7 Best Fireplace Screens of 2024

Wrought-iron fireplace screens have the advantage of being much heavier than fireplace screens made of other materials. This makes them less easy for children, pets, and adults to knock over accidentally.

The design of this particular screen is created using solid iron bars. As a result, there are no sharp edges for babies and kids to catch themselves on. Another advantage of this is that there are no molded elements where dirt, soot, or ash can collect.

The fireplace screen mesh is relatively tight, preventing sparks and embers from escaping the fire but without blocking the fire’s heat.

On the downside, the height of the fireplace screen legs means there’s a one-inch gap between the bottom of the screen and the hearth. While we didn’t experience any issues and couldn’t find any mentions, there is potential for embers to escape underneath.

There’s a fine line between affordable and cheap. Fortunately, the Preston 3-panel fireplace screen lands on the better quality side of this fence.

The frame is made of steel which comes coated in paint listed as vintage iron.

This leaves the screen a pleasing dark, charcoal grey color, making a nice change from the more common black screen. The mesh is the same color, but it is difficult to distinguish this unless you are very close to the screen.

There are handles on each side of the screen to help you move it out from the fire, and some users have used these handles to secure the firescreen to the wall. However, this is not what the manufacturers intended.

There was a production run in which the mesh screen wasn’t well attached to the frame. In this case, the screen had a slightly wavy appearance, which some people found distracting. However, this does appear to be an occasional issue and not the standard.

Barton’s three-panel glass fireplace screen has a trio of panels held together by highly polished aluminum brackets. These brackets hold the panels in a fixed position, so you cannot change the angle as you would with a traditional, hinged, metal fireplace screen.

The glass makes it a heavy fireplace screen, and if you have to move it and tend to the fire, this can be difficult. This, in turn, makes it highly likely you’ll spend a lot of time cleaning fingerprints off of this screen.

Made of tempered glass, if the screen were to break, it would fall into small pieces of glass rather than more significant, more dangerous shards.

The downside of this glass fireplace screen is that it can get quite hot. Exactly how hot depends on the size of your fire and how close you set the screen. While we did not experience excessive or dangerous heat, some uses have reported it to be hot to the touch.

Designed to fit directly into your firebox, the Ascot fireplace screen from Pleasant Hearth consists of a frame, a pair of mesh doors, and a pair of glass doors.

When the fireplace is not in use, you leave both sets of doors closed. The glass doors prevent children from putting things into the fireplace or playing in the opening. It also minimizes drafts from the chimney cooling the room.

When you have a fire, the glass doors open to a position sitting flat against the fireplace. This is because the glass is not designed to withstand the temperatures of the fire and would shatter if left closed.

While you do need some basic skills to install this fireplace screen, it is not difficult, so you do not have to hire a specialist for installation.

This screen has a more flush design to sit flat against the fireplace rather than standing further away like a multi-paneled design. As a result, it is inclined to become warmer than a firescreen that sits further away.

Some owners have removed the back part of the fireplace screen foot and affixed the screen to the surround, leaving it permanently in place.

We like this particular screen because of the doors. Held closed by magnets, these wide doors open to sitting flat against the fireplace. This allows you to feed fuel to the fire or otherwise tend it without moving the screen every time.

Not having to move the firescreen is especially helpful if you have the firescreen as one layer of your fireplace babyproofing system and your baby fence also needs to be moved.

This scrollwork fireplace screen is a good balance between minimalist and decorative. It combines traditional style cast iron scrollwork with a modern steel frame. The overall result is a fireplace screen that would not look out of place in most homes.

There are two adjustable feet. The feet can be moved to different points along the length of the screen, which ensures that, no matter how wide the opening of your fireplace is, the rear feet will fit within it.

Alternatively, some owners have removed the rear portion of the feet and used the screw holes to affix the screen permanently to the surround. However, this is not a method of installation listed by the manufacturer, so only do so if you are confident you can do so correctly.

Four-panel fireplace screens are hard to come by. The majority appear to be either flay, inserts, or three panels, so there is a relatively small pool of options to choose from. Hence why the Amagabeli four-panel model made it to our list of the best fireplace screens.

There is nothing terribly wrong with this screen, but there is nothing outstandingly good either. It is adequate for the job, will keep sparks and embers escaping from your fire, and with four panels, it has a certain flexibility in the way you position it on the hearth.

If you are looking for a lightweight fireplace screen, then at under eight pounds, this is your best option. However, being this light means it will not stand up well to falling kids or curious toddlers.