Fireplace screens play an important role in ensuring that your home not only looks good but remains as safe as possible. Screens serve as protective barriers, keeping children and pets a safe distance from the heat of the flames and shielding the room from wayward sparks that occasionally occur.
As a general rule, when determining the appropriate size screen for a fireplace, for single panel flat fireplace screens the screen should be at least 2 inches wider and 2 inches higher than the fireplace opening to prevent sparks and ash from getting past the screen into the living area. This means for a fireplace opening of 38 inches wide by 28 inches high, a single panel screen should be at least 40 inches wide and 30 inches high. The basic formula for single panel screens is take the width and height measurement of the fireplace opening and then add 2 inches to each dimension. This rule equally applies to door fireplace screens, curved fireplace screens and spark guards.
If, however, you are selecting a multi-panel folding fireplace screen you will want to add 10 to 12 inches to the fireplace opening width and 3 to 5 inches to the fireplace opening height. The extra width permits the side panels to fold in and give the screen its stability. The extra height is to prevent sparks from reaching over the top of the center panel, which is set a little further away from the fire than a single panel screen due to the side panels. For example, if your fireplace opening measures 38 inches wide and 28 inches high, the folding panel screen you select should measure at least 48 inches wide (total width of all panels when screen is laid flat) and at least 31 inches high.