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Fireplace screens can be both decorative and important for safety. If you have a wood fireplace, a screen is a necessity. But even if you use gas or electric, a fireplace screen will complete the overall look of your fireplace.

Screens keep sparks from wood burning fireplaces from entering the room and setting anything on fire. They also help keep ash and smoke from escaping the fireplace. You can also get a style of screen that will help to hide the fireplace bottom where ash builds up.

Also important for safety, is that screens block pets and children from being able to get too near the heat. This is an important factor no matter what type of fireplace that you have in your home. Gas and electric fireplaces can be dangerous as well, even if there is no open flame.

Many people opt to have gas and electric fireplaces in their homes. They are far easier and cleaner to maintain. However, everyone wants these fireplaces to simulate the traditional ones as much as possible. And a fireplace screen is an important finishing touch, as one almost never sees wood fireplaces without one. Even when the fireplaces are hardly ever used, screens are often used just for decorative purposes.

There are many styles of fireplaces screens available. You can find them in a variety of materials as well, such as metal or glass. Metal screens can be in gold, brass or iron styles. The screens can be folding or come in single or multiple pieces. There is an entire range of designs, from the most basic to the fanciest, so you are sure to find a design that matches your decor.

To ensure that your fireplace screen actually fulfills the purpose of safety, it needs to be sized properly. This means that for screens that are not fitted directly into the fireplace, you need to account for the sides, not just the very front of the fireplace. It will need to extend higher as well.

You will also want to ensure that freestanding fireplace screens are stable. Especially if you do have pets or small children, you want to make sure that they are not easy to knock over. Folding screens in particular can be somewhat more unstable. If necessary, you may need to consider attaching the screen somehow to the fireplace to prevent accidents.

With the variety of fireplace screens on the market today, you are sure to find one that answers your needs. You can protect your home and family as well as add to the beauty of your fireplace and the room it is in.

Jeff Bridges has always enjoyed a warm fire on a cold winter’s night he currently helps run a fireplace screens website, which promotes fireplace screens in all shapes and styles.