Superior Fireplace Review: Why We're Crushing On This Herringbone Fireplace

Falling in love with the look of a wood-burning fireplace but want the convenience of gas log sets?

All over the internet I saw pretty, open fireplaces with no glass doors and a sleek opening.

After SO much research, we settled on the Superior WRT6000 fireplace insert for our living room, and today I’m here to share our Superior fireplace review with you!

Let’s get started…

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Superior Fireplace Review: WRT6000

First of all, the model of our Superior Fireplace is called the WRT6000.

They offer multiple types of fireplaces in the WRT Series, but our architect said only the WRT6000 or WRT8000 would give us the feel of a traditional masonry-constructed fireplace.

The herringbone pattern is made of a “brick refractory” that they install inside of the fireplace insert itself.

We chose the Ivory Split Herringbone for our interior finish option.

Which, by the way, was a high demand item because we waited six months to receive the herringbone interior liner.

The good news though, is it was totally worth waiting for! I’m obsessed with the look.

If you’re planning a case of new home construction, or a full interior renovation, don’t worry!

Our construction schedule was not impacted at all.

The fireplace insert itself shipped out right away and we were able to install it before drywall went up.

Only the herringbone brick refractories were on backorder.

Moving on, let’s dive into the nitty gritty of our Superior fireplace review…

Real-Life Photos of Our Superior Fireplace

While I was trying to decide on the perfect wood burning fireplace insert, it drove me absolutely crazy that I could not find any real life photos of Superior fireplaces!

In particular, no real life photos of the Ivory Split Herringbone interior option.

Hopefully this photo of ours helps you finalize your decision for your project.

You can also see our gas logs and how realistic they look – we purchased the Grand Canyon Arizona gas log set in Weathered Oak.

How We Use Our Superior Fireplace

Our Superior fireplace is an actual wood burning fireplace that could also be used for outdoor fireplaces.

It is not actually considered one of Superior gas fireplaces.

To create this open look, we simply didn’t purchase the fireplace doors.

We also set up a gas log set inside, with an electronic ignition system so it could be operated by a remote control for convenience.

Even though it is gas, we still needed a real fireplace chimney that vents outdoors per building codes.

The chimney has a flue to open and close when its in use.

We also had to follow both our local codes and included manuals for the hearth and mantel requirements.

Wondering about the cost of this set up? I’ll cover that below!

Total Cost of Our Superior Fireplace

I am an open book when it comes to sharing the cost of our Superior fireplace installation, so our invoice is below for you to see.

Keep in mind though, that costs wildly vary based on the site of the original installation, such as your region within the United States, as well as labor rates and even timing.

We completed our renovation post-Covid during record high material and labor costs.

So don’t worry if your bid is even higher than our pricing, but I would always recommend getting multiple bids anyway.

Also consider that we added a completely new chimney, which is why there are costs for pipe and a chase cover.

If you have an existing chimney, you’ll have a much lower installed cost.

Related: See the Frame TV in our Living Room

Herringbone Fireplace Inspiration

We researched electric fireplaces, pellet stoves, ventless fireplaces, and of course traditional direct vent gas fireplaces.

None of those options gave us the open look we wanted!

Here are a few modern home examples I saved for herringbone fireplace inspiration leading up to our project…

Source: Cella Jane

This gorgeous fireplace from Cella Jane was my first inspiration for this look.

Hers is actually made by Isokern and according to the installation instructions, the weight of that one was going to require structural modifications underneath.

We opted not to take on the extra charges, but hers is incredibly beautiful!