Fire Starter

Paul Chesney, Fireplace expert and Managing Director of Chesney’s Fireplaces gives a step by step account of how to build a long lasting log or coal fire.





Stage 1 – place several fire lighters on the base of the grate. An alternative to the traditional petroleum lighters and much more environmentally friendly are natural firelighters made from compacted wood shavings dipped in untreated wax.

Stage 2 – twist and tie several separate sheets of newspaper and place these over the lighters.

Step 3 – arrange a layer of small pieces of dry kindling wood over the newspaper.

Step 4 – finish the fire with a layer of coal or several logs on top of the kindling.

Step 5 – light the paper and lighters around the outer edges of the base of the fire.

Depending on how strongly the chimney is drawing, the fire once established will need to have be stoked and further fuel added to maintain a consistent heat. A coal fire will generally need much less tending than a log fire as the fuel is consumed more slowly.