Let’s look at wood burning stove surround ideas, and the key considerations you’ll need to make.
Before we get started, obviously the main benefits of a wood burning stove will always be the radiating heat, the smell and sound of a crackling fire, and the glow from behind the glass.
However, it can also make a great feature within your house. Something that can centre the room or become the focal point.
To do that, you probably won’t just have the stove sitting on its own, unconnected to anything else.
Instead, it will become part of the room and the stove surround plays a big part in this transformation. We’re going to answer some of the most important questions regarding surrounds, below.
Table of Contents
Wood Burning Stove Surround Ideas
What do you put around a Wood Burning Stove?
Much like a traditional fireplace, you can put all sorts of materials, shapes and designs around a wood burning stove as the surround of your choice.
The main thing to remember is that from both a regulation and safety perspective, the materials used must be heat resistant and non-combustible.
Apart from that, you can use what you like and thankfully almost all wood burning stove and fireplace surrounds are created with the latest regulations and safety concerns in mind. You shouldn’t have an issue finding what best suits your home.
In terms of specifics, the most common stove surround materials include:
- Wood
- Steel
- Stone
- Concrete
- Tile
- Brick
We know that’s a wide range of materials, but that means you’ll have your pick of ideas and choice when it comes to designing, or redesigning, your new wood burning stove area.
How can I make my Wood Burning Stove look better?
This all comes down to personal choice.
For some, the benefit of having a wood burning stove is that it can almost blend into a room, taking up as little space as possible, in a sleek and minimalist manner with a simple hearth and chimney combination with nothing else.
For others, it’s similar to a traditional fireplace in that the wood burning stove becomes a focal point in the room. This would normally then include a recess (the space in which the stove will sit), a hearth for the stove to sit on and a surround for decoration or interior design purposes.
That will be your first big choice; minimalist or ornamental?
After that, you’ll have to consider all the usual factors including material, shape, design and so on.
Can you have a wooden surround with a Wood Burning Stove?
Can you have a wooden surround with a wood burning stove? The short answer is yes (with a lot of caveats!).
The longer answer (if you’re sticking around…) is yes but it’s conditional to a few key points of concern.
Essentially, if you’re using wood-based materials in your stove surround, they have to be placed far enough away that it’s considered safe. Not only that, but each stove manufacturer will have different requirements and this again can change based on local government regulation.
That being said, you’ve probably noticed friends or seen pictures online of stoves sitting in a recess, with a wooden beam as mantlepiece and that is possible…but it will still need to be the regulated distance from both stove and flue pipe. Generally the required distance will be at least 15 inches, which is why many treated wooden beams sit high above the stove beneath.
As we’ve said, technically it’s possible but please follow all regulations and the advice and guidance of your professional installation team.
How do you enclose a Wood Burning Stove?
A wood burning stove can be as open or enclosed as you like.
If you’d like to enclose it, this can be done in a number of ways. The most common would be to enclose the stove within an old fireplace recess (the space within the chimney breast). This allows the stove to sit on a hearth but away from the main floorspace of the room.
If you don’t have an old fireplace recess, or can’t knock through an unused recess, then it’s simply a case of creating a new purpose-built enclosed space to your own taste and the stove dimensions.
This could be a freestanding chimney-style stack, made of brick or stone, or a steel box sit into a custom cut space within your wall of choice.
As long as the materials used are heat resistant, and your location of choice includes an accessible pathway for chimney or twin wall flue system, then you can do as you please within your budget.
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We hope this helps with your brainstorming and planning ahead.
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