Fireplace Doors Replacement Project

I have a quick and easy project to share that we completed last October. I neglected to share it back then because life got in the way and then the holidays, yada yada yada.

Anyway, if you have ever thought about replacing the doors (or adding some if you don't have any) on your fireplace, I hope this post gives you encouragement to do so because it's easy.

Upstairs fireplace

In our home, we have two fireplaces, the one upstairs which I converted to gas, already has fireplace doors on it, and the one downstairs in my son's bedroom which we never use.

Many years ago I removed the old doors that were on the downstairs fireplace to paint the brick and I never put them back (they were 1970's chrome and black doors that screamed 1970) only the screen was left in place. Since we never used the fireplace, I shoved something up the chimney to alleviate any drafts. Well, many windstorms later, whatever I shoved up there was gone and cold air was coming in and heat was escaping out. So, last October I decided to do something about it before winter hit. Naturally, I started googling 'How to replace fireplace doors?'

There are many videos on YouTube that document the process, but the take away is the doors are attached via a couple clamps to a lintel bar at the top (which if you're replacing a door this will already exist) and with two screws and brackets to the bottom of the fireplace.

Image from:
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-install-glass-fireplace-doors

Here's a nice schematic that I pulled from a This Old House post that will walk you through the process and is worth a read.

Most doors that you purchase from a fireplace store, Home Depot or Lowes will fit openings within a specified range and will come with attached screens. You'll want to measure the height and width of the opening of your firebox then find a door that's size-range will fit.

In our case, I went with this door from Home Depot for $399.

I don't have a lot of pictures of the process but I've included a few pictures of what we were dealing with before the new doors and after they were installed.

Before was just a bare screen which was attached to the lintel bar with a couple clamps.

After removing the screen, we installed the new doors. Most doors come with insulation that is placed behind the top and sides of the doors.

This whole project took about an hour and a half to complete. Honestly, I don't know why I waited so long to do it.

The new doors look so much better and are definitely saving money on heating costs.

If you're on the fence about trying this project yourself, don't be. It really is easy and well worth the effort.