As wood burning fireplaces are the oldest type of fireplace, there are many reasons why people choose to install them in their new homes versus more modern electric or ethanol fireplaces. There are many benefits to wood fireplaces and some drawbacks to consider when you are deciding to buy your wood fireplace.
A Fireplace for All of the Senses
Wood fireplaces offer a truly immersive experience. In addition to the unique visual aspects of burning logs, which include different colors and flame experiences depending on the type of kindling and wood used, beauty can be found in the mantel, hearth, and fireplace surround as well. Traditional brick and stone can be used for the hearth and surround, as well as more modern materials, such as tile, quartz, and granite.
Wood fireplaces also have a distinctive smell – that combination of burning wood and the smoke it produces. This smell can be experienced both
inside and outside your home, if you choose to build an outdoor fireplace. Fire pits and bonfires are other ways that you experience the smell of a wood burning fireplace.
Online relaxation videos include the sound of a wood burning fireplace. Because of its popularity, even streaming services have created “movies” of the sound of a crackling wood fireplace. Viewers have said that this sound combined with the visual aspects of the fireplace are a perfect way to relax. Wood burning fireplaces are also used extensively in holiday movies and promos because of their relation to nostalgic memories of “stockings hung over the fireplace.”
Considerations When Buying a Wood Fireplace
There are a couple of things to consider when considering a wood burning fireplace purchase. Wood burning fireplaces produce more combustible waste in your chimney and from the smoke produced from the burning wood. Other fireplace choices, such as electric and ethanol burn more cleanly.
Fuel for wood burning fireplaces require that you keep a stock of firewood to burn. So, purchasing a functional wood burning fireplace that is used regularly also requires that you plan for stocking the firewood you will need to burn.
A lot of people in Southeast Louisiana only occasionally use their wood burning fireplaces because of the warmer climate. Therefore, some of these drawbacks listed may not be a deterrant to buying a wood burning fireplace, as it might for people who might use the fireplace for heating their home.
Whatever your use for a wood burning fireplace, consider visiting our showroom to see the options and styles of fireplaces that we sell at Foster-Taylor Fireplaces – schedule your appointment today!
