Whether you're buying a lone surround or a surround, back panel and hearth set, it's vital you pick one that both suits your home and is compatible with your inset fire.
Understanding some of the technical aspects of surrounds can be a little tricky, especially regarding rebates and returns, so be sure to read on to find out exactly what they are.
Our catalogue features a range of surrounds with a huge variety in styles, colours and materials. Generally speaking, you can separate our surrounds into two groups which are outlined below:
Stone Surrounds
Nothing says luxury quite like stone, which is why we have a great range of surrounds in dozens of kinds of marble, granite and limestone. To see our full stone guide,
click here.
It should be noted that the majority of our stone and marble cannot be used with solid fuel fires, as the intense heat could cause the stone to crack. The only exception to this is limestone, although you would also need to pair the surround with the an appropriate back panel and 'slabbed' hearth for it to be suitable.
Wood Surrounds
Our catalogue features three basic types of wood. MDF is probably one of the most common, and features in both our surrounds sets and full suites. MDF is great value for money, durable, and best of all can be used with an all manner of veneers to get a real wood look at a fraction of the price.
Sometimes though there is nothing like the real thing, which is why we have a beautiful range of natural real wood, ranging from acacia to oak to beach. With its beautiful grain, real wood is a great choice if you really want to give your interior a fresher, more organic vibe.
Rebates
What is a Rebate?
Your rebate is the distance from the wall to where the front of the back panel will sit once the fire surround is fitted. Most of our fire surrounds have a one inch rebate, meaning that when a standard one inch back panel is fitted, it will fit securely between the wall and surround, with the inset fire recessed into the wall cavity behind.
What if My Wall has No Cavity?
Many homes do not have a cavity into which they can inset their fire. In this circumstance, an electric fire or flueless gas fire can instead be recessed into the suite itself, meaning the entire suite can sit flat against a wall.
Many of our suites feature both one inch and three inch rebate options. By adjusting the inside return, you can fit the back panel further back, leaving a larger recess within which a fire can be inset.
How do I Measure My Rebate?
Measuring your rebate is simple, and can be simply done by measuring your surround's returns.
Looking at the bottom of your surround's legs, you can find the inside and outside returns. An
outside return is the depth from the face of the leg to the wall behind, and is what gives the surround its depth. The
inside return is from the leg face to the back panel, and is used to keep the back panel in place.
To work out the rebate size, simply subtract the inside return from the outside return. For example, if your outer return is 100mm and inside return is 75mm, your rebate will be 100mm - 75mm, which is 25mm.
