What’s the Difference Between a Freestanding Fireplace vs a Wall Mounted One?

A freestanding-style fireplace can rest on the floor rather than needing to be mounted or installed. While there are portable freestanding-style fireplaces like the small cast iron HomCom freestanding stoves, we aren’t referring to these types. Generally, these smaller space heater-style fireplaces should be avoided due to poor performance and generally just looking tacky.
 
Instead, we are talking about fireplaces that look more like a traditional one that sits against a wall on the floor but with a mantel above it. This can either be a model for a flat wall or a model built for a corner. Because they are installed against a wall, they may not appear to be freestanding electric fireplaces but by the technical definition, they are.
 
A freestanding electric fireplace often comes with a mantel. They come in various styles like solid oak with a white finish, darker mantels with an espresso finish, and more.

Here are a few of the main advantages of a freestanding fireplace:

●      Ease of Installation – They are easy to install and set up. They are usually as simple as placing them on the floor, against a wall where you want them to go. After they are in the right spot, you can plug them into any standard 120-volt electrical wall outlet.

●      Can Easily Be Moved To Another Room – While you don’t want to be doing this every day, you can easily move it to another room if you decide to rearrange your home. It isn’t a permanent piece in your main room, even if that is where it will be most of the time.

●      More Traditional Look – Compared to a wall mount version, a freestanding electric fireplace looks much more like a regular open-hearth wood-style fireplace. This is especially true for the model that goes flat against a walls.

●      Mount a TV Above Them – You can mount a TV above the mantel of a freestanding electric fireplace, and it will look very natural. It is a great way to take two main focal points of a room and bring them together in a single location.

The only real downside of a living room freestanding electric fireplace is that it takes up more space than one mounted on the wall. Because they aren’t usually installed into a recessed wall, they stick out a bit further. They also take up floor space where another piece of furniture might be able to go.

A wall mount electrical fireplace is on that can be installed by hanging it on the wall with mounting brackets instead of standing freely on the floor against the wall. These can also be installed into either a recessed or partially recessed wall.
 
These don’t usually come with any type of mantel, but typically have a stainless-steel housing frame.

A wall-mounted fireplace has a few advantages compared to a freestanding-style electric fireplace. First, a wall-mount electric fireplace looks great if you want a modern look in your home.
 
A wall-mount electric fireplace can be much wider than a standard electric fireplace. Some units can span the long length of a wall instead of looking like a normal electric fireplace size.
 
A wall-mounted electric fireplace can be installed into a wall recession if you have the clearance in your wall. This means it can be set flush with the wall, so it is not sticking out. It can also be built into a recession just partially so that it is not completely flush, but it sticks out just slightly for some more interesting depth. How far you want to install one of these into a wall recession depends on whether you prefer it to be flush or not, and if the wall is even deep enough to fit the fireplace. Usually, this isn’t an issue.
 
Because the floor in front of it is completely clear, it is the perfect space if you want to put a sideboard cupboard or a credenza below the wall-mount electric fireplace. This gives you additional storage while taking up the same amount of vertical space as the wall.

Here are a few downsides to a wall-mount electric fireplace:
 
●      Harder Installation – The installation with a wall-mount electric fireplace is much more involved and harder work than other electric fireplaces. They require mounting brackets to be installed and some heavy lifting to be done as you secure the fireplace to the mounting brackets. If you choose to install your wall-mount electric fireplace into a recessed wall, the installation gets much harder. You may even want to hire a professional to help you complete it.

●      Permanent Fixture – Typically, a wall-mount electric fireplace will feel quite a bit more permanent than a freestanding-style fireplace. This is because of the mounting bracket installation and the possibility of a wall recession install. If you wanted to remove this and put it in another room, it would be a bit more work than normal and require you to repair the holes from the mounting brackets.

●      Not As Traditional – While these typically have a great modern look, they don’t usually look as traditional as a freestanding electric fireplace with a mantel. If you prefer the more traditional look, you might want to go with a freestanding fireplace rather than a wall-mount electric fireplace.

●      No TV Above Them – While installing a TV above an electric fireplace is perfectly safe, they look very awkward above a wall to mount an electric. This is due to it already being up at eye level. If you wanted to mount a TV in the same room or even on the same wall, it could still look fine, but installing it in the same vertical space as the wall-mounted fireplace will look very strange.