Portal for fireplace decorative

Any fireplace always brings a special comfort to the atmosphere of the house. Real, "live" flame can warm in cold weather. But even the visual imitation of the fireplace becomes not only a decorative element of the interior, but also "warms up" its visual effect of fire.

That's why today many people dream of having a fireplace in their own homes. Well, the "face" of this structure is not so much firebox as a portal. The portal for the fireplace decorative can be made of various materials, the choice of which depends on the type of fireplace according to the principle of work, and on the style of execution. Correctly selected material can make such a building a central decoration of the room, so you need to carefully consider its design and harmonious adaptation with the rest of the interior.

Main types of fireplaces

Fireplaces can be of various types:

- traditional wood-burning, built of bricks or made of metal;

- electric, imitating a living fire;

- decorative, which installs candles or special burners on biofuel.

A wood-burning fireplace can usually be erected only in a private house without any major problems, but electric and decorative variants are used in any apartment, including an apartment in a city high-rise building.

Electric fireplaces can be different. Decorative options do not give heat and only simulate the burning of firewood, and the intensity of the fire is regulated from a bright flame to the smoldering of coals. Other electric fireplaces are aimed specifically at heating the room, and for their portals for fire safety it is necessary to choose a non-flammable heat-resistant material.

For decorative fireplaces where there is no open fire, the portal can be made of almost any material, including even from cardboard.

After deciding on the choice of a decorative fireplace, making a portal for it and decorating it in the right style with the appropriate desire, every owner of the house who has decided to decorate the interior with such an original element should be able to decorate.

Styles for decoration of fireplace portals

As interior styles have not been canceled, and the harmony of the interior directly influences the mood of tenants of a house or apartment, before making a purchase of materials, you need to decide on the design of the portal.

• The classic style of the portal is distinguished by its strictness and monumentality, which excludes unnecessary decorative elements. Such a finish is suitable for interiors, performed according to the canons of strict classics. This type of design can be executed from any materials, which will be described below. The main thing is the observance of strict lines and exact symmetry.

• . The country style is perfect for private houses, decorated in the "village" version, where wood-burning brick fireplaces are installed. The portal in this case can be decorated with an artificial stone or be a brickwork under the screed.

• The baroque version of the portal is designed for rooms with interiors designed in the style of the 17th-18th century with appropriate furniture and textiles. In a modern apartment such a fireplace will look just inappropriate. Portals in the Baroque style are decorated with plaster relief molding or its imitation of polyurethane. In addition, quite often such elements are cut from wood and have complex and very intricate reliefs.

• Art Nouveau style is a combination of modern trends and classical materials and elements. Portal, made in this version, can have strict forms and fit perfectly into modern interiors, and can be diluted with relief inserts in the form of geometric figures, and used even in the classic design of the room. It should be noted that this style has many variations, but it should not be overloaded with unnecessary decorative details. Such portals can be made of any finishing material, but with the observance of the canons of Art Nouveau.

• High-tech is one of the minimalist styles. It is dominated by clear shapes and lines, so the portal, made of a frame and lined with plasterboard, and then qualitatively plastered and painted in color, which will be ideal for a particular interior, will fully comply with the rules of this style.

Construction and finishing materials for decorative fireplace mansions

As mentioned above, the choice of material for the portal depends on four main criteria: the type of fireplace, the chosen finishing style, financial possibilities and preferences of the owners. If an imitation fireplace is installed, then the list of finishing materials for its decoration is wide enough, and problems with choice and acquisition should arise.

From the materials suitable for furnishing the fireplace, depending on its functionality, you can make the following list:

• Traditional wood-burning fireplaces made of bricks or made of metal can have a portal finished with natural or artificial stone, ceramic, marble or fireclay tiles,tiles, gypsum elements and other materials that have sufficient resistance to high temperatures.

• For electric fireplaces in the furnace where only the flame simulation is organized, all the above materials are suitable, and besides them, wood or polyurethane simulating the moldings relief can be used.
• For the decoration of decorative fireplaces, you can apply absolutely any materials, including even wallpaper, having a pattern suitable for the interior.

Finishing materials are also chosen depending on what the portal will be built of. So, for decorative or electric fireplaces, frames from plasterboard, plywood, gypsum boards or even cardboard are built.

With these materials, a frame is made of metal profile or beams. Some craftsmen manage to make decorative fireplaces even from old furniture, for example, from unnecessary cabinets.

Old cardboard boxes - material for the fireplace? Yes, it's not a joke! From the seemingly unnecessary rubbish it is fashionable to make a decorative portal and decorate it so that no one will ever guess what it is made of. How to manufacture decorative fireplace from cardboard in a special publication of our portal.

Brick Portals

If a cast iron or steel firewood fireplace is installed in the house, the portal for it can be made of bricks under the bark or under the finish with stone or ceramic tiles. In this case, the portal will become not only a decorative, but also a functional element, since it will help a longer period to keep the heat in the room. He will act as a heat accumulator - heat from a metal hearth and give heat to the room.

Of high-quality bricks can be combined and decorative portal, which will imitate the present and will be used to install bio-fireplaces or candles. Well, the fireplace shelf of this interior element can be used for the location of TV sets, watches, candlesticks, various ceramic figures and even indoor flowers.

If it is planned to decorate the portal with decorative material, then it can be erected from any quality brick. The main thing is to maintain the evenness of its walls.

Decorating with ceramic tile

The ceramic tile will be an excellent option for finishing, which will give the structure an accuracy and simplify regular maintenance of its surfaces. In addition, the tile is well heated, at the same time, keeping the heat of the brick walls. Tiles are a heat-resistant material, so you will not have to worry about fire safety. Lay the tile on a special fire-resistant composition, which is designed for finishing stoves and fireplaces. It's easy to buy in specialized stores.

The advantage of finishing the fireplace portal with ceramic material can be called a variety of options. Tiles can mimic bricks or tiles, and also help to make the walls that are not exactly flat are ideal.

Today this material is produced in a wide range of colors, with a wide variety of design solutions, sizes and configurations. It is a narrow narrow, wide, rounded corner and straight, relief and smooth tiles.

Gypsum as a material for the

portal In addition to the brick surface, ceramic tiles can be used to create a portal made of gypsum or gypsum fiber sheets, or from gypsum boards, for which it is not necessary to mount a frame. This material is easy to handle, as cutting slabs can be an ordinary hacksaw, and it is very simple to round their edges or cut them into an arch vault. Self-tapping screws are easily screwed into them, and most importantly, the plates are equipped with elements for connecting the groove-spike, which simplifies the removal of even walls.

When assembling the plates, they are additionally joined together by glue on a gypsum base, which makes the walls of them almost monolithic.

Portal of gypsum boards can be trimmed from above with almost any decorative material that can be glued on or attached to it. The only disadvantage of gypsum slabs is their large enough mass, but if the portal does not have a great depth, then it is quite possible to add the structure to the apartment of a high-rise building, since they will hardly increase the overlap.

A gypsum walled gypsum portal can also be lined with ceramic tiles, especially as it will easily be glued to such a prepared and primed surface.

Finishing of the portal with a stone

In addition to ceramic tiles, an artificial stone is often used for facing a fireplace portal, especially since it can be made of various materials, and in a variety of design solutions and colors.

In the building stores you can find a material that simulates a brick or wild stone of different breeds. For its production, cement or gypsum mortar, as well as acrylic composites, is used.

"Stone", made of acrylic composition - the lightest by weight and quite strong, and also resistant to abrasion, so it is the best fit for finishing the fireplace portal.

A smooth artificial stone is produced for grinding marble. In the original composition for this is added marble chips or even its imitation.

Various materials are used for gluing such a material, depending on what it is made of and on what surface it will be glued. For example, cement based tile adhesive is used for an artificial stone made from a solution using the same material. A similar approach to other types of "pseudo-stone" cladding.

Artificial stone is used for finishing brick, plaster and gypsum board surfaces, and if they are well aligned and prepared, the work will pass quickly and without any problems.

Artificial stone is well combined with other materials, for example, with wood or its imitation.

Decorating the portal with polyurethane decorative elements

For decorative fireplace or portal made for an electric type of fireplace, in which only the burning of fire is simulated, elements made of polyurethane are often used. They in a large assortment can be found in construction shops - it can be columns with capitals, borders, central or corner pieces simulating stucco molding of various relief.

This material is light in weight, so it is easy to paste it onto cardboard, plywood, gypsum board or gypsum board. To give the polyurethane the naturalness of natural moldings, after the glue dries, the portal is covered with a liquid, homogeneous composition on a gypsum base with a soft brush.

Polyurethane can be given any color tone, but in addition, some prefer to cover with gold paint individual relief parts of stucco.

Polyurethane elements are well combined with other materials. For example, they perfectly harmonize with artificial stone or ceramic tiles, so this material gives a great opportunity for imagination in the development of an independent design project.

Do not use polyurethane to decorate a wood-burning fireplace portal, because the material is not designed for use in high-temperature environments - it starts to soften, and also emits toxic fumes. Therefore, this moment must be taken into account, choosing a similar method of finishing.

It should be noted that polyurethane portals can be bought even in almost completely finished decoration kit. In this case, it will not be necessary to select individual elements according to style and relief pattern, since they are already harmoniously assembled into an ideal composition. It only remains to install the decorative finish on the gypsum plasterboard frame.

If you buy a portal assembly, then you need to calculate well the dimensions of the frame and fireplace electrical "hearth".It is best, of course, to buy such a "furnace" and a portal at the same time, so that the seller selects the most suitable options, and already by the size of these main elements of the design, the parameters of the future skeleton are calculated.

For ease of transportation and installation, the polyurethane frames consist of three parts: two side racks-half-columns and a horizontal mantelpiece.

Wooden portals

Wooden carved portals are made for a long time, and they are often used for plating wood fireplaces. However, in this case, the wooden elements must go through the stages of special preparation, including impregnation with flame retardants. In addition, the details of wood on fireplaces with open fire are set as far as possible from the hearth.

There are no restrictions for the decoration of decorative or electric fireplaces in the use of a wooden portal. They are used as separate elements from which the portal is assembled, and in the finished assembled form.

Wooden portals are quite expensive, as they are most often made by hand. Their price depends on both the wood species and the complexity of the relief pattern.

	The first step in the wall is drilled holes or channels are made through which an electric cable is carried, to which, after finishing, an outlet for the electric fireplace will be connected. Then a sub-socket is installed in the cut out socket with the lead wires. Next, the wall is displayed on the smoothness of the putty, and it is left to dry. The next step is the marking of the wall, and then on it the places of fastening of the frame are drawn, on which the finishing material of the portal will be fixed in turn. Marking operations are performed using a long ruler and a building level.
	The next step on the wall on the marking is fixed metal profiles. In this case profiles with a width of 50 mm are used, but wider ones can be used - 63 mm. The frames of the frame must be located along the perimeter of the portal and along the width of its walls.
	Fixing the elements of the frame on the wall, you can go to the floor frame. It is also fixed according to the pre-printed markings. If the portal is intended for electric fire, it must be taken into account that the portal will be sufficiently deep, since it must exceed the depth of the fireplace furnace by 80 ÷ 100 mm.
	Next, the floor frame is built up with the second tier. To the metal profile fixed horizontally in the lower part of the wall there are screwed perpendicular sections of the profile, which are temporarily fastened at the corners by the posts with the lower ones fixed to the floor. On the inner side of the frame with the help of square fragments, cut out of plasterboard, temporary supports are provided. Then to the side elements of the frame is fastened the front long profile, which for stiffness is also fastened to the profile, screwed to the floor, with square fragments of gypsum board.
	The next step, in the middle part of the resulting box is fixed a transverse section of the profile, which adds rigidity to the structure. Then, the frame of the box outside is covered with strips of plasterboard. This cladding is screwed with screws in steps of 120 ÷ 150 mm.
	Separately from the profile the panel skeleton is assembled, which will be fixed to the already assembled and fixed on the floor box. The frame consists of a frame and cross members. And they must be calculated and fixed in such a way that they rely on the frame of the side walls of the portal. The panel should have a size of 80 ÷ 100 mm more than the box width and 160 ÷ 200 mm in length - this is how it should protrude forward and on the sides. After the metal frame is ready, a plasterboard sheet of the correct size is fixed to it.
	The finished panel is laid on the box with a plasterboard side down, upwards by a frame, and then reliably fastened to it also with the help of self-tapping screws for metal.
	Next, the frame is covered on top with another sheet of plasterboard, which also marks the base under the walls of the portal. In this model, they have an original trapezoidal shape in the plan, but portals with square or rectangular lateral columns are most often chosen. Next on the marking lines to the resulting gypsum cardboard podium is screwed metal profile, which should be a continuation of the construction fixed to the wall, and on the horizontal plane - to specify the invented side wall shape.
	The next step is the construction of the outer walls first. To this end, vertical elements are fixed to the lower lateral profiles, then they are fastened to the upper horizontal profile bolted to the wall. In the middle of the sidewall frame, a horizontal metal bridge is inserted for its stiffness. After that, to the outside of the installed frame, you just need to screw the plasterboard sheet, cut to its size.
	Then the same frame is constructed for the inner side walls and is also covered with plasterboard.
	This photo shows the lower part of the sheathed side walls of the frame mounted on the podium.
	The next step is to strengthen the frame of the walls. And this design should be rigid, as in the future it will be used to secure the frame and the skin of the front of the portal. To do this, between the skeletons of the outer and inner walls are fixed transverse jumpers at a distance from each other of 250 ÷ 300 mm. For these bridges, a wide metal profile with a width of 63 mm must always be used, and each of the elements is screwed with four screws. Further, all the jumpers are fastened together by one vertical profile, which must be located in front of the most protruding part of the portal.
	Next, it is necessary to fix the very front part of the structure of the side elements of the portal. To this end, a forward-facing element, equal to the distance from the vertical profile to the front side of the portal, is fixed to the vertical profile previously attached to the horizontal webs. Then, a vertical profile is fixed to the front profile fixed on the catwalk and the upper, projecting metal element.
	After that, horizontal bridges are fixed between each vertical profile through every 250 ÷ 300 mm. This design will have good rigidity and reliability.
	The next step is to work on the top of the portal wall structure. To do this, tighten a narrow metal profile to the side outer wall and the front vertical profile, as well as the inner wall and the same front profile.
	The shape of the front part of the side "columns" of the frame should resemble a trapezoid or a triangle with a cut forward angle projected.
	After that, the three front planes of the portal are covered with plasterboard. Especially neatly you need to work with a narrow strip of this material, as it can easily crumble.
	Next, the horizontal part of the frame is assembled, which will cover the space above the furnace. For this purpose, the lateral segments of the profile are screwed onto the profile fixed on the wall and the inner walls of the portal, to which the profiles overlapping the furnace are screwed. After that, at their level with the front parts of the side elements, parts of the plasterboard sheathing are cut.
	Then the skeleton is mounted, which will block the fireplace portal along the top part of the structure. Overlapping is carried out by three metal profiles, fixed on the inner walls of the side "columns" at the level of the horizontal profile already installed on the wall.
	As a result of the performed operations, the design shown in this photo should be obtained.
	Next step, the entire construction except for a narrow section above the furnace space is covered with plasterboard. To ensure that the material fits well to the frame structure, on the wide profiles the skin is screwed into two rows by screws in a staggered arrangement.
	This photo shows the construction along with the podium on which it was mounted.
	Remaining clearance under the combustion chamber. To close this space at the right angle, you need to add several elements to the framework.
	Therefore, to the upper horizontal side of this lumen are fixed corners, which will set the direction of the installed strip of gypsum board. In this case, you can do it differently - fixing not horizontal but vertical elements from a narrow metal profile. To do this, its sides are pruned and slipped under the gypsum board fixed on top, and then bolted to the wide upper profile through the lining. On the bottom of the vertical elements, too, incisions are made, then the central part is bent and through it the element is screwed to the end part of the metal profile. Such vertical elements should be at least five pieces, two of which are fixed on the edges of this window.
	Then to this completed add-on in the frame is screwed a gypsum board narrow panel, located at an angle.
	After the completion of the cladding works, it is necessary to sample the fireplace fireplace. If it fits perfectly into the space intended for it, it needs to be pulled out and continue to work on further design of the portal.
	Portal decoration can be made by different materials. In this case, ready-made decorative elements made of polyurethane were used. These figured details are glued to plasterboard for polymer adhesives or to a gypsum-based composition that is sold in a dry form and diluted before use.
	The next step is shpatlevanie internal and external surfaces of the portal, and sealing all the gaps remaining between the pasted elements. The work is carried out using metal and rubber spatulas of different widths. If desired, after the drying of the putty layer and its equalization with medium- and fine-grained sandpaper, the portal can be painted, zadekorirovat under the wood, and stucco - gild. At the same stage, the
	electrical outlet is finally assembled. At the end of the final stage, the panel of the mantelpiece is fixed to the upper horizontal plane of the finished portal with glue. You can make it yourself or buy it ready-made, and very often such items are made to order. In this case, a panel of artificial stone for marble was used.
Illustration	Brief description of the operation

. Some models of these decorative items are selected by catalogs and ordered individually. It is clear that such exclusive options at their cost will be much more expensive than the serial ones.

Decorative fireplace portal from plasterboard

Decorative portal in baroque style

For the production of such a portal, careful calculations are first made, taking into account the location of its installation and the dimensions of the "firebox" of the electric fireplace, if it is provided for. Next, you need to draw a skeleton drawing and put on it the dimensions corresponding to its location.

Drawing is necessary and when you purchase materials for building the portal design, without taking into account the finishing materials.

So, from the materials for the construction of the fireplace portal will require:

• Metal galvanized profile.
• Drywall. If the fireplace will work on heating, it is better to insure yourself once again and buy fireproof plasterboard( GKLO) - it has a pink-violet color of the front surface. For the production of the portal variant presented below, for some reasons, waterproof plasterboard( GKLV) was used.
• Self-tapping screws for gypsum board structures.
• putty finishing on gypsum basis.
• Adhesive for fixing the finish.
• Finishing material can be chosen any.
• Persistent acrylic paints for decorating the portal( if desired).

A similar portal, made of plasterboard and decorated in the Baroque style, can be used for installing an electric fireplace, or as a decorative element of the interior. As a decoration for it, stucco molding or its imitation of polyurethane is used.

In conclusion, it should be noted that any homeowner will be able to perform such work without even having a lot of experience in the construction industry. The main thing at the same time is to correctly calculate and mark the location of the portal structure, and then carefully apply the decorative finish.

In support of this thesis - another step-by-step video guide on the self-manufacturing of a decorative fireplace portal from gypsum board.

Video: a self-made portal for a decorative electric fireplace