Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Asfa Rasheed
From the living room to the master bedroom, a fireplace serves as a focal point in any room. While adding one doesn’t increase your home value as much as it used to, remodeling an existing one to make it more eye-catching and functional improves your enjoyment of it.
Before you set out to remodel a fireplace, make sure you understand the choices and options available to you so you create the best design for your space. Let’s take a look at some tips to help you with how to remodel a fireplace.
Table of Contents
1. Pick Your Fuel
While most fireplace remodel ideas tend to focus on the design and look, your first consideration should be about the function. This is your opportunity to change the firebox to convert from wood to gas or expand it to make it more of a heat source than decoration.
This is one factor that will impact the cost of a fireplace remodel and definitely the time to consider working with a remodeling contractor with fireplace experience.
2. Pick Your Materials
Most people begin a renovation because they don’t like the look of their current fireplace. The best way to remodel a fireplace can be a simple change in the materials inside and out. They impact style and function, and homeowners have many options to choose from these days.
Keep in mind whatever materials you choose need to be able to handle being around the fire. That means high-heat paints and tiles and following building codes, which generally prohibit combustible materials within six inches of the sides.
Tile and paint allow you to go crazy with color and create a fireplace that pops. Stone can give you a more rustic look, while brick serves as a more classic choice.
3. Pick Your Mantel and Hearth
For some people, the mantel and hearth are optional, while others consider them vital parts of the look and function. Your choice here will be determined in part by the style you want to achieve.
Whatever type of mantel you choose, know that it needs to be properly supported, especially big, beefy ledges popular in rustic design. This can impact the work done on the structural part of the fireplace and not just the visible sections.
Your hearth can be flush to the floor, elevated a bit, or higher for sitting. Your choice here will depend a lot on the space you have and the type of fire you’ve chosen.
Ready to Remodel a Fireplace?
Your fireplace becomes a great gathering point when hanging out with family and friends and getting cozy on chilly nights. Learning the pitfalls and possibilities when you remodel a fireplace can save you headaches during the process and offer you ideas you might not have considered.
Once you’ve decided what kind of fire you want and the style that works for you, you can start your fireplace remodel journey.
If you found this article helpful, check out others on our site for other home decor and improvement project ideas.
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