Need help deciding on a gas fireplace liner/insert
Hello! We are building a new home and what I thought would be the easiest of decisions is turning out to be quite the challenge. We love the look of the Mendota Full View Fireplace with a flat black liner, but unfortunately for budget reasons we are having to look at cheaper options. Our second favorite is the Heatilator Heirloom, but unfortunately it only comes with a brick (traditional or herringbone) or a reflective black glass liner. I am not a fan of the black glass (I just don't love how the fire reflects off the glass - maybe it looks better in person?), but I'm afraid the brick will clash with a marble tile surround. I've attached pictures of the 3 Heirloom fireplaces available, as well as our inspiration photo. If we were to go with the Herringbone liner, should we stick with a simple tile surround - possibly slate? I appreciate your help!!
Comments (6)
Kate
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Hood Insert vs. Hood w/ Liner?? Pls help, need to decide
Comments (1)As a point of clarification, hoods in general can be separated into two types: (a) self contained having an outside providing some level of acceptable appearance and an inside that contains filters or baffles, possibly a blower or fan; and (b) a liner or insert that is to be put into a hood supplied by someone else and generally made of wood to look like a cabinet; the liner/insert containing hood guts such as filters, blowers, etc. There is no performance difference between a liner having aperture area A and CFM B and a complete hood having aperture area A and CFM B, all else being equal. Liners vs. hoods is an aesthetic consideration. As for what the properties of a good liner or hood should be, you can read the material at my My Clippings for source material, and rummage through this forum reading hood and MUA posts until the basic concepts are clear. I'm not going to rate prices or devices I don't own. kas...See MoreNeed help choosing a fireplace insert
Comments (2)Gas inserts require fuel and power routed into the existing firebox, you mentioned there is no gas, does that mean no gas available or just no gas service installed into your home? Also required is an intake and an exhaust, mine has 2, 4" inch metal flex pipes routed to the roof and attatched to a storm gaurd, your installer will take care of all of this, depending on your fireplace it is relatively easy (except for the no gas part). We had one installed and it remains to be seen if it was a good investment but after a single day, so far I really like it. I live in WI so once it gets really cold then I will decide:)...See MoreConvert Decorative Fireplace to Gas Insert
Comments (5)It was a bit pricey - but in my opinion totally worth it. I think it was 500-800 for all the install work (they need to do it, this is not a diy project) and 3500 for the actual unit. The different fronts were different prices but all the ones we considered were in the same general range. Oh, and I wanted to mention that our chimney breast was covered all the way up tot he ceiling in faux 70's stone. So we ended up framing in the whole thing and dry-walling. That did give us some extra room for the insert. There are just certain measurements in terms of the studs that you need to make sure are correct. We are also planning on installing a mantel. We bought a wooden one from construction junction but it isn't going to work out. That cast iron front sticks out about an inch from the wall. Just fyi. We did find a stale Victorian one on craigslist that sticks out from the wall. But if you are considering wood, you may need to go custom. The fireplace installers did have resources for mantels that would fit these models though....See MoreFireplace Gas Insert
Comments (1)Sorry, I don't know much about gas inserts. We have quite a few contributors who talk about electric inserts for fireplaces here at Houzz, but not as many for gas. You might try other places online to find reviews of the products you are considering if no one else replies here....See Morestiley
3 years agoI think brick + marble is such a good classic look. What is the style of your house? If you do brick and decide you don't like it, you could always paint it black. But as far as I know, you can't put a brick facade over a black liner. We just updated our 1980s fireplace and I wanted brick, but we had to stick with black. The fireplace store said you can't just pull out an old insert and put in a new one; it requires redoing the whole fireplace/chimney. So no pressure, but your choice is pretty permanent! :)
Here they did herringbone marble tile and straight brick. It would also look great reversed -- herringbone brick and straight marble.
Kate
3 years ago
nhb22
3 years agoDH and I picked a herringbone pattern in a brown brick (this picture is from online and we did not see in person until it was installed.) We were surprised that when the unit arrived, the brick is so dark that you cannot tell that it is herringbone. And the logs are not even installed yet! So what I am trying to say is that you may not need to worry about what the inside looks like.
Kate
3 years ago
Patricia Colwell Consulting