IHDiesel73L
ArboristSite Operative
I think where I'm at on this is to get the Wilkening doors and combine them with a Texas Fire Frame grate along with a Grate Wall of Fire fireback at the rear. The doors first and foremost are a cosmetic issue-I hate looking at 1970s gold-anodized aluminum trimmed bi-fold doors on an otherwise beautiful fireplace. From what I've seen there is no other manufacturer that can match the heavy 1/4" steel construction of the Wilkening doors. Other manufacturers like Stoll, etc...do doors that are labeled "rustic" or "industrial" but when you look at the specs they're constructed of heavy gauge sheet metal. The Texas Fire Frame is supposed to direct more heat out into the room and it also looks more visually appealing than the Grate Wall of Fire IMO: Grate Wall of Fire makes some nice firebacks however-their 1/2" thick x 31" wide model should go well with a large Texas Fire Frame. It will be interesting to see how the heat storage does but I'm also just interested in protecting the masonry at the rear-some of the firebrick has some small cracks-hopefully this will slow down the wear and tear on that part of the fireplace for some years: https://www.gratewalloffire.com/Reflective-Fire-Backs.html
I did a little more reading and decided that lining the chimney, which would have accounted for about $1,300 of the projected cost plus would be a major PITA of a job, is really not necessary. I also did some investigating and found that my opening will be 40" x 29" with a properly fitted door, not 40" x 24" as I had originally thought because of the way the current door frame is mounted. Running the numbers on that with my chimney height and the 13 x 13 clay tile is fine. I figure that at the end of the process I'll have a fireplace which, while not as good as an insert, will perform better than it does now, and will look MUCH better doing it. This is the Wilkening Supreme Seal door which is a little cheaper than the ultimate seal door. I'll be getting the matte black finish shown here but will be going with black spring handles rather than the wood dowels shown:
I did a little more reading and decided that lining the chimney, which would have accounted for about $1,300 of the projected cost plus would be a major PITA of a job, is really not necessary. I also did some investigating and found that my opening will be 40" x 29" with a properly fitted door, not 40" x 24" as I had originally thought because of the way the current door frame is mounted. Running the numbers on that with my chimney height and the 13 x 13 clay tile is fine. I figure that at the end of the process I'll have a fireplace which, while not as good as an insert, will perform better than it does now, and will look MUCH better doing it. This is the Wilkening Supreme Seal door which is a little cheaper than the ultimate seal door. I'll be getting the matte black finish shown here but will be going with black spring handles rather than the wood dowels shown:
