Mantels by Knapp Woodworking

All our solid wood mantels are made by Knapp woodworking in solid Oak and Pine. These mantels are made in Lincoln from the highest quality timber and sourced from renewable forests. they are recognisable from a badge of quality which is displayed on the back of every mantel. when asking for a mantel make sure you ask for a mantle by name, Knapp woodworking mantels the name you can trust for quality.

These mantels are supplied to the gallery group and feature in the gallery range of brochures, Knapp woodworking is the originator of the Bedford mantel, Lincoln mantel and Worchester (Darwin) mantel. These mantels first appeared in the gallery brochure nearly ten years ago.

Knapp woodworking’s current brochure can be found here.

Best selling fireplace – WE 22/02/09

Celtic Combination fireplace

The Celtic combination fireplace was our best selling fireplace for last week, at just 36 inches wide (mantel) it is an ideal fireplace for a smaller room. If you think this fireplace is too small though the Pembroke combination is available with a 48 inch shelf.  It has quite a big burning area for its size at 16 inches wide and is available black, highlighted or my favourite fully polished. All fire options are available with this fireplace (solid fuel, gas and electric). Our best selling mantel last week was the Large carved mantel in Oak at 54 inches wide, a lovely looking  typical victorian mantel.

It looks like the Belfast fireplace might just have the edge this week.

Beware the Fireplace Cowboy…

As with most online retail industries there are those companies that just can’t be trusted or relied upon. We have been receiving a few reports recently where people have been let down hugely by fireplace companies and also of companies just disappearing into the wind without a trace. Unfortunately for those customers who trusted the businesses they have now been left out of pocket. This is very disheartening for us to hear and we just wanted to point out a few tips for when you are purchasing a fireplace – if you decide to go somewhere else that is

1)  Always check to make sure the company is established.
A good well established company will be able to provide you with all the support and answers you need when buying a fireplace. This advice will help you hugely as with most established companies they will have years of experience and will be able to offer you a wealth of knowledge to aid you.

2)  Always check to make sure they are people.
Because when you are browsing on the internet you only see what somebody wants you to see it can be very easy to deceive you into thinking that they are a good reputable company.

• They can make their website look nice, with similar features/design, information and images as a good reputable company.
• They can also show feedback online which may not be true.

One very reliable and easy way of identifying a good company is to be able to visit their premises. Some companies who are online only do not have the security of a bricks and mortar business.

3) Don’t always take price as a deciding factor
Obviously price is more often than not high on the agenda when buying a fireplace – but if you place price as too high a priority you could be risking more money out of your pocket.

Saving money is always a nice thing but when you risk losing more is it really worth it? We have often had to help customers who have been left in the dark from, when something goes wrong with their fireplace and the company they bought it from disappears. They don’t answer telephone calls or emails and the customer has to foot the bill. All this because the fireplace was £10, £20 or £50 cheaper than a good reputable company who would of got it right or fixed it straight away. It is human to make mistakes but it takes a bigger person to rectify those mistakes… and foot the bill.

It’s not always just the money costs involved to, sometimes it can take a heavy emotional toll on the person who is fooled by the fireplace cowboy.

4) Always get as much information as you can
Buying a fireplace is more often than not a purchase which most customers will have very little knowledge about and the last thing you want is to buy something from the fireplace cowboy, have it delivered, then not be able to use it because it is not suitable. You then call the cowboy to get no reply, email him 100 times to no avail and are then stuck with a fireplace which is useless to you!

99 times out of 100 buying a fireplace goes perfectly, you choose a good reputable company who delivers you fireplace exactly how you want it (or they don’t get it just right but make sure they do, at their own cost), your fitter comes and puts everything in place and you sit back relax and think “wow those guys at Victorian Fireplaces were amazing – I am so glad I chose them over the fireplace cowboy… If not keep your eye out for the fireplace cowboy!

How to repair a broken tile in a hearth.

A customer asked us today how to repair a broken tile in a hearth – here is a guide.

If you are unfortunate to crack or break a tile in your hearth, it is quite easy to replace the tile with a new one. Using a soft brush remove all the fragments of tile from the damaged area of hearth, so that the area under the old tile is completely smooth. A PVA glue is the best glue to use for this job. Literally cover the area of tile with the glue, place the new tile into the glued area and leave to set. After approx 1 – 2 hours you can re-grout the damaged area with matching grout. A perfect job!!

When ordering a tile, a corner edge tile is called an REX tile, an edge tile is called an RE tile, and the tiles inside from the edge’s they are just called plain tiles, the tiles that go around the front and sides are plain tiles cut in half, apart from the front edge tile’s which are RE tile’s cut in half.

Feel the heat without the pinch!

The Blaze High Efficiency Glass Fronted Gas Fire

With gas prices falling and our new Slimline High efficiency Blaze gas fire available – now is the time to start saving some money on your gas bill.

With an output of up to 4.1 kw and efficiency at 75% the Blaze gas fire is a Market leader in terms of great heat, money saving and innovation. Currently available in store and online very shortly, you would be silly not to snap one of these up…

The Blaze is fully interchangeable with our range of Trims and Bars so you can make it look exactly how you want it. You could also add a fully automatic slide control to eradicate having to bend down to control the fire.

As efficient as a stove and nearly as hot this fire is in a word amazing!