What Type of Fire to Use in a Media Wall?

Media walls are one of the most popular contemporary interior trends out there. They’re aesthetically pleasing and can be great for storage and zoning rooms. If you’re unsure what a media wall is, it’s a section of the room that protrudes like a large chimney breast. Typically, it contains a TV, fireplace and some shelves or recessed alcoves.

Put simply, a media wall can be designed several ways to meet your home’s existing design. But, to include a fireplace in your media wall, you must consider a few different things. Here, we explain what type of fires can be used in a media wall.

The Different Types of Fires Suitable for a Media Wall

Media walls are usually built from a stud wall, constructed via a wooden frame and then covered in plasterboard. This means that not all fireplaces are suitable. However, the following fires are suitable:

Gas Fires

Whether your room has an existing chimney breast, a gas fireplace can be installed and a false chimney breast created if required. Highly efficient and modern in design, you can choose between the stone and marble fireplaces and enjoy a realistic fire at the click of a button.

Electric Fires

Typically the most common type of fire used for media walls, electric fireplaces uses a heating component such as a fan-forced heater or an infrared heater to generate heat. Infrared heaters use a bulb to generate heat and then radiate this around your room. In fan-forced heaters, cool air is pulled into the fire, sent through a heating element, and blown back out. Fan-forced heaters blow heat outwards, which means it won’t damage a TV if it’s also contained in a media wall. An electric fireplace won’t become too hot to touch, meaning your media wall will be safe from the heat.

Bioethanol Fires

A media wall can also be created with a bioethanol burner and constructed in various designs. Choose from the slim, longer burners or smaller designs and enjoy a personalised look and feel to your media wall. A few extra safety precautions are needed, especially regarding the distance between the TV and fire, but bioethanol fire media walls are still popular.

What are the Benefits of a Media Wall?

Media walls are a great addition to any contemporary home, and whatever type of fireplace you choose, there are a number of benefits.

Tailored Design

Whether you want to factor a TV, shelving, surround sound system or a fireplace into your media wall, it can be a bespoke media wall to suit your home’s existing interior and size. Plus, there’s a range of materials and colours you can choose from for your new fireplace.

Extra Warmth

Media walls aren’t just nice to look at and great for storage. A media wall with a fireplace can also provide much-needed warmth and cosiness. It also provides a relaxing area to chill with loved ones, and heat settings can be easily modified.

Easy Installation

Even if your room doesn’t have a chimney breast, a false one can be easily constructed with plasterboard. Installing and using your new media wall and fireplace is a super easy and efficient process.

Choosing the Right Fire for Your Media Wall

Once you’ve decided which type of fire to have in your media wall, you need to decide between hole-in-the-wall and wall-mounted fires. Hole-in-the-wall fireplaces are exactly that and create a sleek overall design. On the other hand, wall-mounted fireplaces sit against the wall instead of within it and are typically secured with a bracket – just like some TVs are secured to walls.

Both types are available in various designs, but wall-mounted fireplaces take up more overall space as they stick out from the wall slightly. So, if you’re limited on floor space, you might want to consider a hole-in-the-wall design.

Next up, you need to choose which size of the fireplace will be best for your room. Typically, we advise choosing your TV first and then selecting a fireplace to fit below. It pays to check the dimensions of your TV, though, to ensure it will fit in the desired wall space.

That’s not all either, as one more decision needs to be made: whether you want a one, two or three-sided media wall fireplace. These can be particularly useful if your media wall is protruding. A three-sided fireplace can add extra impact and make a real design statement.

Find the Best Fire for Your Home

Based in Wirral but serving the whole of the North West and North Wales, the team at Centreline Fires has been selling and installing fires for over 30 years. Not just that, but our leading fireplace showroom is the perfect place to find the most suitable fireplace for your home. If you have questions about installing a media wall or want some help deciding which fireplace to choose, our team is always here to help. Call 0151 6680835 or pop into our showroom.