When you hang those stockings from the mantel, you're calling
even more attention than usual to the natural focal point of
your room, the fireplace. Especially at this time of year, you
want your fireplace to look its best. Here's a quick fireplace
checklist to help you prepare your hearth for the Christmas
season:
Fireplace Tools
How do they look? Are the handles secure and safe? Do they just
need cleaning or are they rusting? If the time has come to
replace them, you might be quite pleased with the range of
styles now available!
Fireplace Screens
Is your fireplace screen still attractive and functional? If
you are tired of having to move the screen each time you tend
your fire, consider getting a new fireplace screen with access
doors. They are available in both three-panel screens and in
single-panel screens. Searching for the newest look in fireplace
screens? Consider a flat, single panel screen. They fit up
against your fireplace and instantly update the look of your
hearth.
Firewood Holder
Is your log holder serving you or are you serving it? If you
have to sweep up bits of bark each time you bring in a load of
firewood, you might want to consider a style that allows a
tidier hearth. Some log holders have space for both kindling and
firewood and are great for keeping the hearth neat and tidy.
Fireplace
Grate
The iron in fireplace grates is constantly being oxidized by
the heat of your fire. That explains why the grate in your
fireplace, after a few years of use, may have significant
rusting. A grate that's losing its integrity can be unsafe if it
fails and drops its burning logs.
Also, check that your fireplace grate is the appropriate size
for your fireplace. If you have a medium or larger fireplace,
you don't have to settle for a small grate that you have to
refill frequently with logs. A grate better sized to your
fireplace will serve you more efficiently.
Fireback
"What's a fireback?" you may ask. A fireback is a traditional
fireplace accessory that is returning to hearths as fuel costs
rise. Made of either cast iron or stainless steel, a fireback
leans against the back wall of your fireplace or sits there in
braces. Its purpose is to radiate the heat of your fire into
your room, thereby giving you more warmth for the same amount of
wood or gas. The cast iron firebacks, available with classical
or modern motifs, have a decorative as well as functional
aspect. If you don't yet have a fireback, this might be the
winter to add one to your hearth.
Who knows, this Christmas maybe Santa or one of his helpers will
bring you the new fireplace accessories you need!
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