Family Owned & Operated

Building Fireplaces Since 1989

What to consider when purchasing an Electric Fireplace

Are you searching for an electric fireplace? Many frustrated customers come to us after originally falling into this trap:

  • a promotion in a flyer or an online advertisement catches your eye
  • you make trips from one big-box store to another looking for what’s on sale from the latest seasonal “while stock lasts”,  plug-and-play offerings

The expectation is that you will impulsively buy off-the-shelf, strictly based on convenience, the sale price and expedience.

Once you make that impulse purchase, the next step is to take it home. You take it out of the box and set it up on your own. Invariably, it’s not quite what you pictured when you looked at on the store shelf. But, it is what it is. It’s unboxed and in your house. It would be a real pain to take it back tot he store. So, you structure and build around what you have. Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with this approach if you truly find what you and your partner were dreaming of. But, are you sure you’re making the best choice or are you maybe settling on what you could find at a box store?

“Am I just settling or this what I really want?”

Rather than just settling, consider the following. Purchasing a quality electric fireplace should involve exactly the same effort as you would in researching and selecting a gas fireplace. Otherwise, if you rush the decision and overlook the details you are likely to sell yourself short. When you want to build an impressive, quality feature fireplace wall and focal point for your home then its always best to take your time and do the research. That way, you will truly add value to your home. Consider taking these extra steps:

  • Review a variety of brands and products.
  • Visit fireplace showrooms with real, functioning examples.
  • Seek advice, speak to professional fireplace experts.
  • Consider the features of the fireplace itself: look at the flame pattern, the amount of heat it produces, look at the overall quality of the fireplace.
  • Ask: What is covered in the product warranty?
  • Check that the fireplace is produced by a recognizable and trusted brand.
  • Review if the manufacturer only produces electric fireplaces or are electric models a part of a more expansive fireplace company’s portfolio? (For example, do they make other types of fireplaces such as gas or wood-burning models)?

Use the items above as a checklist of things to consider throughout your electric fireplace selection and eventual purchase.

When you give yourself the time to find the right electric fireplace and wait the few days for your fireplace order to arrive, then odds are that the selection and purchase will be worth the wait. You’ll have made an educated and valuable choice, rather than that impulse buy.

We know Electric Fireplaces better than our competitors

In 1989, The Fireplace Loft was one of (if not the first) custom Electric Fireplace showrooms in the country. We began addressing this niche in the fireplace market by exclusively importing lines of quality electric fireplaces from Europe to incorporate in our custom mantel packages. Fast forward to today, where the market is seemingly saturated with electric fireplace models. We proved ourselves simply way ahead of the time then and continue to lead our competitors now.

During the past 30+ years of designing and building the many thousands of custom fireplace walls, we have pretty much built and seen it all. With that in mind, we are extremely selective about the products we feature. We only choose products we would use ourselves, in our own home. These choice products are what we incorporate into the custom feature fireplace walls for our clients. Put simply, we use fires that work.

If you are looking for something beyond box store electric fireplaces, we are proud to present the latest in quality Napoleon Electric fireplaces, a real Canadian brand you know and trust.

Visit our fireplace showroom for advice and ideas. If you like what we offer then request a follow-up with an in-home fireplace consultation. A fresh set of eyes to look at your space and consider your project will give you a second opinion along with our professional insights.  To illustrate, a key benefit of an electric fireplace is the convenience that it can go on almost any wall. However, you should still design the wall with purpose, using the right materials and taking into account any specifications for clearances to combustibles (yes, electric fireplaces do get hot) and importantly assigning the correct proportions for the overall look. Whether you build the wall yourself and simply need advice or are looking to have us complete your feature fireplace wall for you, it all starts with a trip to our showroom. Call us today and arrange your visit!

The Fireplace Loft
KW’s One-Stop Electric Fireplace Shop