FIREPLACE TYPE
SELECT A STYLE
- About Styles
- Casual
- Contemporary
- Elegant/Formal
- Mission/Craftsman
- Rustic
- Traditional
- Transitional
- Tropical
SELECT A FINISH
- About Finishes
Black/Gray
Brass/Gold
Bronze
Copper
Nickel/Steel
Painted/Colors
Pewter/Silver
Rustic
Other
SELECT A MATERIAL
- What material is best
- Anodized Aluminum
- Plated Sheet Metal
- Solid Brass Barstock
- Solid Brass Sheet Metal
- Solid Steel Barstock
CALCULATE YOUR SIZE
Use this if you have already measured your fireplace to find doors that will fit your fireplace based on the size of your opening (for rectangules only).
SELECT A SHAPE
SELECT A BRAND
- Have Questions?
Get Answers Here: - Fireplace Door Questions
- Doors on Rock Fireplaces
Fireplace Glass Doors Questions and Answers
- FREE Fireplace Door Design Service!
- What is the difference between a Masonry and a Prefab fireplace?
- More details about various types of fireplaces!
- How do I measure and find the right doors?
- What about installing fireplace doors?
- How do I find a door to match my style of decor?
- What finishes are available for fireplace doors!
- What's the difference in quality between various doors?
- What if my fireplace is not rectangular?
- What's the difference between brands of fireplace doors?
- Other Important Notes about Fireplace Doors!
Before you do anything, you should email some pictures of your fireplace to us at: info@homeofdecor.com. We will look at your pictures and offer you some great advice that will make it far easier for you to shop for fireplace doors.
Selecting the right glass doors for your fireplace requires consideration not just for style and function of the doors, but for type of fireplace (prefabricated or masonry, gas or wood burning) as well as how it is finished (brick, marble, stone etc.). Because virtually every fireplace is different, it is nearly impossible to address every circumstance on this website. This is why it is so important that you email us your pictures
This is a "FREE SERVICE" that we offer to all of our visitors regardless of whether or not you purchase your fireplace doors from us. Click here for more information about our Free Fireplace Door Design Service.
Masonry Fireplaces:
A masonry fireplace is one that is made of real masonry, bricks or concrete. There are real firebricks inside the fireplace and a wide
rectangular damper. Most masonry fireplaces will have a brick or stone chimney outside the house, although some will be covered with stucco or siding.
Prefabricated Fireplaces:
Often referred to as "Zero Clearance Fireplaces" or "Metal Fireplaces", a prefabricated fireplace is a metal box that is framed into your home using
2 x 4 construction. They are characterized by having a metal flue with a round damper, so the easiest way to determine if you have a prefab fireplace is
to look up inside the fireplace to see if it has a round metal damper. However, there are a few models that have rectangular dampers, but you will still
notice that the entire top of the fireplace inside is made of metal.
Also, the firebrick inside the fireplace consists of panels made of high-temperature concrete that most often have a brick pattern to them and are grayish
in color. More often than not, the chimney outside is covered with stucco or siding, but may have a brick or stone veneer applied over that.
There is visible metal on the sides of the fireplace just inside the opening as well as the top around the damper.Masonry Fireplaces:
If you have a masonry
fireplace, which means that it was built from ground up using bricks,
then you can use normal glass doors that overlap the opening or fit
inside depending on the application. With brick fireplaces, the amount
the frame overlaps the opening is more or less important depending on
the width and depth of the mortar joints between the bricks. When it
comes to stock size glass doors, the amount of overlap is determined by
the size of your opening compared to the stock size that most closely
fits your opening, so in some cases, even though a size chart
determines that a door will fit your opening, it may not sufficiently
overlap to cover wider mortar joints. Also, there is a metal bar that
extends across the top of the fireplace opening called the Lintel bar.
The lintel bar is set in place during the construction of the fireplace
facing so as to support the upper row of bricks as the mason lays them
across the top. The thickness of this bar as well as how far back from
the opening it is placed must also be accounted for to ensure that it
is not in the way of any sub-frame that extends behind the face of your
fireplace door frame. These are the types of things that our fireplace
glass door experts will look at to make sure the doors you order will
fit correctly.
Prefabricated Zero Clearance Fireplaces:
If you
have a prefabricated fireplace, you must use glass doors that are
designed specifically for your type of fireplace because there are air
vents constructed into the fireplace that cannot be covered up by a
conventional fireplace door frame. It is particularly important that
you install the correct doors on prefab fireplaces in order to allow
air to pass into the firebox through these air vents to prevent the
framing members surrounding the fireplace from overheating and catching
fire. Some glass doors are pre-made for specific models of prefab
fireplaces, so it may just be a matter of finding the make and model of
the fireplace to order the correct doors. There are also many custom
options which will require measuring the fireplace in specific
places...in which case we will need you to send us pictures so we can
determine where you need to measure. A selection of glass doors specifically designed for prefabricated fireplaces can be located here.
Rock Fireplaces
If
you have an irregular stone facing, you may not be able to overlap the
opening of the fireplace in the same manner as you would if the
fireplace was faced with brick or tile. In most cases, stone fireplaces
require that the door frame be custom made to fit inside the opening.
Once the frame is installed, the gaps between the stone and the frame
must be filled with mortar. For more information regarding this
application, you can read a detailed description of how to measure and install glass doors on rock fireplaces.
Multi-Sided Fireplaces
If your fireplace is
shaped like an "L" or "U" you will certainly need custom made glass
doors. Measuring for these will be difficult if you do not know what to
look for. Each style of custom doors has it's own parameters that need
to be taken into account when measuring, such as the depth of the
sub-frame, the minimum and maximum amount of overlap the frame can
accommodate, and the position of any post that may be supporting your
fireplace at each corner. So if you have this type of fireplace, you
can be sure our experts are going to require you to email us some
pictures so that we can tell you exactly how to measure. Once we see
your pictures, we will make it very clear and easy for you to know to
do.
Tile and Marble Fireplace Facings
Fireplaces
that are faced with tile or marble are usually the easiest to measure
because they are usually quite square. But there are special
considerations that must be taken into account for depending on how you
want the doors installed. For example. If you want the doors to fit
inside the opening, you must leave enough room for the door frame to
expand and contract from the heat of the fire. We've seen glass doors
that fit so snuggly into a marble slab fireplace opening that the
expensive slab of marble actually cracked and popped off a chunk right
at the upper corner. So we don't recommend having doors made to fit
inside this type of fireplace with the exception of some styles that
are specifically made for this purpose.
Arched and Bowed Fireplaces
Any fireplace
that has an arched opening or a convex or concave shape to the front
will require a template from which to have your doors custom made.
Fortunately, we have done so many of these for our Internet customers
that we have the process down to a science. The first step is always to
send us a picture of your fireplace so that we can walk you through the
process of making a template of your fireplace. Typically, (but not
always) his is done by placing a piece of cardboard against the
fireplace opening with a hoe cut into it large enough for you to reach
inside and trace the shape of the fireplace onto the back side of the
cardboard. Once the line is drawn, you will need to check the
measurements of the line compared to the actual measurements of the
fireplace to see if you have drawn the line accurately. At this point,
it is a good idea to actually cut out the pattern to see how it fits.
Again, our experts will walk you through this process after having
looked at your pictures.
Other considerations
If your fireplace is
raised up in the wall, or the hearth inside is higher than the actual
opening, or the side walls inside taper back at a dramatic angle...or
say you have a lip of bricks that sticks out across the top of the
opening, or rows of bricks on each side that project out further than
the top...or...well, we could go on and on about the various ways a
mason designs a fireplace. The bottom line is, every fireplace is
different and needs to be looked at by an glass door expert before you
order anything. So...again, we recommend that you send us some pictures
and let us take it from there. We've seen so many thousands of
fireplaces that it only takes us a second or two to identify the
limitations of your fireplace and make our recommendations to you.
In all cases, regardless of the type or shape of your fireplace, simply measure the narrowest width and tallest height of your fireplace opening and then give us a call or request a quote. Do not be too concerned about the accuracy of your measurments initially. You may not even be sure what part of your fireplace to measure. We only need initial measurements in order to give you a reasponably accurate price quote.
Before any order is processed, we ask that you email us a picture of your fireplace so that we can look at it closely and help you determine how the doors will fit. Once we have made that determination, we will then instruct you as to where to measure and how accurately your measurments will need to be. Every fireplace is different, so by allowing us to see your fireplace, we will help you avoid costly mistakes.
|
Measuring Sheet In some cases we might ask you to fill out a Measuring Sheet. However, in most cases, we will look a pictures of your fireplace and ask you for measurments that are taylored to your specific fireplace. Before we process any orders, we will ask for a final email confirmation of your measurements as we interpret them along with other specific details for your doors. |
Installing fireplace doors for the most part is a simple do-it-yourself project. The typical installation requires a hammer, screwdriver, and power drill with a masonry drill bit and possibly a metal drill bit.
For masonry fireplaces
In most cases, there are
brackets that project into the fireplace opening that are positioned on
the back side of the fireplace door frame. These brackets are held in
place with screws that are screwed into expansion anchors that you
insert into holes drilled into the firebrick on side walls and or
bottom of the inside of the fireplace. In some cases these brackets are
located in fixed positions at the top and bottom or sides of the door
frame, in others, they can be positioned wherever you want. The
brackets are designed to be bent to conform to the tapered shape of a
masonry fireplace, or to get around the facing material if it is
narrower than the actual inside. The actual hardware will vary between
door brands and models, but the installation is pretty much the same
concept. Regardless, the brackets will ultimately get attached to the
firebrick inside the fireplace either on the sides or top and bottom.
With some doors, there are brackets that are designed to attach to the
steel lintel bar across the top of the opening. These may require holes
to be drilled through the hardened steel, however, in some cases there
are clamps supplied that eliminate the drilling.
Locating where to install the brackets: Before the brackets can be attached to the inside of the fireplace, anchors must be installed, so you need to determine where to install them. To do this, normally you would go ahead and attach the brackets to the back side of the door frame. The door frame is then pushed up to the fireplace opening so that you can determine how to bend the brackets if necessary, and mark the location where they hit the sidewall of the fireplace so that you can drill the holes for the anchors. You will find that the brackets have slots in them rather than holes, so you are not so limited as to where you must drill the holes. Anywhere along the slot is sufficient.
Once the holes have been drilled and the anchors put in place, the door frame is placed against the fireplace opening again and screws are inserted through the brackets and tightened down into the expanding anchors to hold the door frame firmly in place.
For Prefab Fireplaces
Prefabricated fireplaces
are normally easier to deal with because there are just 4 brackets that
need to get screwed into the inside metal frame of the fireplace. In
some cases, several sizes and shapes of brackets may be supplied from
the manufacturer in order to make your job easier. In other cases, the
brackets won't work at all and you might end up just driving some
screws through the actual door frame into the metal face of your
fireplace. Again, if you need help, we are here to make your life
easier...but you can expect that we will ask you to send us a picture
of your fireplace so we can see what the deal is.
Rock Fireplaces
Rock fireplaces may require a
bit more effort than other fireplaces because the installation
typically requires that the frame be mortared into the fireplace
opening. We are experts at this type of application and have several
installers on staff who have done many of these installations. Since
this type of installation is a bit more involved, we have devoted an
entire page that goes in to great detail about how to measure and install glass doors on rock fireplaces.
This is pretty much all there is to installing most glass doors. However, there are so many variables with fireplaces that you may need some advice from a professional...like us. So we have experts on staff who have performed thousands of installations who can always come up with ways to help you if you have something unusual.
- Which doors offer the right design options for my style?
- Which doors will actuall fit onto my fireplace?
- What material should the doors be made for my particular use?
- Can I have this done within my budget?
Black/Gray:
This group includes both black and iron finishes such as flat blace, gloss black, natural iron and other textured iron finishes of gray tones.
Brass/Gold:
This group includes polished brass, satin brass, antique brass and gold plated finishes.
Bronze:
This group includes all types of bronze finishes ranging from light to dark.
Copper: This group includes polished copper, satin copper, antique copper and other copper tones.
Nickel/Steel:
This group includes polished nickel, polished chrome, stainless steel and any brushed versions of these finishes.
Painted/Colors:
This group includes doors that can be painted using high temparature paint. Most of the colors available are muted colors, so you will not find any doors in pastel or primary colors since those colors are not available in heat resistent paint.
Pewter/Silver:
This group includes pewter, silver and antique versions of these finishes.
Rustic:
This group includes finishes that are textured and rustic in appearance such as rust.
Other:
This group includes finishes that simply do not fit into the above finish categories or have not yet been categorized.
Steel sheetmetal is the least expensive and least durable of any of the materials used to make fireplace doors. Because sheet metal does not lend itself to custom fabrication as some of the other materials used, you will find that it is used almost exclusively with pre-manufactured stock size doors. Doors made of sheet metal have less rigid frames that are made by bending the sheet metal into hollow rectangular shapes rather than using a solid material. The steel may be finished with a high temperature paint, a powder coat paint finish that is baked on in an oven, or a plated finish. Powder coated finishes are far more durable on steel than painted or plated finishes, although a plated finish may be somewhat durable if it is done in a quality plating facility and then coated with a heat resistent enamel. Beware of inexexpensive models sold at home centers (less than $300.00) since they normally use a thinner gauge steel and do not have good quality paint or plating.
Solid brass sheet metal is a step up from steel sheet metal because the resulting finished product is far more durable. However, it still has limited design capabilities and few custom sizing options, so you will find it used only by a handfull of doors on that are available today. If you prefer a polished metal finish (Chrome, brass, copper, brushed nickel, etc), then you should consider at least using plated solid brass over plated steel since plated solid brass is a far more durable finish. For example: Most high quality chrome hardware (door knobs, faucets, etc), is chrome plated solid brass. This is because when the two materials bond together, they create a surface that is stronger than either material is by itself. A powder coated or painted finish is less desireable with solid brass because these finishes do not adhere to the brass as well as they do with steel. so if that is the type of finish, don't waste your money on solid brass, rather...stick with either steel or aluminum.
Aluminum is probably the most durable material for your money when it comes to fireplace doors. In other words, it is very durable, but far less expensive than say solid brass would be. The frame for doors that are made of aluminum are made from an extrusion, which means that the aluminum is heated up and then forced through a mold that creates a long piece of aluminum molding...just like how play-do is extruded into long shapes. This extruded aluminum mouldings create a unique picture frame appearance when cut into pieces and put together in a rectangular shape, a unique characteristic that is cost prohibitive to recreate using solid brass or steel.
Solid steel barstock is used to create very rigid and durable fireplace door frames and is more often used in custom fireplace doors because it can be cut and welded to fit almost any flat or bowed shape. Although reserved for most custom applications, some stock doors are made steel barstock and are substantially less expensive that custom models made of the same material. Advanced lazer or plasma cutting technologies have revolutionized the design capabilities of fireplace doors made of steel barstock because a single door can be cut out of a single solid plate of steel with virtually any desired pattern for both the outer frame and the doors. You will see models on our site with a variety of decorative patterns on the doors themselves. Most of these are made of steel barstock. As mentioned before, steel is most durable when treated with a powder coated finish, although the door manufacturers that we use have a very high quality plating process which results in a durable finish as well.
Doors made of solid brass barstock are generally the most elegant and most expensive. You will not find stock size doors made of solid brass barstock as this material is luxurious and used only for custom made doors. Such doors lend themselves to polished, satin or antique finishes such as brass, chrome, brushed nickel, copper, pewter, etc. where the true lustre of the finish is desired. If you have a formal room with other high quality furnishings...and price is not a factor, then you will want to consider using solid brass barstock for your doors. However, due to the exorbitant cost of materials and the craftsmanshipt required to work with solid brass, many of the design elements that are available with solid steel or anodized aluminum are simply not possible with solid brass, so there are some design limitations.
Rectangle:
Rectangular doors are desiged to fit rectangular fireplace openings, which are the most common among fireplaces. In rare cases, a rectangular door can be custom made to fit over an arched opening, but this usually requires a wider frame to be constructed that will fit over the lowest and tallest point of the arch. Although not recommended, in some cases it may be appropriate.
Flat Arch:
A flat arch is one where the sides of the fireplace are vertical and the top of the opening is arched.
Square to Arch:
A square to arch is designed for rectangular openings where the arched design element is desired. We start with a rectangular outer frame and then make the door frames arched.
Round Arch:
Unlike a flat arch, a round arch has little or no vertical sides. The entire fireplace opening is arched starting from near the bottom of the opening.
Bay Window:
Bay window doors are designed for flat rectangular fireplaces where you want the effect of a curved bay window. There is a "Top" added to the bowed out door which allows the bow to project out from the fireplace. The normal panels of glass are cut into several pieces vertically in order to make the doors curved. There are normally 3 or 4 panels of glass per door panel depending on how wide the fireplace opening is.
Bowed:
Bowed doors are made specifically for fireplaces that have a convex shape to them, so the door is made to fit the projecting curve of the fireplace. The normal panels of glass are cut into several pieces vertically in order to make the doors curved. There can be 3 to 6 (or more) panels of glass per door panel depending on how wide and curved the fireplace opening is.
Multi Sided:
Multi-sided doors are made for multi-sided fireplaces and are made to fit the angles and dimensions of each fireplace side. In most cases, each side are separate doors that are designed to be attached to each other upon installation, although some doors come as a complete unit with the corners already contected.
Other:
We can have fireplace doors made in almost any shape or size, so doors that are indicated as "Other" can be completely customized to fit almost any shape. We can also make odd shapes that overlap rectangular openings for those who desire for an uniquie contemporary or unusual look. For example, we can make a trapazoid or oval frame that fits over a rectangle or arched fireplace.
Design Specialties is an all-around fireplace door manufacturer. Years ago, they began making some of the first fireplace doors that were made from Anodized Aluminum...and we can say that they make the best aluminum doors to this day with the widest selection of styles and finishes all at the best prices and quickest lead times. Some years ago, they also began production of doors made from solid steel barstock, and now have perfected that technology and produce a wide range of unique styles from that material as well for those who prefer more custom options. Design Specialties makes a superior product that is hand crafted in the USA. Their prices are extremely competitive and their lead times for custom orders are faster than any other company hands down (4 to 6 weeks for most doors).
Portland Willamette is one of the oldest fireplace door manufacturers in the USA. For many years, they were one of the only companies who made doors from solid brass... namely solid brass sheet metal. Now, they produce doors in all of the basic materials (steel sheetmetal, brass sheetmetal, aluminum, steel barstock and solid brass barstock). They are capable of making doors in virtually any shape or size you can immagine. They also have the largest selection of stock size doors on the market with models that come in over 60 different stock sizes in a wide variety of finishes. They are a very large company, so their lead times on custom items are a bit slower than we would like (8 - 10 weeks), but they are consistent and make a fantastic product.
FDM stands for Fireplace Door Manufacturer. FDM is a Canadian company that ships doors to the USA and abroad. We were fortunate to find them years ago as a small family owned company that takes a serious hands-on approach to making fireplace doors. They specialize in Solid Steel Barstock door construction, although they will also make doors in Solid Brass Barstock. What attracted us to them is the fact that they were among the first to start making fireplace doors using a plasma cutter, so they introduced a plethora of unique door designs years before anyone else was using their technology. The prices for their designs are still substantially lower than competitors in the USA even after any additional shipping cost is factored in. They also specialized in the unusual Bay Style and Bowed out doors that you see on ours site that other companies charge twice as much for...or simply cannot produce. Every door is custom made and the lead times are anywhere from 6 to 14 weeks depending on their workload. Since they are a smaller family run business, we recommend that you order well in advance of the winter season as lead times begin to increase and latecomers end up waiting longer.
We have included Minuteman in our offering simply because we could not resist the two styles of solid steel barstock doors that they have mass produced overseas. There are no custom capabilities for these doors, but they are nearly half the cost of anything else that is the same quality. Rugged and durable, the Minuteman doors are perfect for any fireplace where a wrought iron look is appropriate. Both style doors are finished in what they call "Anthrocite", which is a fancy name for graphite, or gray iron. If you are looking for a great alternative at a steel of a price, then be sure to consider the Minuteman doors.
Stock size glass doors are designed to overlap any rectangular opening that is a flat surface such as brick, marble or tile. If your fireplace has protrusions such as a ledge overhanging the opening or columns that project further on the sides than at the top, you will not be able to use stock size doors the way they were intended.
Our size calculator is meant to offer tips and guidelines only. You must speak to one of our glass door experts to clarify that the glass doors you have selected are appropriate for your application.
We also recommend that you email us pictures of your fireplace along with your dimensions so that our experts can examine your fireplace to determine if there are any unusual circumstances that must be taken into consideration.
It is critical that you determine the correct dimensions and type of fireplace that you have before you order glass doors to cover the opening.
We will not be held responsible for, or accept returns, for glass doors that are ordered based on incorrect dimensions or for the wrong type of fireplace...please read this column carefully.
There are over 50 doors to view in this section. The size, style, and finish options are limitless and therefore prices will vary dramatically.
If you cannot find what you like, please call us and one of our glass door experts will be happy to offer you more options and possibly email you pictures of items not shown on our web site.
Masonry fireplaces
Masonry fireplaces use different doors than those designed for prefabricated metal fireplaces. Stock sized doors are always designed to "overlap" the opening...so you must determine if an overlap fit is appropriate before you order any stock (or custom) sized doors.
If the surface around the opening of the masonry fireplace is flat (without any protruding surfaces), then overlapping should not be a problem and you can select from the stock size (or custom) size doors on this page.
If you have a ledge that the door frame must fit under, or protruding masonry work on any side of the opening that would prevent a frame from overlapping the surface and fitting flush, or if the surface is very irregular (Stone)...you will most likely need custom made doors.
Prefabricated Metal Fireplaces
Prefabricated Metal Fireplaces, often referred to as "Zero-Clearance Fireplaces", require special glass doors that are designed to keep the fireplace from overheating the framing members in the wall.
It is critical that you order the correct glass doors for this type of fireplace. Glass doors that are designed for masonry fireplace will create a fire hazard and will not have the proper mounting hardware for your installation.
Click Here to see fireplace doors specifically designed for Prefabricated Fireplaces
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