Frequently Asked Questions

All our solid wood fire surrounds can be found in the solid Oak and solid Pine sections. All the other surrounds on our site use top quality wood veneers over MDF. Please note some of our more complicated solid wood surrounds do incorporate some MDF in areas that require high strengthening.

Wooden mantels are completely assembled and bubble wrapped. Fires are provided in their manufacturers cardboard box and marble sets are wrapped separately.

No, If the title states Solid Oak or Solid Pine then only solid wood is used on these surrounds, although on some of the more complicated surrounds or some surrounds adapted for solid fuel a small amount of MDF may be used, but this is only when required to strengthen joints. If it is used it is always in the back box section of the surround and is never visible. If you choose Olde England White, Brilliant White, White Stone or Beige Stone then these finishes are achieved by spraying directly onto coated MDF.

Yes they can, however you must install according to your fire manufacturers guidelines and ensure that you are following the required distances from the fire to the surround as stated by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer. If you are using a gas fronted (HE) gas fire, this all applies but also you must upgrade the surround with the solid fuel option. If you don't follow these guidelines then peeling can occur and your warranty will be invalidated. It is up to the customer to ensure that these guidelines are followed.

Yes they can, however if your fire is glass fronted then you must select the solid fuel upgrade option. Also you must check your fires instruction manual to ensure that the distanced from the fire (C & D measurements) are far enough away. Glass fronted fires give off a lot of heat, and if you don't follow the instructions and select the solid fuel option then the fire surround will peal and you won't be covered under our guarantee. We can alter the dimensions on our fire surrounds to make sure that you meet the requirements stipulated, please give us a call to discuss this. Also speak to your gas fitter, if you are installing granite or marble. Standard back panels and hearths may crack if the heat is too great and this will not be covered under our guarantee.

Yes they can, however you must inform us when you order one of our surrounds because we build them in a different way to ensure that they do not warp.We can not accept any surround back that has developed a fault if it is used with a solid fuel fire and we haven't been informed before manufacture. Please consult the HETAS website for information regarding solid fuel fires we would always recommend you use a HETAS installer. We also advise that you consult a Hetas engineer before ordering a surround for use with a solid fuel fire to check that you meet all safety requirements. The fire surrounds that are built for solid fuel fires are made to withstand the extra heat without peeling or warping, they are not made fireproof in anyway. We do not accept any responsibility for unsafe installations, full details can be found on our terms and conditions page. You can find an installer and information regarding installing solid fuel fires by following this link www.hetas.co.uk.

Yes they can. A High Efficiency Fire (HE) refers to the input and output of gas to heat. It is only an issue if your fire is glass fronted.

Yes, if you want some light reading then document J is not for you! But if you want to find out more then Click Here, the page that covers installation of combustible materials is page 34.

We recommend that your fireplace is installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer. All gas appliances MUST be fitted by a registered installer to comply with government safety legislation. We have provided a link to enable you to find your nearest Gas Safe Registered installers www.gassaferegister.co.uk. If you are not having a gas fire fitted then installing is quite simple and we supply fitting brackets, for the less handy any joiner or builder should be able to install the surround for you. To see how to fit one of our fire surrounds with the supplied fitting kit, click here.

No, all electric fires are fine with standard surrounds, (all electric fires have glass fronts).

It is quite possible that the surrounds are the same as the ones that you have seen. Try using our ADVANCED SEARCH facility that can be found at the top of the page using names that you have seen elsewhere to find our equivalent.

Downlights come in pairs and are installed into the mantels at our factory. They are fitted to the underside of the mantel fascia and are provided with a switch and a plug.

Please feel free to call on 01422 250723. One of our Gas Safe Registered engineers or fireplace experts will discuss your requirements with you.

Because we build everything to order your fire surround will have been built within a few days of delivery. This means that sometimes the smell of paint will not have had time to wear off, with non painted surrounds the smell will be less but may still be noticeable. We recommend opening a window when it is possible to do so and the smell will soon pass. If you are concerned about the surround smelling, please let us know and we will build your surround and let it stand for a few days to reduce the smell before delivery, this will push the delivery back by two weeks or for some postcodes 4 weeks.

Due to the inherent qualities of natural materials such as hardwood Oak veneers, Solid Oak and Solid Pine surrounds, it is common for surrounds to encompass characteristics such as knots, blemishes, medullary rays, pith flecks and small splits. These natural occurrences are not faults in the product but are features found in wood and only enhance the beauty and personality of the product. Our policy is not to restock or exchange any product where these natural occurrences are present.

Yes we can make the hearth to your sizes, however this will incur extra charges and can slow down delivery. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

We do supply a fitting kit and the surrounds are very easy to fit. See our 'Here To Help' links at the bottom of every page for more information.

The hearth sits on the floor in front of the fire and the back panel goes on the wall and fits behind the fire surround legs. The rebate on the fire surround is to allow the back panel to go behind the legs.

The rebate is the difference between your plastered wall and the face of your back panel. See our 'Here To Help' links at the bottom of every page. Changing your rebate is a free service, however if you require a very large rebate then we may have to increase the thickness of the leg (LD)and this then becomes a bespoke surround for which there is a £75 charge. We can not accept back any surrounds that do not fit due to a incorrect rebate been specified or not specified. Click here to view a video on rebates.

We have up to a 1% tolerance on all given sizes due to variations in wood and finishing.

The hole is a standard 16.5" x 22.5". This size is an industry standard and the majority of inset fires will fit this hole. The back panel sizes are 37" x 37" and are designed to fit behind the legs of the fire surround. We can alter these sizes or supply back panels without holes, however these do incur extra charges and can slow down delivery. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Yes, all the fire surrounds are priced individually and you can add any hearth and back set only if required. If you have any problems please give us a call on ;01422 250723 and we will be able to discuss your requirements.

We are able to take telephone orders with a valid debit/credit card. Please call us on 01422 250723, outside standard office hours and occasionally you will go through to an answer phone, please leave a message we guarantee to get back to you.

We are happy to take payments by Cheque on a pro-forma basis, meaning goods will be dispatched when the Cheque has cleared. Please phone 0161 408 8840 for more details.

Yes, add your surround to the basket and then choose the hearth that you require in our 'Hearths and Backs' section which can be found under the Quick Menu.

We always try and deliver within 1 - 3 weeks, however in busy periods, such as the run up to Christmas delivery of Made to Measure surrounds can take up to 4 weeks or 21 working days.

All products carry a fully comprehensive twelve month warranty. Please note, surrounds that are not fitted to fire manufacturers guidelines (i.e. too close to the fire), are not covered by our warranty. The surrounds are covered for faulty workmanship but not for damage caused by misuse.

We will endeavour to arrange delivery at the most convenient time for you and will provide you with the exact date and whether the delivery is scheduled for morning or afternoon. However because we deliver everything ourselves to ensure they arrive in perfect condition, we have to fit your delivery into our schedule.

We deliver to all of mainland Great Britain except to areas where the postcode starts with PA29, PA28, PA23, SA, TR & TW, IV19, IV20, IV21, IV22, IV23, IV24, IV25, IV26, IV27, IV28, IV40, IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV51, IV52, IV53, IV54, IV55 & IV56, KW; customers wishing for non mainland or any of the above postcodes can contact us for a haulage quote.

Unfortunately we can't deliver to any of the Islands around Scotland including the Isle of Sky, although we are happy to deliver to a carrier of your choice.

Delivery to most locations will take up to 15 working days from payment, (postcodes starting with IV and AB can take longer, depending when you place your order). You will be fully advised of the exact delivery date within 48 hours of purchase. If you need an earlier delivery please call us before buying and will be able to give you a date for your location.

Delivery on mainland UK costs £9.50, except for deliveries to postcodes starting with KW/TR/IV26/IV27 or IV28 which will incur an extra charge of £100 and for these postcodes delivery times may extend to 6 weeks from order. If you order on the website for delivery to one of these postcodes we will call you for the extra carriage costs. Unfortunately we can't deliver to any of the Islands around Scotland including the Isle of Sky although we are happy to deliver to a carrier of your choice.

Our delivery service works Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00.

Please see our refund policy.

If you have ordered a standard surround then you can cancel the order up until the day before delivery without incurring any extra charges. However please be aware that we are building surrounds to order so we would kindly ask that you do give us 7 days notice if you decide to cancel. If you have ordered a bespoke surround a cancellation within 7 days of delivery will not be refunded as these surrounds are made to specific dimensions and are not re-salable. We will refund the delivery cost.

We have a very good record for delivering surrounds undamaged and this is because all products have to be checked and signed for on delivery. We unwrap all surrounds on delivery and ask that customers check thoroughly for any damage. If there is any damage this must be reported to the driver and we will then remove the surround and return on our next delivery with a new surround. It is important that any damage is reported at the time to the driver because we can not accept any returns for damage after the driver has left.

Our driver will contact you approximately 30 minutes before delivery, if you request this service. Otherwise we will only contact you if we are going to be outside the agreed delivery slot.

Yes, when you have received your fire surround if you click on the email that came with your invoice, you can complete a form and get an extra years warranty for free.

Granite and marble is easily damaged in transit and so we will only deliver this using our own vans, therefore we can not afford to deliver these without a fire surround without greatly increasing the delivery price.