Important Safety Tips for Decorating Your Fireplace

A fireplace can be a great feature in any home and can bring warmth to a room. When it comes to decorating, you need to take not only the way it looks into account but also how safe those decorations are. Fireplaces are responsible for many home fires, and making sure that the decorations you put in place are safe can make a big difference.

How Can I Decorate My Fireplace Safely?

One of the first things you want to keep in mind is that you need to ensure that the mantle is far enough away from the opening. The mantle should be at least 12 inches away from the top of the opening. You also need to ensure the hearth is wide enough, at least 16 to 20 inches out from the opening. Your hearth and mantle need to both be made of non-combustible materials. If you put anything on top of the mantle that might not be sturdy or wobbles, fix them so that it will not fall off.

A fireplace screen is also necessary when burning wood to prevent anything from coming out of the firebox and to prevent anything from going into the fireplace. When decorating with things for the holidays, like wreaths, garlands, and other things that might easily catch fire, you need to take extra caution.

With things like wreathes and garland, you want to make sure that it does not hang down and that if they do, you remove them before you start burning your fireplace. You want to make sure that they are up and away from any open flames. With other decorations, your main concern is ensuring they do not fall into the fireplace and cannot catch fire.

Do I Need To Prepare My Fireplace Before Decorating It?

If you are decorating and just putting up seasonal items, you can get away with not doing much. You might want to remove your daily décor and replace it with other decorations to help prevent issues and to ensure that your mantle is not too cluttered. If you are painting or putting up tile, you want to make sure it is heat safe.

For the most part, you are not going to have to do a ton of extra prep to get your fireplace ready for decoration. You will be fine if you take the time to make sure your décor is fireplace safe.  

Categorised in: Fireplace Safety

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