Hearths, Beams & Chambers

Hearths The hearth is the base of the fireplace, it can be made in many different materials, usually granite, slate, stone or tiles. Granites, slates & tiles are the best option if you are having a real fire or stove as they are the most hard-wearing. Stone, especially in lighter colours, is not a practical choice with a real fire because they are porous & mark easily. Most of the hearths we supply can be made to measure which is often required in situations where the current flooring is remaining in situ. The hearth is the most important part of a fireplace as it creates a boundary for the fireplace. Depending on what type of fire you are having fitted the hearth will need to be correctly sized in order for the installation to comply with building regulations. We always carry out a free home visit prior to installation to measure up for the hearth & ensure that it is correctly sized for the fire you are having. 

Beams A beam is a lovely way to finish off a fireplace opening when a gas, multi fuel or wood burning stove is being fitted. We have a beautiful range of solid oak beams all individually made to size & hand finished in a range of shapes & colours. Oak beams come with beautiful natural graining, cracks & knots, with each beam being completely unique. Alternatively, we have a range of composite oak effect beams which by looking are very difficult to tell apart from the solid oak beams. The benefit of a composite beam is the consistency of the material, so the one you see in our showroom is the same as the one that you will have fitted as it eliminates the natural variation of oak. This is perfect when you may have a particular preference on characteristics such as splits & knots. The other benefit of a composite beam is they are non-combustible which for some installations where the beam is going to sit close to the fire an oak beam would not be suitable. The final benefit of a composite beam is that they are completely stable, as solid oak beams will move once fitted, further cracking & sometimes twisting.

Fireplace chambers a fireplace chamber is the sides & back of a larger fireplace opening usually with a stove installation. Creating a feature of the fireplace chamber is a great way to show off your fireplace & stove. In older houses (pre 1960s) the original fireplace openings are usually brick or stone. We can uncover this by opening up the fireplace & often find lovely brickwork that can be cleaned up to offer an original feature to the fireplace. In newer properties or older properties where the brickwork is either not in good condition or a brick look would not suit the room there are lots of different options. The most popular option is Fireboard, this is an off-white coloured board that is used to line the opening, which can then be painted with standard emulsion. Fireboard gives the look of a plastered opening but unlike plaster & heat proof plaster it does not crack with the heat from the fire. For a more rustic but modern look we do a range of split slate chambers, these come in a range of different colours & give a lovely texture to the fireplace opening. If you would prefer a brick look but don’t have original brick work or it is in poor condition, we do a range of brick chambers. These are real slip bricks pre-fitted to Fireboard that are cut to suit the fireplace opening on site. We do a range of different brick types & colours to suit all interiors, which can be laid out in a standard brick formation or in a herringbone pattern. The final option would be a tiled chamber. We provide a service whereby you can source your own tiles & we will have these cast up to create a fireplace chamber.