofa in front of the stairway....that is a major thorougfare.

Will there be a tv in the room?

Do you already have a sofa?

Please post a photo of what style you like.

Thanks!
Valinta
3 years ago
Or wall mounted TV in space (see Rachel Lee comment) but on a wall mount arm allowing you to angle TV for viewing.
Lindsay McFarland
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I’ve flip flopped on tv or no tv. But I think for practical reasons we will keep one.

Here’s some of the furniture we currently have in our rental condo. Open to putting this couch in the basement and getting a small love seat upstairs.

Our style is mostly mid century vibes
PRO
Susan Tiritilli
3 years ago
If you leave a minimum of 30” to 36” inches from the stairway you can center your sofa with the fireplace. As a 1st time home buyer prioritize your wish list. That is a nice fireplace as is, I like the idea of a console under the soffit. I think your existing sofa would look great in the room. What is your top priority for the home. I think live in the home for a little bit and see what functions and what does not. Renovations often cost more than you expect.
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CDR Design, LLC
3 years ago
Here are a couple of options for you on a floor plan. In the second one, the fireplace become a sort of center piece as opposed to focal point.
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3 years ago

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Lindsay McFarland
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you so much!! I would have never thought to off centre like that. It looks really nice
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CDR Design, LLC
3 years ago
You are quite welcome!

Please help! Disguising Duct Work on a Fireplace

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