Mesh fireplace screens and curtains are used to protect your home from sparks and embers that can occur with the use of a wood burning fireplace.They are also designed to withstand high temperatures. Mesh curtains minimize the risk of hot embers or sparks popping out of your fireplace and burning your flooring or catching your home on fire.
Should You Use a Fireplace Mesh Screen or a Glass Door for Spark Protection?
Sometimes people think that they can just use a glass door instead of a mesh screen or curtain for spark protection. That’s not the primary purpose of a glass fireplace door. Glass doors cannot be closed while there is a fire in your fireplace. It presents a hazard because the glass can break because of the heat buildup. Mesh curtains can be closed when there is a fire in your fireplace because they allow the heat to pass through. That’s part of their purpose: to keep the hot embers in the fireplace where they belong.
So, remember – glass doors can only be shut when your fireplace is not in use. Keep your doors open if your fireplace is in use and shut the mesh curtain instead. If you don’t have a fireplace mesh screen or curtain, you run the risk of sparks getting out of your fireplace and causing damage. This is why we suggest getting doors to enhance the look of your fireplace and a spark guard mesh for safety while your fireplace is lit.
Using Mesh Doors to Match Any Decor
Some people want mesh doors for their fireplace to help disguise or makeover an ugly masonry fireplace. This is done because mesh curtains can be ordered in a wide variety of sizes and styles. They can be purchased to fit just about any size fireplace. There are mesh screens that are simply pulled along a track to close and open, and there are mesh screens that are built into the fireplace door itself.
There are two things that you should think about if you want to use mesh for decorative purposes (or to dress up an unattractive fireplace). First, remember the true purpose of mesh: to act as a spark guard and protect your flooring (and home) from hot sparks and embers that may pop out when you use a wood burning fireplace. Sparks and embers generally aren’t an issue with gas fireplaces, so if that’s what you have you may not need one. Although the mesh is designed to tolerate high heat, as mentioned earlier, it does eventually become rusty. The rust (and sometimes the age) of a mesh curtain can make it hard to close. That, of course, makes it less effective. More simply put, every mesh curtain eventually must be replaced because there is no way to stop the decay caused by being that close to a fire for an extended period of time.
The second thing to remember is that you have better options if you want mesh for strictly decorative reasons. For instance, check out tinted fireplace doors. You can find them in a wide variety of colors and powder coat finishes that will give you a look that you really love. Tinted glass is great for wood burning fireplaces because in addition to giving you the look that you love, the tinted glass helps disguise the leftover ash until you are ready to remove it. Keep in mind that we said tinted glass and not stained glass. Stained glass and tinted glass are not the same. Stained glass is artistic in nature and therefore is not made to withstand the high temperatures of a fireplace.
Shop our selection of mesh curtains and find the perfect size for your fireplace!
Other Questions About Mesh Screens?
If you have any other questions about fireplace mesh curtains, give us a call! Our friendly customer service agents would love to help answer your questions and help you find the best mesh screen or tinted glass to meet your exact needs. Our customer service department is open Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm via phone: 1-800-897-7175. Give us a call, we’d love to hear from you!