36 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



January, 1907 



1 ^'^"^ 1 



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SMOKE CHAMBEH 



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i THROAT \ 











FIG e. - ELEVATION. 



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V FLUE ~] 







1 \ 



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HEAHTH 





FIG 3 - PLAN. 



6 — Constructional Details of an Ideal Fireplace 



It is a fallacy to believe that your chimney top needs cov- 

 ering, or your chimney smokes because it is unprotected. The 

 more open and unobstructed the top of the flue, the better. 

 A properly constructed flue and fireplace need neither cowl, 

 cap, nor hood. 



It is not practical to build fireplaces of the inglenook 

 type. They are meant for tremendous, big halls. The 

 design and heat are generally out of proportion to the cham- 

 ber. In old English examples, as for instance in Bramall Hall, 

 the enclosure was practically a small room in itself; you 

 could seat yourself on benches, "inside the fire." The high 

 and narrow openings of the Italian Renaissance period were 

 likewise meant for chimneys having very different flues and 

 construction from ours. 



In building your fireplace the endeavor should rather be 

 to construct it with the view of throwing the heat out into 

 the room. You may easily have a huge fireplace opening and 

 a splendid draft, but every bit of heat may be sucked up the 

 chimney instead of radiated out into the chamber. Build the 

 sides of the opening so that they open into the room, wider 

 in front than behind. A splay of two inches to the foot on 

 each side will be found satisfactory. More important is the 

 building of the back. It should have a section, A-A', as in 

 illustration 6. This will cause the heat to be thrown forward 

 and out rather than upward. 



The materials of your front hearth and back hearth, of 

 your linings and facings, are many and varied. The back 

 hearth and linings must always be of materials that resist 

 the heat. A glazed tile should not be used for the rear 

 hearth, as it certainly will "craze" or crock. The old fash- 

 ioned soapstone, used in slabs from i inch to i 1-2 inches, is 

 excellent both for linings and rear hearth. It takes up very 

 little room and if the slabs are carefully selected they should 

 last from twenty to thirty years. Hard burned bricks, or the 

 real firebrick, or Roman shaped bricks, laid in herring-bone 

 or fancy patterns, are among the most serviceable linings and 

 back hearths. For their use one naturally needs four inches 

 of additional space all around the sides of the fireplace. 

 Where economy of space is the great consideration, iron 

 linings are imperative. Select, however, an "extra heavy" 

 iron lining and see that the angles are tightly filled with 



cement after they have been put together. The thin lining 

 sold at the "ordinary," will often crack with the first bright 

 fire. 



The front hearth and facings, which are more ornamental 

 than structural, should be considered in conjunction with the 

 design of your mantel. Marble, stone, brick, tiles of all 

 colors, sizes and designs are alternately used. The French 

 scarcely use any other facing than an elaborately curved cast 

 iron one, and in the English bedrooms one finds pretty in- 

 variably an ornamented tile. If a marble facing is used, the 

 slab should be 7-8 inches thick. It should naturally, as also 

 a tile, conform in color to the papering or wall covering. If 

 you are uncertain when you are building your fireplace what 

 you may later select for wall covering, a white, unglazed, 

 "velvet" tile is always the safest, especially in bedrooms. If 

 you select a stone facing, select preferably a limestone which 

 resists the heat, and do not use it in blocks less than four 

 inches thick. Even if you select a brick facing and build the 

 bricks in an arch above your opening, do not trust to its sup- 

 porting the masonry above. Carry this by a concealed Iron 

 lintel well bedded in the masonry on the sides. Provide your 

 throats with dampers which can be closed when the fireplace 

 is not in use. Project your hearth at least 16 inches into the 

 room and far enough on each side of the opening to catch 

 stray sparks. 



Unless you know precisely what you want, selecting the 

 mantel itself becomes almost as difficult as choosing a wife. 

 Certain rules should govern every one in its design and selec- 

 tion. If the mantel is to be of wood, it should be similar to 



7 — A Hooded Renaissance Fireplace 



the remainder of the trim of the room; it should further be in 

 scale with the room, of good proportions and ornamentation. 

 Papier mache ornaments will in nine out of ten instances, 

 where the mantel is to be painted, serve your purpose. If you 

 are not limited by the cost, carve your decorations. 



