Help Buying your Fire Surround

Wooden fire surrounds are one of the most popular ways of enhancing a room and creating an ambience personal to each individual. Bought wisely a wood fire surround will last and give years of enjoyment.

We want to make purchasing a fire surround as simple as possible, but we appreciate that it's not the easiest product to buy online; we have put together some pages that should make it a bit easier, but remember we are here to help if you need us. 

Although buying a fireplace surround on-line may initially seem a bit daunting don't be put off. The advice we can give you is second to none, the savings are enormous, and our delivery is fast and made by our own delivery team. Of course, being online only you can't come and touch one of our fire surrounds, but more often than not this will be exactly the same on the high street.

Buying a fire surround isn't something that you will do every day, and so it's very likely that you will have some questions or concerns, to help you out there are some links below to articles that cover general queries.

Please don't hesitate to call or email us, we are here to help, and it is unlikely that you will be asking us a question that we haven't heard before.

Video Guides

Below are some links to our Video guides.

> How to use a fireplace fitting kit

> How to measure a fireplace rebate

General articles

Have a click through the links below, and if you need any help, please don't hesitate to call 01422 250 723, Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. If you want to send us an image of your existing fireplace to discuss specific requirements, then email them to [email protected].

> How to fit a fireplace surround

Fitting a fire surround is quite straightforward witth our fitting kit. This is a simple step by step guide.

> How to measure a rebate

Fireplace rebates are probably the most confusing part of buying a fire surround, with this article we explain what they are and how to find out what rebate you require. 

> Fireplace Surround Buying Guide

You have probably already decided to buy a Fireplace surround, this article covers some of the basics to think about,.

> Class 1 and Class 2 Chimney / Flue Types

If you are buying a gas fire you may be wondering the difference between Class1, Class 2 and Multi Flue fires. With this article we decribe which fire you require and how you can tell.

> About High Heat Upgrades

We offer an option to make your surround suitable for stoves, open fires and HE gas fires. This article explanis what we do with a high heat upgrade and whether you need it.

> How to work out bespoke fireplace surround sizes

Although we are more than happy to work out your bespoke sizes, this article explains how to work out the sizes and keep the fire surrounds proportions correct.

> Fires and Surrounds Voucher Codes

With Fires and Surrounds you do not need to hunt around the internet trying to find dicount codes, we don't do them! All our prices are at the very best we can offer with the service that we provide. Click on the link to read more about Fires and Surrounds discount code policy.

> Frequently Asked Questions

Some questions are regularly asked, with this page we answer the most common ones.

Help with colour

Wood colours change a great deal under different lighting conditions, so what looks good in a store will probably look completely different in your home under your different lighting. You won't have this problem with us, as we have a colour sample service for our customers to take advantage of, you can order as many colours as you want and your colour sample money is refunded when you order a fire surround.

> Wood Colour Description Guide

We recommend ordering some wood colour samples, the colours look different in real life to the monitor, or under shop lighting conditions. It's not easy to describe colours, but along with the colour swatches on the website, and different surrounds shown in almost all the colours throughout the site, you should get a pretty good idea where to start.

> Order Wood Colour Samples

We send out colour samples on request, follow this link to our colour samples page.

Fitters for your Fireplace Surround

If you are going to use the fireplace as a single source of heat, then you will need professional advice regarding heat output, fuel sources and fitting.

> Gas Safe Registered Fitters

If you intend to have a gas fire fitted, then you will need to speak to a Gas Safe Registered fitter. A Gas Safe Registered engineer will not only fit your fire but will also fit your surround, hearth and back panel.

> Open Fires or Stoves

If you intend to use a solid fuel fire or stove, then we recommend that you use a qualified HETAS engineer. They will give you advice and ensure that your solid fuel fire is fitted correctly to all safety standards. 

> Electric Fires and Fireplace Suites

Electric Suites and fire surround's with electric fires are the easiest to fit, but if you need electrical work doing then you should use a registered electrician. If you don't need a plug socket moving then any builder, joiner or handyman will be able to fit the surround for you.

How to buy the right fire and fireplace surround

If you are not buying a hearth and back panel from us, then the first thing to check is that the hearth that you have is large enough for the surround to stand on. The 'E' measurement on our dimensions gives you the outside leg to outside leg dimension, your hearth needs to be larger than this dimension. There is no hard and fast rule as to how much space is left either side of the legs, it is personal preference and often depends on your particular situation. If space isn't an issue then we would say on a 54'' hearth aim to have an 'E' measurement of no more than 52''. Of course, as we always say, call us if you aren't sure we can help you work this out.

The same goes for the shelf. Often people have small chimney breasts; we would give at least 1/2 an inch on either side of the shelf.

Of course, this is just preference, and some customers, even with plenty of space, prefer to take their 'E' measurement right up to the edge of the hearth, its whatever suits you best.

If you are going to have the fire surround made to measure and are wondering how to get the sizes right then start with the most important size. This may be the size of the hearth, a hole in the carpet where the last surround went, the size of the chimney breast or the size of the opening for your open fire. If you have changed the width, then it's simply a case of adding or reducing the same number of inches onto each width dimension (A, E and C). With the height, we tend to increase or reduce by approximately half the amount added or taken off the width. We have put together a guide on how to work out your sizes, and this can be seen by clicking HERE.

On each product page, there is an option to alter the sizes. When you add Made to Measure to your order this module opens up with the current dimensions of the fire surround you are looking at. You can alter these sizes, and as you adjust the width, you will see the LD (leg width altering). If you don't want to do this, just close down the module and continue to purchase. We NEVER accept a made to measure order until we have spoken to the customer, so don't worry we will call you.

Finally, if you want help choosing your wood fire surround, then we are here Monday through to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and are happy to give you any help and advice required.