How do I update a dated 1980s brass-and-oak fireplace?
In Asheville the update depends on which fireplace you own — a Montford or North Asheville original-masonry box wearing a bolted-on 1980s brass door and honey-oak surround, or a South Asheville home ready for a cleaner gas look. Either way, the brass front and oak trim are cosmetic; you can paint or swap them without opening the firebox.
One city, two dated fireplaces
In Montford and North Asheville, that polished-brass door and oak mantel were usually a mid-1980s facelift screwed onto a much older masonry opening. The highest-impact, lowest-cost move is paint: matte-black high-heat paint on the brass frame and a soft white, deep charcoal, or muted green on the honey-oak. If the glass has gone cloudy or the gaskets are shot, we replace the front with a modern black or bronze door cut to your opening.
South Asheville's newer construction leans the other way — a clean-face or frameless gas front reads far more current than any framed brass, and the surround refaces easily in tile or thin stone.
Gas is right down the street here
Asheville sits squarely on the natural-gas mains, so if the box behind the brass is a rarely-lit wood-burner, a direct-vent gas insert — the Napoleon Oakville X4 or Kozy Heat Chaska 25L — drops into the existing opening and gives you power-optional heat with a modern front in one visit. Running or extending that gas line is licensed work in North Carolina; a furniture showroom or a mason legally can't connect it. We can, and we pull the permit with Buncombe County and meet the inspector.
Our showroom is right here at 629 Emma Rd — bring photos of your brass-and-oak setup and we'll walk the options. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
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