How to Buy a New Fireplace Door, Step #3: Choose Your Door Style

So far in our series How to Buy a New Fireplace Door we’ve covered the differences between masonry and zero-clearance fireplaces and how to measure your fireplace opening. Now let’s talk a little bit about the specific options you can choose for your fireplace door.

Two customer could buy the same fireplace but because of the different options available those two fireplaces could look completely different. Don’t be confused by all of the options available, be excited. These options let you make your fireplace unique to you and your home. If the list below seems like too much then one of these fireplace doors might be a better fit for you. When you pick out your fireplace door you’ll have to make a decision about each of the following options:

• Door Style
• Rectangular or Arched Doors
• Frame Finish
• Door Trim Finish
• Glass Color
• Glass Beveled or Flat
• Mesh Type

These are the basic options for Portland Willamette, Bosse and Diamond W. fireplace doors. Residential Retreat fireplace doors come with fewer options but also ship much, much faster. One of the best things about a Residential Retreat door is it’s simplicity. You choose a size and a finish and 4-5 days later you have your door. Our other brands of doors take about seven times longer to be delivered. Keep that in mind.

The first option is door style. We keep saying “fireplace doors” but the correct term would be “fireplace enclosure” since we’re talking about the doors, the frame and the insulation all together. But when I say “door style” I’m talking about the actual doors that will open and close on your fireplace. Our doors come in three different styles: cabinet doors, full-fold doors and bifold doors.

Cabinet Doors open and close just like the doors on your kitchen cabinet. They do not fold and the open by swinging on hinges. Simple and easy to maintain, cabinet doors come standard with most doors. The only downside to cabinet doors is their size. Since they don’t fold you need a clear space in front of the fireplace and on either side for them to open completely so you can get a full view of your fire. If your fireplace is close quarters or you like to keep a crowded heart then cabinet doors won’t be a good fit for you.

Bi-Fold Doors fold down the center, just like their name implies. The doors aren’t hinged on the side like cabinet doors but slide along an upper and lower track. This lets you open and close your doors without disrupting anything in front of your fireplace or taking up large amounts of space on the side of your fireplace when your doors are opened. There are two potential problems with bifold doors:

• cost
• maintenance

Bifold doors do not come standard with any of our doors and cost an additional $150. They also require more maintenance then our other types of doors. The track must be kept clean and free of debris for the doors to operate smoothly. If the track or the part of the door that slides along the track becomes dirty, damaged or rusty then the doors will open in a herky-jerky fashion or not at all.

Full-Fold doors are the last style of door and the most popular. A standard option with almost every door we sell, full-fold doors combine the best parts of cabinet and bi-fold doors. Full-fold doors fold down the middle like bi-fold doors but are also hinged on the side, like cabinet doors. The result is a low cost door that can open and close without taking up too much space in front of or on the side of your fireplace. Maintenance is minimal and the effect is simple and fun. We recommend full-fold doors to our customers for this very reason.

Whichever door style you choose, make sure you have good reasons. Opening and closing your fireplace seems like a simple thing but how you do it and how easily you do it can have a big impact on how often you enjoy your fireplace.

Posted on 01/12/10 // Posted in Uncategorized