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Today, with so many people installing fireplaces as a way to increase the value of their home, there has never been so many fireplace hearths to choose from. Today’s home owner is not installing a fireplace for the primary purpose of heating their home. Rather they are doing it because they are attracted to the idea of sitting by the fireplace in winter and enjoying the comforting feeling it gives. They are also very style conscious and want their hearths to fit in with, and enhance to overall design standard of their home. If you are looking at hearths at the moment with a view to installing a new fireplace, then you couldn’t have picked a better time to do it, with the range of styles and selections that is available out there, you are bound to find everything you could want in fireplace hearths.
Before you start looking at the designs and styles of fireplaces that are available however, it is a good idea to think about the purpose that fireplace hearths play. Hearths are more than decorative, they are functional. The fireplace hearth sits directly in front of your firebox and must be able to withstand the intense heat that it will be subjected to. You should make sure that the hearths that you are looking at are reinforced or are made of heat resistant material and will stand up to the task.
Hearths come in a range of shapes and sizes. Looking down on fireplace hearths from above, there are three usual shapes that you will see. There are the square cornered hearths which will basically look like a rectangle from above. Then there are the clipped corner hearths where the corners have been cut off from the hearth for decorative effect. Finally there is the rounded corner shape.
Looking at the edge of the hearth from the side, you can get four common edge profiles for most hearths. There is the plain profile which would come from rectangular slab fireplace hearths. Then you can have chamfered hearths which have a more decorative effect and come from the top corner of the side profile being planed off. You can also have rounded side profile fireplace hearths or bullnose hearths which have been popular traditionally.
The final thing to thing about with fireplace hearths is the elevation of the hearth above ground level. The traditional design of hearths meant that the hearth itself would be slightly raised off the ground. This was basically because the hearth was created by laying rock on the ground and this naturally had a slight elevation. However, in many modern home designs, hearths have been installed that are flush with the rest of the floor. This is a design feature but can also have the advantage of saving space, particularly if you do not use your fireplace too often, as the hearth will not be in the way. Finally you can have a raised hearth which can be up to about a foot off of the ground.
Fireplace hearths come in such a range of designs and styles that they can now fit into any home. Hearths also range in shapes and sizes according to modern needs and uses.
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