The sight of burnt wooden floor in front of a fireplace can be a very unpleasant thing to see on a household. Unprotected wooden floors directly in front of a fireplace cannot resist the degree of heat generated by burning fuel from the firebox. But while this is true, this does not always mean that wooden floors will never go well in front of a fireplace.
When it comes to traditional fireplaces, the right fireplace designs can protect a household’s wooden floor from burns. Fireplace designs with wide and elevated fireplace hearths are very ideal for homes with wooden floors. The distance that the wider hearth creates allows lesser exposure of the wooden flooring nearest to the fireplace. Most surfaces of the hearth are made of heat-resistant materials that can withstand the extreme heat radiated by burning wood or coal.
A stylish fireplace hearth adds emphasis to different fireplace designs. Finishing a hearth with an attractive, smooth and heat-resistant surface like a travertine tile adds beauty and accent to the whole of the fireplace. This kind of tile can go well with any floor and décor and at the same time maintains its durability and beauty even when exposed near a fire.
When renovating a home to build a wider hearth is not an option, households can always protect the wooden floors by finishing them with heat resistant floor paint. Heat-resistant floor paints are coatings that can make wood withstand high temperatures. In addition to floor paint, complementing fireplace designs with the right accessories such as fireplace doors also add protection to floors and beauty to fireplaces.
With the many types of fireplaces today it has become easy to find one that is friendly to wooden floors. The heat from gas and propane fireplaces for instance, can be easily regulated once the room has reached its desired warmth. Electric fireplaces on the other hand are generally not a problem when it comes to touch factor. These fireplaces come in different designs to match every interior and can very well protect wooden floors from burns.