DIY - Installing a Trim Door Kit

Some electric fireplaces come with optional door kits.  Customers have selected door kits for a couple of reasons. First, the kits are used for moderate touch-ups associated with a wall-flushed insert. Second, and most importantly, door kits enable plug-in fireplace inserts to be installed within a finished wall surface or pre-existing fireplace area. Door kits, then, have become increasingly more popular with customers who want to a simple frame to surround their electric fireplace, or even a standard gas or wood-burning one. As one customer noted, “Installation of this relatively inexpensive unit helped me to avoid a $10,000 rebuild of a log burning fireplace and chimney.” For some homeowners, then, a door kit can be an essential money saving option as well.

Door kits come with easy-to-read instructions manuals and can be easily installed within a matter of minutes. After reviewing some of the most popular door kits, we have compiled a simple synopsis of what a typical door kit installation looks like so customers can decide ahead of time if the unit is right for them.

Because door kits are frequently used to help accent an electric fireplace insert, it is important to remember the dimensions of the door kit should be wider than the actual unit within the wall. Each of the door kits available on our website include a model number that can be used with the door kit so customers can easily check to see if their unit can be used with the door kit they like.

As a reminder, plug in and built in units should be removed from the space before the door kit is installed. Electric fireplace inserts will be reinserted during assembly of the wall kit.

How to Install a Door Kit

1) First, check to see that the measurements for the door kit are correct as stated within the manual. If the door kit will not fit with your unit, be sure to call one of our sales associates to for assistance.

2) Framing brackets are used to help stabilize the piece within the wall unit. Attach the framing brackets to the side framing of the specified area. Make sure the each piece fits snugly into the enclosed space so the insert does not move or fall when in use later.

3) You will notice the framing brackets have screw holes to attach the electric insert to the framing brackets. Place the electric insert in the center of the opening and screw the corresponding holes into the unit.

4) To ensure the unit does not move, you will use the mounting clips found within the door kit. Once again, these will be simply screwed into place.