A home should emit warmth and comfort in which you’re encouraged to relax, but sometimes, painting your house with the colors of nature isn’t enough.
A fireplace like from Soothing Company is a great idea for enhancing your home’s features, but the trick is placing it on the best spots which are on the wall.
Now, there are two variations of the firewall that would affect the installing process. These are the electric and ethanol fireplace.
How do you know which fits your home?
The electric and ethanol fireplace don’t need any venting or chimneys to work, but unlike the electric fireplace, an ethanol fireplace needs fuel and gives off natural heat. However, it is still more eco-friendly than the electric fireplace, which uses electricity from natural gas or coal.
They also don’t need regular maintenance. Moreover, an ethanol fireplace will still leave no residue of ashes once you put off the flames, so there’s no need to clean it up. Yet if you love the imitation of fire instead of the real one, we suggest getting an electric fireplace as you would only need to plug it in and control it using a remote or button.
Luckily, you could also stumble on the modern ethanol fireplaces, which come with their own remote or could be operated through a smart home system or directly on the mobile app.
But what if you’d like to move the fireplace outdoors? Then that’ll be an easy task to do! Ethanol fireplaces are versatile. You won’t need to use any pipe connection or construction materials to move it to another place.
Which of them is more reliable? If you’re in a place where power loss occurs frequently, an ethanol fireplace is the most effective, especially during storms or winter, as long as fuel is available.
Steps in installing a wall fireplace
Another advantage of an ethanol fireplace is you can install them yourself, but you might need to ask for a hand when you have a larger unit since they could be pretty much heavy. The best way to have your fireplace installed correctly is to ask for a professional. But if you want to install it yourself, here’s how:
1.Studs are your friends
Try to locate the studs in your wall using a stud finder because studs serve as additional strength to frame the building. They also provide spaces for wires and pipes and even hold windows, interior finishes, or doors.
Since studs can act as support for your fireplace, it’s important to invest in high-quality material. Have a professional install it properly so you won’t encounter any major issues.
2.Don’t forget to align the mounting brackets
The number of mounting brackets you will need will depend on the model of your item. Some have only one or two horizontal brackets, while others might have additional vertical brackets attached to the horizontal ones.
Level the mounting brackets you have from the ground and once you found the perfect spot on your wall, start marking the places you’ll be drilling.
3.Drill the holes
The marked spots indicate the places you should drill. Once you’ve finished drilling, the next step would require you to insert the plastic anchors if you’re not using studs.
4.Attach the brackets on the wall
The models with vertical brackets will need you to hook the vertical brackets to the main horizontal ones. In contrast, those models with only horizontal brackets will have easier installation because they would just put the screws into the holes to secure them in place.
5.Slide in the fireplace
You should align the fireplace on the top of the bracket slightly from the left, then slide it to the right, where it would be automatically be locked.
In the case that you have a model with vertical brackets, you would need to secure the unit by screwing the lock screws at the bottom of the fireplace. Then, finish it off by installing the front safety glass using the Allen Key and bolts, though this process is optional.
Steps on decorating a wall with fireplace
1. Examine the overall look of the space first
You can incorporate tons of designs and ideas, but you have to consider what looks best with the overall look of the area. It will look weird if you place a pastel wall art on a rustic-themed living room. Scan the area first. Take note of the little details like the texture of your furniture, accent colors, the hint of light coming through the windows, etc.
2. Choose colors and textures wisely
Now, your wall decor can be an accent color or a color similar to the primary fixtures of the room like sofas, tables, or chairs. A modern minimalist interior with dominant black and white will look great with a silver or gold accent color. On the other hand, a tropical-themed room with wooden textures and vibrant colors will look really great with bamboo or rattan wall decors.
3. Try bricks or patterns
Having plain walls and adding a unique wall art would be the easiest route for some. However, you can also replace the plain-colored wall with a pattern or bricks instead. For wall fireplaces, a simple brick wall will already complete the look. Alternatively, you can also try out other textures like stones, granite, or marble.
4. Add a personal touch
You can put your family’s picture frame above a wall fireplace, but according to feng shui, it gives an impression that you’re setting your family on fire. I do agree that it looks weird, so replacing it with wall art will be better.
You can DIY wall art to make it unique and more personalized. Maybe a huge wall clock made from scrap metals or a canvas painting. You can display some of your possessions as well, like your hunting gears, miniature ships, plants or trophies.
5. Install good lighting
If you want to keep things simple, adding lighting on your wall fireplace will do the trick. You can have dangling lights if you wish to or just stick on a hidden strip light right by the ceiling. Make sure to have the wires properly installed so they will look neat and organized.
