What can be tiled fireplaces?
First of all, decide how functional you should be in your understanding of tiled fireplaces. They can be fake, that is, absolutely decorative, like the focus of Pope Carlo in the fairy tale Golden Key. Also you can choose a half-mail portal, in which instead of the usual wood-burning furnace there will be an electric filling. Warm up such a "hearth" will be, and decorate the room too, but you will not be able to enjoy living fire in the evenings, unless you install a modern heating unit with a screen on which the fire looks like real.
Well, of course, the most common fireplace, with a firing done by all the rules. In this case, the furnace should be quite deep, and taking into account the pre-furnace platform, the fireplace will take up a lot of space in your room. But the first two options can be quite narrow, from the wall the facade of such a portal is sometimes at a distance of 10-15 centimeters. The fake fireplaces were common in the Winter Palace, before the Amosov furnaces appeared. Another Count Sheremetyev mentioned tiles of fireplaces that never knew fire, noticing that they are beautiful, but this beauty does not warm at all.
Among other things, tiles you have to choose from a variety of options. This includes historical portals, that is, replicas or, as is now customary, replicas of once-existing fireplaces, covered with richly decorated tiles. For example, you can choose the reconstruction of one of the portals made under Peter I or Catherine II in the imperial palace. Possible and such an option as the purchase of an antique portal. In this case, be careful, since there are many old tiles, but most of them are sold for fabulous amounts, being very cheap.
If it is not possible to contact an expert in antique fireplaces, it is easier to purchase a copy of the old portal. The most affordable option - go to the store and buy tiles modern, stamped on the conveyor. Not exclusively, but cheap and angry. Or, if you want a really unique thing, order tiles of piece work, painted by hand.
Classic fireplaces should be correctly formed
Based on the fact that brick fireplaces with an open portal are not able to accumulate heat and are much inferior to heating furnaces in terms of heat transfer, it is necessary to find ways to improve heating with an open hearth. The best option is tiled tiles, because classical fireplaces covered with marble heat much worse, the stone does not conduct heat at all well. However, you can not overdo it with facing.
The main rule is to lay a brick with the future of the tiled roofing .The fact is that the stove-maker can offer just to perform this or that clutch, and then decide on the finishing. This option is unacceptable, especially if you want a certain type of portal. If the mask you choose does not match the masonry, the lightweight design will find an average weight, the average becomes heavy, and the large-sized fireplace will generally become supermassive. Thus, you have two options - to design a fireplace along with the cladding or choose this, based on the design of the fireplace and the maximum possible load on the foundation.
The simplest solution, when everything is taken into account in the project, ideally it should be done at the stage of house planning. However, if the fireplace will be installed in a finished building or in an apartment, choosing the lining along with the construction is the optimal solution. In this case unforeseen expenses are practically excluded, especially at the stage of finishing the portal with tiles, pre-fitted for the dimensions of the facade, side walls and chimney.
Worse, if the fireplace is already there and you start to come up with a design for the cladding. In this case, the time to use is the second rule - take up to a millimeter all the dimensions of the portal, chimney, mantelpiece and other elements of the "hearth" .It's worth missing some detail, and you'll have to redo the entire veneer from scratch, as the tiles do not cut. Perhaps, even have to buy tiles of other, more suitable sizes.
There are a few rules regarding decoration as such, which, however, it is possible and not to comply, although the results may later disappoint you a little or a little. First, the fireplaces in the classical style oblige you to use only the tile that fits the chosen style of the portal. If it's a fireplace that copies those that warmed the rooms in the wing of Peter the Great, tiles to it can not be patterned, for example, under Gzhel. Secondly, the design of the fireplace should ideally be combined with the color solution, because if the second one causes irritation, the portal itself will not look good either.
And two more rules, purely designer. In no case do not trust the designer or the master-stove to choose the pattern or color of the tile. They will rely entirely on their own taste, which may differ from yours. In extreme cases, you can discuss with a specialist combinations of colors, not more.
And the last rule - choosing tiles and wanting to get a really original portal, do not look at fashion magazines, but find a really good master who can, based on catalogs, design a really unique finish for you. To remain the owner of an exclusive tiled portal for as long as possible, do not let him take pictures, he will immediately fall in price, which should be taken into account if you want to sell a house or an apartment with a fireplace in the future.
