For this next HouseCall, Ron received a unique request over the air waves from local radio personality Stormin' Norman. Norman requested that Ron visit his home to help him and his wife Anne (also a radio personality) install a ventless fireplace in their bedroom to add a bit of atmosphere and take the winter chill from the air. They had selected a corner of their bedroom where they thought a corner fireplace would fit perfectly.
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The technology for ventless fireplaces has been around for decades in Europe and it has more recently become well established here. These units are considered safe, even for a bedroom, so you can avoid all the work involved in installing a chimney.
Ron, Anne and Norman visited the Empire Comfort Systems website and selected a fireplace from their White Mountain hearth collection. |
Click Here For a list of what
you will need in order to complete this project.
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1. Determine hearth dimensions
Create a mock-up using the dimensions of the fireplace you are considering purchasing. This will give you a feel for what it will look like when it is installed. You may decide that you want to create a hearth to elevate the fireplace above the floor.
Once you have settled on a height for your hearth, you will need to build this part first. Take measurements and then cut the necessary sections out of plywood.
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2. Build hearth
A corner hearth will consist of a top and three sides. The first step is to attach glue blocks along the inside edges. These are used to attach the structure together. |
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Using a pneumatic nail gun, drive nails directly into the blocks to form a secure attachment. You will also need to cut two corner braces to further reinforce the hearth assembly.
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| Attach these to the inside corners with wood glue and nails. |
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3. Install hearth
Once the hearth is assembled, set it against the wall for a test fit before securing it in place. If the baseboards prevent the hearth from sitting tightly against the wall, you will need to create cut-outs for them. |
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| To do this, turn the structure bottom-side up, clamp on a piece of scrap baseboard as a template, trace the outline, and then cut out the shape with a jigsaw. |
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| Create two ledgers (these are 1 X 4s that attach securely to the wall studs) to support the back edge of the hearth. Use a stud finder to locate the wall studs and then attach the ledger to the studs. Position the hearth snugly into place and then nail the hearth to the ledger. |
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4. Assemble pre-fabricated fireplace
Pre-fabricated fireplaces are generally very easy to assemble. First set the fireplace base on the raised hearth, place the fire box on top, and attach it with screws.
Next, attach the flexible gas line and tighten the connection.
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| Remove the protective plastic from the metal trim, set the fireplace surrounds in position, and then attach the apron. |
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| Once again attach ledgers to the wall and then slide the fireplace assembly into position. |
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| Finally, set the mantel on top and attach it to the ledgers. |
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5. Diagonal wall
A corner fireplace could easily be complete just as it is, but if you build a diagonal back wall that goes from the fireplace up to the ceiling, it will create more of a built-in feeling. It may also look more like there is a chimney behind the wall.
You may want to create a mock-up of this wall first, to get an idea of what it might look like.
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| To build the wall, once again nail ledger strips into the wall studs, only this time, attach them to the wall vertically. Position a piece of half-inch plywood on top of the ledgers and nail it in place. Finally, install drywall over the plywood and secure it with screws.
Apply a bedding coat of joint compound to the seams, tear off a length of joint tape, and dampen it in water. Apply the tape to each seam, pressing it firmly into the compound with the putty knife and then snip off the excess tape. Finish the wall to match the existing walls.
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6. Finishing touches
Attach decorative edge molding to the hearth to trim out the exposed plywood edges and then install baseboard to give the hearth a built-in look.
Finally, add a couple of coats of paint to the finished hearth, arrange the logs in place, and the fireplace is ready to turn on.
The room transformation was remarkable. It is amazing how just a few feet of floor space in the corner of the room can make such a dramatic difference.
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Before After
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