The Importance Of A Fire Place Screen

The Importance Of A Fire Place Screen

For some reason, people didn't see the need for fireplace screens for some time. Actually, fire place screens weren't invented until the 18th century. The invention likely came to be because some body had to put up with the aftermath of a flaming log rolling out of the fireplace in the night. Since then, they became an important fireplace accessory.

Initially, fireplace screens were simply about function. They weren't attractive pieces of hardware by any means, but they were essential for keeping burning logs and out of control embers in the fireplace where they belong. Eventually somebody made the decision to build on the idea and made fire place screens useful but also eye catching pieces to guard the family and house from embers and burning logs. Why not? You'll see it all the time, shouldn't it be attractive?

The history of the fire place screen in general shows the two reasons families have them in their homes: beauty and safety.

As far as safety is concerned, there are a few reasons, some of which you may not have thought of why you should have a fireplace screen in front of your fire.

One obvious reason for a firescreen is safety. Logs will split, adjust and shift with very little warning. If you don't use a firescreen those hot logs could come rolling from the fireplace and on your floor. A fire place screen controls logs and can save your home.

The next reason for a fire place screen might be a little less obvious. Although you may think that your fire safe and well contained, there are always going to be embers and ash that try to fly into the room. This red-hot ash can come into your house if you don't have a fire place screen to hold them in. A fireplace screen will also keep other burnt ashes from getting tracked through your home. That translates to less polluted air and mess around your house. And, fireplace screens are a good deterrent for kids and animals, since it will form a kind of wall in front of the fire.

Beyond cleanliness and safety, another reason for fireplace screens is because they can be an attractive part of any room. A lot of people who never use their fireplaces but enjoy the way a decorative fireplace screen looks. If you want the light of the fire to accent your fire place screen, you might want to consider one that's made out of colored glass. The fire light will offer a vivid, colorful glow that will fill the room. Other options include metal fireplace screens that feature woven designs to show scenery or image when the light shines through it. For people that never really light their fireplace, there are artist created screens. These hand painted pieces are meant to go in front of the fire place. Screens like this generally can't be put in front of a real fire, because the screen could be ruined.

For more on fire place tools and how they are used, fire place screens with doors and the way to to measure your fireplace opening to get the right screen, or how you can coordinate your fireplace tools for a more unified look, check out www.fireplacescreensetc.com

The history behind fire place screens generally illustrates the reasons people have them in their homes: safety and beauty.

Pamela Tice is a writer and expert on home decoration and fire place screens. For further information on fire place tools and how they should be used, measuring your fire place opening, or ways to coordinate your fire place and tools for a more unified look, go to http://www.fireplacescreens.com.

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