Project 10097 - Fireplace Door Mock-Ups
Arched Brick Fireplace
Customer Comments: I seem to have a freakishly wide and odd fireplace setup because I've had an awful time finding doors for my fireplace for a couple of years. It's almost 47 inches wide, it's arched, it protrudes from the wall a little bit and there are gaps at the bottom (I imagine so some sort of doors can be installed). The inside has some damage and needs eventual repair. Wasps seem to be living in these holes and we've had a tarp taped to the opening for the 3 years we've lived in this house. We recently had it cleaned to find out where they are coming from and repairs will be costly. I was hoping some sort of tight door setup could keep them from getting out until then. Plus me and my wife would really like some doors for this anyway. I don't mind if the doors don't Arch with the fireplace. Honestly I'd be fine with sliding a rectangular door setup over this that is flush with the wall.
I enjoy the black Bedford model I found on your site if that helps with designs. Really just interested in something simple that isn't too shiny. If possible I'm really only looking to spend about $500 but I am willing to go a little higher if needed. Thanks for any assistance.
Fireplace Measurements: 40 1/2" W x 20 1/2" to 27 1/2" H
Our Comments: Couple things before we spin our wheels.
- You won’t find any fireplace doors that are premade that will fit your fireplace. Premade doors are only for rectangular fireplace openings.
- You won’t find any doors that can be custom made to fit your fireplace that are within your budget.
- Your fireplace is not at all unusual, we deal with fireplaces like yours almost every day!
Bottom line is, it is just a matter of cost. Custom made fireplace doors are in a completely different price range than stock doors you find at home centers, or even the stock doors we sell like the Bedford. Stock doors are made to fit average size rectangular fireplaces. The thing is, a good number of hand built masonry firelpaces like yours are either made from stone, have protruding bricks or have arched shaped openings. The fact that there are so many different types of fireplaces and fireplace opening sizes and shapes is the reason we are in the business of selling custom made fireplace doors. Even people with typical rectangular fireplace openings buy custom doors becase they are much higher quality and can be made in virtually any style or finish compared to the limitations of stock doors. They are just a lot more expensive.
To be realistic, arched fireplace doors start at about $1800.00 for the plainest simplest models, and the price goes up from there. Trying to make a rectangular door fit your fireplace won’t work because of the protruding bricks. So you simply fall into the custom door bracket. You basically have two choices of how the door can be made:
- Overlap Fit – overlapping the protruding bricks by about 1". This will require you to fill the gaps at the bottom left and right corners where the protruding bricks end with mortar. Because of your wasp issue, it might be best to fill in all of the mortar joints around the frame as well to completely keep out those critters.!
- Inside Fit - An inside fit requires that mortar is used to fill in all of the gaps around the fireplace door including the gap at the bottom where the hearth does not come fully into the fireplace.!
I created some examples of how that might work below. Please forgive the slightly distorted width of the frame at the top, I had to warp an existing picture to try and fit the shape of your arch. The doors I used in this example are closer to the $3000 price range, it is just the best picture I had of any arched door that came close to the shape of your arch. The least expensive arched door we can make is the Legend Arch (view it here). Most any of our steel doors can be custom made to fit your arch and require you to trace out a template and send it to us. To learn how to make a template and install your doors, please watch videos #6 and #7 on our How to Measure Page. We will walk you through the process if need be.
Note: These mock-ups are not to scale and are meant to help you choose the model of your screen or door, not the finish. Although we may create a general representation of black, iron, bronze, gold and silver tones, you must choose your finish from our samples using the links below. Ask your project manager which samples apply to the items in your project.
Finish Samples: Design Specialties Finishes | Stone Manufacturing Finishes | Hearth Creations Finishes
Before
Other Pictures
Before - Showing bricks protruding
Before - Showing gap in bricks at bottom
Further Details
Opening width 40.5 inches
Brick to brick width 46.75
Brick comes out 1.5 inches from wall
Opening height (highest Arch point) 27.5in
Opening height (lowest arch point) 20.5in
Total height including brick 30.5
Total height with brick as it starts to Arch 25.5in
Gap at bottom between base and where Arch starts 3in wide and 2in tall
Mesh & Insulation Options
The Mesh options are behind the glass so you can burn the fire with the doors open and still have spark protection. Great for real wood or gas logs since most gas long manufacturers insist that you have a screen in front of the logs when they are burning. Mesh panel doors are the most popular and are best for when there are toddlers present because they will not open backwards whereas the mesh screens are easily pushed in. Insulation goes between the back of the frame and the fireplace facing, providing a better seal.
Black Mesh Curtains - These slide back and forth on a rod behind the glass
Gate Mesh Doors - These are separate doors behind the glass that have a flat wire mesh and a black frame.
Insulation: Provides a better seal between the fireplace face and the door frame.
This page was created as part of our Free Fireplace Door Design service. Anyone who has a fireplace and is considering glass doors can take advantage of this program. All you have to do is email us some pictures of your fireplace and we will create digital mock-ups showing you how various fireplace doors will look on your fireplace. This is hands down the best way to shop for fireplace doors. Click Here to Begin Your Own Project!