Posts Tagged ‘Hearth’
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
So everybody has to send out a few things with various carriers and Castfireplaces are the same.
We never send out our fireplaces with pallets or carriers as you can guarantee it will arrive damage, if you dont beleive me google search some fireplace company reviews and see how many of there items arrived damaged.
This is the main reason we have our own deidcated delivery service for our fireplaces and stoves.
As for the care products like lithofin and black lead polish etc we use Royal Mail and also Home Delivery Network which to be honest are very good and we rarely get damaged items due to the amount of time spent bubble wrapping our items.
If you have ever recieved one of our parcels you will know what i mean it is a feat itself to get into it.
Anyway for the tragic story now one of our customers from Bedfordshire ordered a fireplace package along with a tiled hearth which was sent out on Sunday 12th whilst i was boozing in Benidorm.
He had rung on the Thursday before i went asking if he could have loose tiles instead of the made up hearth so his fitter could just tile the area instead of removing origianl fireplace hearth.
This was then left of the van and tiles ordered but they would not arrive from our suppliers until Weds which were than packaged by yours truly and sent 48 Hour Parcelforce.
He rang late friday to say they had somewhat arrived but 10 of them were broken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aaah broken i said Castfireplaces dont do damages or so i thought well thats royal mail for you they must have dropped them or played football with them they were really well wrapped.
So more have been ordered and i collected them today so he can get on with the fitting job asap, as im sat writing this he is coming to collect them from Bedford so they can finish off in the morning.
Now this was unexpected of them and i look forward to meeting him and making him a cup of tea.
Even Royal Mail was not fast enough to send out replacements and as usual if you are going to break something its always something you do not have in stock.
So hopefully a happy ending to a tale of damage and im very grateful for him coming to collect them when really it was our fault (or Royalmail to more precise)
Tags: basalt, Black, Damaged, ebony, Hearth, Tiles
Posted in Fireplace Delivery | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
We do sell slate hearths here at Castfireplaces and have done so for quite a while, we mainly sell them for gas or electric use only as they are not ideal for solid fuel use due to the fact of how soft the stone is.
It can be cut and slabbed for solid fuel use if anybody really does want one.
Anyway today we have been asked the question how to remove the scratches in the slate hearth caused by dragging the ashpan cover backwards and forwards.
As i previously said slate is very soft so scratches are very common the surface of these hearths it is not from misuse it is just a very soft stone and really can not be avoided.
All is not lost though we do sell some oil in our care products section which is ideal it is called Slate Oil
applied with a clean wrag and worked into the surface of the slate it makes the sctraches blend in and when dry leaves a nice colour to the slate.
If unsure please try on the side or where the hearth will not be seen to colourtest as using oil does darken the slate
Each bottle has enough to do a hearth or slate surround of normal size and after treatment will also repel water so it will sit on the surface to wipe off.
So if your slate hearth or surround is looking a little tired just order a bottle of oil and in no time all will be looking great again
Tags: Hearth, Slate, Slate Oil, Surround
Posted in Fireplace Care | No Comments »
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Here at Castfireplaces we offer a good range of Granite panels and hearth sets which are listed in our Modern Packages section under Granite.
What we offer here is a range of fireplace surrounds all with a granite panel and hearth set offered in various sizes and different materials from Wood to Limestone and even our Longford Jura-stone mantel.
Each package has the option of being chosen on its own with the surround and then to compliment it we offer a range of electric and gas fireplaces and also with the option of solid fuel.
All the Granite we supply is Grade A Aboslute Black which is the finest granite you can buy, it is smooth shiny polished finish and comes with a 22″ x 16″ standard cut out so will accept any gas or electric fireplace from the gallery range or any other fire you have seen.
This range we have offers you the largest choice on the internet for panel and hearth sets and is very popular due to the easy choice options.
Most places sell them as packages and do not offer you the option of changing fire but again with our new website choice and ease of use is king.
So if you are looking for a new granite fireplace and wish to view our range just head over too our Granite Modern Fireplaces Section and browse the range we do.
If we do not have your perfect fireplace listed just contact us and we can get you a package price for it.
Tags: Granite, Hearth, limestone, Panle, Timber
Posted in Modern Fireplaces | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
We sell a small combination fireplace on our website called the Daisy which is available in Black or a Highlighted Finish.
It is made by Gallery but has been dropped from the 2010 brochure but is still available to us as and we will continue to stock it.
Today i have had a phonecall from a lady in Redcar enquiring whether we had the Daisy in stock as she had ordered one from B and Q in January but they telephoned her today telling her they are not in stock till May along with their small cast iron hearth.
Now May in my mind is a long way off seeing as we have only just started March that leadtime is wrong.
I find it really strange how a huge company like B and Q can run out of such items and what are there re ordering levels like to be without an item from January to May.
The Fireplace they supply is not the Daisy Fireplace and we are not short on stock of them so we have yet another order in the bag and the item on its way to Redcar next week again down to yet another comapny who can not supply goods in time for the customers needs.
Also today we have had someone order a fireplace from Shropshire and drive to Nottingham to collect it as the one he bought from ebay was missing parts and was not as described.
Beware of cheap items on any auction sites there always cheap for the wrong reasons
Tags: B and Q, Cast Iron, Combination, Daisy, Granite, Hearth
Posted in Cast Iron Fireplaces | No Comments »
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Hi all another busy day again with deliveries to Torquay and Middlesborough two vans though not 1 big run ive had the easy Middlesborough run Stuart has been to Torquay and worked his way home with seven drops i only had four.
Anyway when i got back to the office i answered a few made to measure Hearth emails which we do have quite frequently infact now every other day but there were four of them wanting prices within a couple of hours which is very unusual.
All of them were for solid fuel ranging from a small sectional hearth for a multi fuel stove to sit on to a large 64″ x 18″ hearth for an original marble surround.
Anway all of them have been emailed back with prices and manufacture times and writing this at 20.25 we have had an order all ready for a box flusehed hearth.
Thats the joy of made to measure items and indeed hearths you dont have to put up with standard hearth not covering the constructional hearth or where existing flooring has been laid up to a hearth you are replacing you can have what you want in any size you want.
Also if you are buying a fireplace package from us and require a made to measure hearth do not worry we can still supply made to measure at the additional price to the package saving you a fortune.
So if you do want made to measure hearth just visit our Contact page and send us an email.
Tags: Gas, Granite, Hearth, Made to measure, solid fuel, Tiled
Posted in Fireplace help and advice | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Well it is a long time since since we sold Mr Stratford-Way his made to measure Langley solid oak surround which we manufactured for him so it would fit the Jubilee Arched insert.
We normally sell this particular oak mantel as the Coronet and Oak Langley as the surround is a 52″ wide and has no shelf so sites directly onto the hearth leaving a 1″ gap either side.
No our customer decided he wanted the Jubilee instead so we slighlty altered the dimensions of this mantel to suit the openings required to be used with the Jubilee and im sure as you will agree in the photos you can not tell as it looks very pleasing to the eye.
Now this fireplace was supplied with pushunder for solid fuel granite hearth but it appears not to have been fitted correctly and cut down a small measure im sure but i do like things to look the way they should needless to say our customer is very pleased and he emailed me this comment
Hi
I purchased the following Fire and surround from you in September and thought that you might like to see the finished item…………
It look fab and thanks for your help
Regards
Nigel Stratford-Way
So have a look at the before Photo
Now take a look at finished article
What a transformation this has made to this flat wall and now it has been fitted really makes a focal point and feature for this room
Tags: Coronet, Hearth, Jubilee, langley, Oak, Solid, solid fuel
Posted in Customer Fireplace Gallery | No Comments »
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Now Today I have had a call from a Woman in Surrey who rang us after visiting our website over the weekend and then going to a fireplace shop local to her on Sunday here’s a few things the shop told her after asking why there prices were more than double ours.
Now these salesman must be so desperate for a sale they have lied and deceived the customer beyond belief, now it makes me mad people saying Online Retailers have no customer service or back up we pride ourselves on customer service and you only have to read my article the other day about fireplace showroom who do not return calls.
I do understand they have a bone to pick with us saying we can sell them cheaper than them as they have larger overheads well that is not true we have 1700 sq Foot factory to pay for, 2 Modern vans and we spend £1000s of pounds every month on seo and google ads let alone the rates, heating and lighting for our factory and office.
Now wait for it here’s the best bit the products you buy from them are made from inferior cast iron and HETAS registered fitters and GAS SAFE fitters will refuse to install it due to this.
What utter Bo****** I have never heard such rubbish in my life.
The Gallery Fireplaces we sell are the same ones sat in there showroom just like they sit in our showroom we do not sell seconds, rejects or any other made up excuse they come out with.
Now I know which shop you are and I have even been passed it when out delivering and if you think it is ok lying and deceiving customers to clinch a sale then you go ahead I can honestly say the day we lie to our customers regarding any of our products is the day I will pack it all in.
Yes there are dodgy firms out there who have terrible customer service and sell rubbish but then there are High Street Shops that do the same ask yourself this when ordering online
1 Can I contact them by phone and do they have Address and Company details shown
2 Are they VAT registered and will I get an invoice
3 Do they have a showroom I can visit?
4 Am I going to get Honest Correct Free Advice without Sales Pressure?
5 Can I contact any of their Customers or read genuine testimonials
If you can not assure yourself of getting all 5 of these things move on to another website or shop its just not worth the risk
So if you do want a fireplace or stove that can be used for gas or solid fuel use shop with us here at Castfireplaces we have over 5500 genuine customers who have bought from us in the Last 6 years that’s why we are in my opinion the best fireplace retailer online.
And Just for the record we do now have a sale for a Pembroke Black Fireplace with Granite Hearth for Solid fuel use going to Surrey on Sunday 29th so not only have you lost your sale you have deceived someone who will tell all her friends and Family what a con merchant you are
Tags: Cast Iron, Granite, Hearth, pembroke, Shop, solid fuel
Posted in Fireplaces | No Comments »
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
With the prices of our gas supplies remaining at a consistent level without the price hikes we have seen in recent years we are now seeing more movement again towards the use of gas inserts again. When we were suffering energy companies rising prices every 6 months it really struck fear into people using a gas fire as part of there fireplace and we saw a huge surge towards solid fuel as an alternative source in the winter however now the sales of stoves is not as mad as it was before Christmas but that is normal as the fireplace trade is exceptionally busy in the winter months.
With this return to gas sales we have increased our stock of gas hearths and gas inserts for all our fireplaces so we are sure we can have a constant supply from the manufacturers so we never run short of anything.
We do have a section on our website for Fires and Frets where you can buy these gas fires and frets as individual items if you just wish to replace your Gas Fireplace for something more modern or more realistic.
As usual we still offer all our packages for gas use so you can choose any package we offer and select the gas option and be assure it will fit the item you have ordered.
So if you do need any more help choosing a fire option please contact us we are always here to help
Tags: Fireplace, Fireplaces, Gas, Gas insert, Hearth
Posted in Gas Fireplaces | No Comments »
Monday, June 8th, 2009
What Hearths are best for gas or solid fuel is often asked here at Castfireplaces and really it is down to preference as we do granite and tiled hearths for solid fuel and gas use. We do not recommend slate or limestone as slate is too soft and scratches very easily and limestone is too porous for the cement under fill as it seeps through to the top surface staining it so we don’t use either for solid fuel use.
Here we will explain what options you have.
Granite Gas Use – A single slab of granite around 20mm thick sits on 30mm risers making the total height 50mm its 15†in depth and is fine for use with gas and electric fires.
Granite Solid Fuel use – Granite sections form these hearths so the fireplace can expand and contract with the heat from solid fuel use they are filled underneath with a light weight cement mix to dissipate the heat throughout the hearth if this process was not carried out it would simply Crack down the middle they do have to cut and slabbed they are 18″ in depth so a little deeper than gas use.
Tiled Hearth Gas and Solid fuel – The tiled hearths are manufactured from 6â€x 6†tiles available in various colours they are then set on a bench and filled underneath with lightweight mix and then grouted. The only difference between them is that they are 15†for gas Fireplace use and 18†for solid fuel use.
Slate and Limestone – Exact same manufacture process as granite hearth for gas use an same dimensions being 15†deep only suitable for gas use as explained
We Offer a full made to measure service for all our hearths so if you need any help or advice choosing a hearth just contact us.
Tags: Fireplace, Gas, Granite, Hearth, limestone, Slate, solid fuel, Tiled
Posted in Fireplace help and advice | No Comments »
