Fireplace Safety Tips For The Holidays

The holiday season brings joy, laughter, and warmth, often accompanied by a cozy fire in the fireplace. However, it’s essential to follow safety guidelines to ensure the festivities aren’t ruined by an accident. Here are our top five fireplace safety tips for the holiday season:

Install a Mesh Cap Screen on the Top of Your Chimney

Chimney caps not only prevent critters and debris from blocking your chimney, but they also keep embers and sparks from escaping and landing on your roof. Make sure it’s secure and in good condition.

Keep the Hearth Clear of Decorations and Clutter

While it’s tempting to decorate the fireplace with stockings and ornaments, it’s important to maintain a safe distance. Only hang stockings on the mantel when the fireplace is not in use, and relocate them before you light a fire. Keep other flammable decorations well away from the hearth area.

Place Mesh Gates Around the Fireplace Opening

Mesh gates can prevent curious pets or young children from getting too close to the fire. Ensure the gate is sturdy and high enough that it can’t be easily toppled or climbed over.

Let Ashes Completely Cool

Before removing and disposing of ashes, ensure they’ve completely cooled. This can take several hours, or even up to a day. Store ashes in a metal container with a tight lid, far away from your house or any flammable materials.

Close Fireplace Doors While the Fire is Burning, If You Have Them

Glass or metal fireplace doors provide an extra layer of protection, preventing sparks from escaping into the room. Always remember to close them once your fire is established, and only open them when adding more wood.

By keeping these safety tips in mind, you can enjoy the crackling fire and holiday cheer with peace of mind. Happy holidays!

We’re Your Source for Fireplace Accessories

Whether you need chimney flues or other accessories, Grand River Natural Stone has you covered.

We’ve got the products and knowledge to make sure your fireplace looks good, works properly and gives you a beautiful fire every single time. If you’re a contractor or want to do-it-yourself, contact us anytime to get your fireplace ready for the holidays and beyond.

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The post Fireplace Safety During the Holidays (With Infographic) appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

1. Similar in appearance to natural bricks

Years ago, the contrast between brick veneer and traditional concrete or clay bricks was jarring.  You could easily distinguish which was veneer and which was natural.

Not anymore.

Today’s modern brick veneers are made from clay and shale. This ensures that the look and feel/texture of veneer is virtually identical to regular bricks.

In fact, the only noticeable difference comes in thickness:

• Veneer brick panels are approximately 1” thick
• Natural bricks are around 3”- 4” thick

Which leads us to…

2. Veneer is very lightweight

Because veneer is lightweight compared to natural bricks:

• They’re much easier to handle and manipulate during installation
• The surface underneath brick veneer doesn’t need to have excessive weight-bearing element
• They can be installed on most residential walls

3. Lower monetary and time costs compared to natural bricks

Perhaps the most appealing advantage of brick veneer is that they’re much more affordable versus natural stone bricks – in all aspects:

• Unit costs
• Construction and/or installation costs (when measured by the square foot compared to conventional bricks)
• Time spent during installation and maintenance
• Cleaning and/or care costs

And because today’s brick veneer is just as strong as conventional bricks, they’ll last an exceptionally long time without requiring high maintenance costs.

4. Ease of installation for DIY’ers

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, it’s much easier to install and keep brick veneer vs. full bed brick.

Here’s are a few reasons why

• Usually only one layer of masonry should do the trick
• Brick veneer requires a very simple support system, compared to solid brick which needs a heavier (and more expensive) foundation
• Veneer doesn’t require much maintenance once it’s installed
• It is very easy to paint or stain brick veneer in the colour of your choice

View our gallery to get some design inspiration for your next veneer project

5. Great insulation

Most brick veneer is graded and sold based upon their insulation capacity. This is known as R-Values.

When installed properly, homeowners can take advantage of the veneer’s high insulation capacity.

This also means they can use brick veneer just about anywhere in the home to create the perfect level of insulation, comfort and style

• • • Fireplaces
    • Walls
    • Siding
    • Kitchen backsplash

Want to know more about brick veneer? Just ask

Many people have already made it a priority to visit any of our 4 locations to learn more about brick veneer. And if you’re interesting in experiencing the benefits of brick veneer, you should too. Of course, you can always request more information or a FREE quote when it comes to our veneer products.

The post Five Key Advantages of Brick Veneer appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

Firstly, everyone at the four Grand River Natural Stone locations (Kitchener, Stoney Creek, London & Fergus) would like to wish you all the best for the New Year.

Speaking of the New Year, January has always been a popular time to install brick veneer.

That’s because of its five key advantages which homeowners and contractors alike find very appealing:

1. 1. Similar in appearance to natural bricks
2. 2. Veneer is very lightweight
3. 3. Easy to install for do-it-yourselfers
4. 4. Provides great insulation (especially those made from waterproof composite material)
5. 5. Cost savings compared to natural bricks

Our first blog of 2017 takes a closer look at the benefits of brick veneer products vs. siding, concrete bricks or clay bricks.

Veneer delivers the benefits of full-size brick…

Incredibly versatile and durable, brick veneer can be used to replace a variety of outdoor siding materials for your home:

• Wood
• Metal
• Vinyl siding

Not to mention that brick veneer is perfect for your indoor or outdoor fireplace too.

And if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you can smartly install them yourself without having to pull out your calculator and figure out the costs of using skilled bricklayers.

And that’s not to mention the additional price of having a foundation to support heavy, full-sized bricks as well.

…With the same ease of installation as siding

In 2017, there are modern, mechanically fastened brick veneer installation options.

And these are great for DIY’ers.

Here (in a nutshell) is how they work.

(Keep in mind that not all modern brick veneer panels are designed in this particular manner):

Front side of the panel

• Has the brick veneer stone on it
• That’s the side that will be outward facing from your home

Back side of the panel

• Has metal fasteners built into them
• Like a puzzle, these fasteners lock into each other
• When they’re in place, you simply bolt or screw them into the frame of your home.

Assuming your home already has framed walls, then brick veneer supplies all the advantages of real brick or siding when properly installed.

Additionally, your home’s resale value immediately rises and will continue to do so especially when compared to less expensive siding options.

More brick veneer benefits

Brick veneer is designed to look and act like the real thing.

And they’re designed to be incredibly easy to install too.

That said, there are other additional benefits to using brick veneer in and around your home:

• Lightweight, yet strong: Most veneer bricks are approximately 1” thick (compared to 3”-4” for conventional bricks). This lighter weight makes them easy to handle and install upon a majority of residential walls.

• Superior insulation & customization choices: Brick veneer panels are graded on their insulation levels (otherwise known as R-value).This give you the ability to customize the degree of insulation in different parts of the house where you choose to install it.

• Affordability: The costs of brick veneer construction and installation projects tend to be lower than those of traditional brick walls. Additionally, brick veneer tends to be easier to take care of, which means lower maintenance costs over many years.

Value that pays for itself

Considering the many advantages that brick veneer holds over other siding choices, such as:

• Ease of installation
• Accommodation of additional insulation
• Fireproofing
• Easy maintenance

Brick veneer wins easily.

Lastly, when it comes to appearance and aesthetics, it would take an expert to know that your veneer wall or fireplace is not actually made from brick.

We have the brick veneer you want at a cost you’ll love

Brick veneer is a superb choice for a rich appearance at a reasonable cost.

And as a homeowner – that’s all you can really ask for.

As we said off the top, January is a very popular time for brick veneer installation projects.  So we’re ready to help you with yours.

All you have to do is contact us with your questions or ask for a FREE quote on the brick veneer you’re interested in.

The post Benefits of Stone Veneer Installation Brick & Siding appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.