Whether you are moving into a new home or you just want to add a new interesting focal point in your existing home with a remodel, you might be thinking about getting an electric fireplace with mantel. Your living room, especially of a new home or a remodel, deserves the ambiance and atmosphere that an electric fireplace can provide.
Some people may have some doubts if electric fireplaces can really capture the look of a real fireplace. Through amazing leaps in flame effect technology, a high end electric fireplace, especially one that uses holographic projection to simulate the real flame of a real fire, are incredibly hard to tell it isn’t the real thing.
For people that have decided on an electric fireplace to heat their living room, they may have like are all electric fireplaces an electric fireplace with mantel or are their other types as well? Can I buy a third party mantel? Can I build my own mantel? All of those questions and much more will be answered in the following post.
In This Post, The Following Questions Will Be Answered:
- What Types of Electric Fireplaces Come With A Fireplace Mantel? – There are many kinds of electric fireplaces that people can decide to have installed in their homes. Each type of electric fireplace serves a different purpose or aesthetic style. Not every type of electric fireplace comes with a mantel. This section will cover the different electric fireplace types and tell you which come with a mantel, and which can be used with a mantel if it doesn’t already come with one.
- Do Companies That Sell An Electric Fireplace With Mantel Let You Choose From Different Mantels? – For companies that sell an electric fireplace with mantel, this section of the post will talk about mantel options and how that works with companies.
- What Are The Different Types of Fireplace Mantels? – There are a couple different main types of mantels that you can use with electric fireplaces. This will talk about the different types of mantels and which might be best for the type of electric fireplace that you have.
- Can You Purchase Third Party Mantels To Use With Another Company’s Electric Fireplace? – This section will talk about third party mantels and what that means for the electric fireplace that you choose to install in your home.
- Do Fireplace Mantels Come In Different Materials and Styles? – Beyond there being different types of electric fireplace mantels, there are countless materials and styles. This will highlight a few of the most common types and what home decor styles they might go with.
- Can You Build Your Own Mantel For An Electric Fireplace? – This section will talk about building an electric fireplace for those more DIY inclined homeowners.
- Why Is An Electric Fireplace Better Than a Wood Fireplace or a Gas Fireplace? – If you still happen to be on the fence on whether or not an electric fireplace is even for you, this section will go ahead and explain the heavy benefits that come with electric fireplaces.
- How Do Electric Fireplaces Work? – Electric fireplaces are a multi-function item that serves two purposes: They heat a home and have try to simulate a realistic flame for the atmosphere. This will talk about how electric fireplaces actually accomplish these different tasks.
- What Are Some Good Electric Fireplace Brands? – From brands like Dimplex with their Dimplex Opti Myst, to many other brands, this section will talk about some of the common brands of electric fireplaces and the importance of purchasing a quality brand instead of a generic fireplace.
- Which Electric Fireplace Has The Most Realistic Flames? – For people that want to know which fireplace has the most realistic flame visuals, this section will talk about that fireplace, as well as its other features.
What Types of Electric Fireplaces Come With A Fireplace Mantel?
Electric fireplaces come in a wide variety of types. What type you get will depend on the space you have available, your specific needs, and what your aesthetic preferences are. Here are the most common types of electric fireplaces that you can choose to put in your home:
- Electric Fireplace Mantel Package – The most common type of electrical fireplace. These go against a flat wall and come with a mantel for installation. It usually comes as two separate pieces, the fireplace and the mantel, that are installed together.
- Corner Electric Fireplace – These are fireplace units that are designed to fit into the corner of the room instead of against a flat wall. Because of the extra area on top, these can sometimes hold a small TV or corner bookcases can be installed on top. These come with a corner mantel.
- Electric Fireplace TV Stand – A fireplace TV stand is one that is a media console with the added functionality of an electrical fireplace that is built into it. These can be smaller units, or a large entertainment center with a wider inch electric fireplace below it. These often have cabinetry and bookshelves as well. Because these are TV stands, they don’t need or come with mantels.
- Electric Fireplace Insert – This is an insert unit that goes into the firebox of a more traditional fireplace to convert into one that is electric. It usually consists of the electric fireplace heater and electric firebox with ember bed for visual effects, all in one unit, but it doesn’t come with a mantel. These can be used with third party mantels, or you can build one around it if you choose.
- Freestanding Electrical Fireplace – Freestanding fireplaces are portable space heaters that look like fireplaces. Because of their size, freestanding fireplaces tend to be bad at both heating a space and producing good flame effects. Using a mantel with these would look strange as they aren’t really made for permanent placement, but to be moved from room to room as needed.
- Wall Mounted Electric Fireplace – This is simply an electrical fireplace that you can wall mount. These either hang directly on the wall, but can also be recessed into the wall. While you typically wouldn’t use a normal fireplace surround mantel with these, some people choose to put a fireplace shelf mantel under these fireplace, rather than above them like a standard, ground model fireplace.
- Electric Fireplace Stove – These are electric fireplaces that are made to look like a traditional wood stove fireplace. These aren’t electric fireplaces that are made to be used with a mantel and would look rather weird trying to use a mantel with them.
Do Companies That Sell An Electric Fireplace With Mantel Let You Choose From Different Mantels?
Yes, many companies offer multiple electric fireplace mantel options when you purchase one of their electric fireplaces that come with a mantel. The fireplaces usually come as two separate pieces for this exact reason. When purchasing a fireplace from a company, check their different models. Usually they will all have the same electric fireplace unit inside, but the different models will usually be because of different mantel choices.
Of course, this isn’t the case with all electric fireplace brands, so you should check with the company to make sure that the electric fireplace itself is the same regardless of which mantel style you go with.
Also, because the electric fireplaces usually come with the mantel separated like this, it makes it much easier to change the mantel at a later time if you decide to redecorate your home and want a different mantel to go with your new home decor style.
What Are The Different Types of Fireplace Mantels?
There are two main types of fireplace mantels that you can use with electric fireplaces. They are:
- Fireplace Mantel Surround – This is the most common type of mantel. It is essentially two thick legs that stick out from the wall on either side of the fireplace, with a thick, boxed shelf on top of the legs. The electric fireplace is installed inside of these mantels and should fit snugly to look as if it is one unit.
- Fireplace Mantel Shelf – These are the kind of mantels that don’t have legs. They are usually floating shelves with brackets to help support the weight. These can be placed above standard ground models of electric fireplaces, but they can also be placed below recessed wall mounted electric fireplace for an interesting modern look.
Can You Purchase Third Party Mantels To Use With Another Company’s Electric Fireplace?
Yes, many electric fireplaces allow for third party mantels to be used with their fireplace. If you like a specific brand’s electric fireplaces, but the mantel styles that they have available aren’t exactly the kind of thing that fits your home, you can browse third party mantels that may be more to your preference.
If you choose to use a third party mantel, it is important to check the dimensions of the electric fireplace and also the inner dimensions of the fireplace surround. You want to make sure there is enough space for the electric fireplace you’ve chosen. However, you don’t want too much extra space otherwise there will be an unsightly gap. Luckily, many electric fireplaces and mantels have common standard sizes, so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Do Fireplace Mantels Come In Different Materials and Styles?
Yes, fireplace mantels come in a wide variety of materials and styles. You can find many different materials like solid wood of all types and finishes. For a dark finish you can go with something like espresso. You can also have a more rustic mantel with barn wood, accompanied with some fieldstone work on the area below the shelf.
Modern electric fireplaces tend to a solid color like white or maybe a darker color. They rely on the clean shapes and a minimal design to speak for itself.
On the other hand, if you want a more ornate or luxurious look, you can look into mantels with crown molding, or other ornate patterns carved into the wood.
Take your time to choose a mantel style that matches the home decor style that is already present in your home. You want your electric fireplace and mantel to compliment the room. You don’t want it to stand out in a negative way as a clashing style.
Can You Build Your Own Mantel For An Electric Fireplace?
If you are someone that is a fan of woodworking or DIY projects, you might be interested in building a mantle yourself. For this reason, you will likely want to purchase an electrical fireplace insert from a company. Make sure to check the dimensions of the unit before building your fireplace mantel so that you can make sure it perfectly fits the dimensions. You want to make sure it has enough clearance but still fits snuggly for the best possible look.
Be sure to practice safety when building your mantel and to use all necessary safety equipment, especially if you are using power tools.
Why Is An Electric Fireplace Better Than a Wood Fireplace or a Gas Fireplace?
Most people reading this are probably already aware of all of the problems with wood fireplaces, but just in case you aren’t aware, here are the common downsides:
- Safety Issues – Wood fireplaces are very dangerous. They are one of the leading causes of house fires. They also have issues with both smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.
- A Lot of Work – You have to clean fireplaces every day and constantly maintain the fire. You also have to call for a professional chimney cleaner multiple times in a given year.
- Not Energy Efficient – So much heat is lost through the chimney that it makes them very inefficient. You have to burn a lot of expensive piles of wood to keep your home warm all winter.
Many people think gas fireplaces are a better alternative because they burn cleaner and don’t have smoke, but carbon monoxide is still an issue. On top of this, they tend to have incredibly weak flames that have unusual colors. This means they are bad at replicating an authentic fireplace look.
Electric fireplaces have a ton of benefits over wood and gas fireplaces. Here are just the highlights:
- Safety – Because there is an absence of any flame or burning of any kind, there is no additional risk of a house fire, smoke inhalation, or carbon monoxide poisoning like you have to worry about with wood and gas fireplaces.
- Hassle Free – Unlike traditional fireplaces, electric fireplaces don’t require daily cleaning, maintenance, or anything like that. Once you turn it on and select your ideal temperature, you don’t have to do a thing.
- Easier Installation – Most electric fireplaces are simple plug-in devices to install. Once you find the best place for it in your home, you plug the device into a standard 120 volt outlet. The only time the installation might be slightly more involved is if you are mounting it on the wall or if you need to have a new electrical outlet run to that wall because there isn’t one that is already present.
- Remote Control – Electric fireplaces come with a remote or smartphone app for you to turn the fireplace on or off, set the thermostat, change effect settings, and much more.
- Alexa Control – If you have installed the Alexa wall outlets, then you can turn your fireplace on or off with voice command due to the ability to turn the outlet on or off that the fireplace is plugged into.
- TV Mounting – It is perfectly safe for you to mount a TV above an electrical fireplace because you don’t have to worry about smoke or heat damage to your TV set.
- Cost Efficient Heating – Electric fireplaces are one of the easiest ways to keep your home warm at a cost effective energy rate. Because they don’t have any ventilation requirements, all of that extra heat isn’t lost in the venting process. The heat it generates stays in the room longer, allowing the fireplace to work much less to keep a home warm.
How Do Electric Fireplaces Work?
For the heating portion of the electric fireplace, the main type of heating is convection. Cold air is sucked out from the room and into the fireplace and then blown back out through the blowers. As it passes through the fireplace, the infrared quartz heater quickly warms the air. Because it warms so quickly in this cycle, you can usually feel warm air coming out of the unit almost immediately after turning it on. There is no long warm up time like a typical radiant heat coil. Because of this, it allows a room to be warmed very quickly compared to other methods.
For visual effects, there are many different ways that electric fireplaces do this. Really cheap electric fireplaces use colored lights, often reflected off of cheap mechanical spinning columns for a weak attempt at a flickering effect. Some better ones will use high quality LED flames or streaming videos. Others will use colored lights shone on water vapor. Some of the best, high end electric fireplaces will use holograms with 3D projection.
What Are Some Good Electric Fireplace Brands?
What brand of electrical fireplace you end up getting will make a big difference in the quality of the electrical fireplace. Don’t run off to Amazon and use your gift cards on the first electric fireplace that you see on sale. First, you need to take note of the quality of the heater inside, and the visual effect technology it uses. First, you are best off with an infrared electric fireplace due to the power and efficiency of an infrared quartz heating element. This will allow you to keep a room warm while using the least amount of electricity possible.
There are many decent brands that make electric fireplaces. There is Dimplex, Sienna, Touchstone, Duraflame, and more. When it comes to the visual effects, you want to avoid electric fireplaces that don’t look realistic. While a multicolor LED flame or LED lights might look interesting in the store, once you get it home you will be very disappointed if you at all care about an electric fireplace that is supposed to look like a traditional wood fireplace.
For realistic flames that look like a real wood fireplace, you are going to want to stick to a fireplace that uses 3D holographic technology.
Which Electric Fireplace Has The Most Realistic Flames?
MagikFlame electric fireplaces are by far some of the most realistic electric fireplaces on the market. These high end fireplaces are extremely popular with homeowners for the following reasons:
- 3D Holographic Technology – With the press of the button, you can choose between 30 different flickering flame styles that are 3D holographically projected onto a physical log set inside of the fireplace.
- Crackling Log Sounds – To increase the immersion of the fireplace experience, the sounds of crackling logs are included with the 3D flames that dance around.
- 5,200 BTU Infrared Quartz Heater – This powerful and very efficient heater can keep a space of up to 1000 square feet nice and warm. For homes with more sq. ft., you can set up a supplemental heat zone strategy. You put two or more fireplaces in different rooms and only use the fireplaces in the rooms that are occupied for even further cost effective energy savings.
- Smartphone App Control – Instead of a normal remote control, you can control MagikFlame electric fireplaces with the incredibly easy to use smartphone app. The app lets you toggle all of the settings from the comfort of your own seat.
If you need some more information regarding MagikFlame electric fireplaces, checkout the following resources depending on your needs:
- 1: Best Electric Fireplace Buying Guide – Answers to many of your common questions.
- 2: MagikFlame Story – Background information on how MagikFlame came to be.
- 3: MagikFlame Reviews – Comments from existing MagikFlame customers.
- 4: How MagikFlame Is Built – Details on the quality work and parts that go into every fireplace.
- 5: Payment Plans and Financing – Financial options to get your fireplace right away.
- 6: Full Warranty – Because this is a high end electric fireplace that will last.
