Old logs to premium traditional logs
- Before
- Flat, dark logs sitting unevenly on a plain grate, with little to catch the eye.
- After
- A balanced set of textured logs over a subtle ember bed, in a clean dark firebox.
VIRGINIA CHIMNEY PROS
Transform the inside of your fireplace in Virginia
Upgrade old logs, dark fireboxes, and outdated media with a cleaner, more modern fireplace design.
Call Virginia Chimney Pros (888) 481-4424
The short answer
The inside of a gas fireplace can often be given a new look without rebuilding the surround: new logs, birch-style logs, fire glass or lava rock. What can go in your firebox depends on the fireplace, its burner and what its manufacturer approves, so the look is chosen after the system is identified.
Virginia homes, city by city
This page covers firebox design for Virginia Chimney Pros as a whole. No Virginia city has its own page for this service yet; the figures below are the Census and NOAA records for the cities this brand covers. Whether we can schedule work at your address is confirmed after we review your request.
Across the four Virginia cities with a page here — Virginia Beach, Richmond, Alexandria, and Roanoke — the Census counts 433,083 housing units and about 940,126 people. That is those cities added together, not a figure for Virginia as a whole.
Median build years run from 1959 in Richmond to 1984 in Virginia Beach, a spread of 25 years in the housing a chimney belongs to.
Utility gas is the primary heat in 33.9% of occupied homes in Richmond and 47.4% in Alexandria, which is why what a flue vents is established at the address rather than by state.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates 2019-2023, table B25001, retrieved 2026-09-15; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates 2019-2023, table B01003, retrieved 2026-09-15; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates 2019-2023, table B25035, retrieved 2026-09-15; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates 2019-2023, table B25040, retrieved 2026-09-15
Style options
Four ways to change what you see
Each style below is shown in the same traditional masonry fireplace, so the only thing that changes is the inside of the firebox.
Oak-style logsTraditional logs
For homeowners who want the traditional wood-fire appearance with a cleaner gas setup.
Birch and aspen-style logsWhite birch
A lighter architectural look that works especially well in bright or contemporary interiors.
Clear and amber glassFire glass
Reflective glass creates a more modern, luminous fireplace interior.
Dark volcanic stoneLava rock
Lava rock adds depth and texture without the polished look of glass.
Visualizer
Preview a style on a fireplace like yours
The firebox finish and the glass colours are chosen with you at the visit. These previews show a matte black interior where appropriate and clear and amber glass.
Showing white birch in a traditional masonry firebox.
Visualization for design reference. Final configuration depends on your fireplace and approved components.
Before and after, visualized
Small interior change. Completely different fireplace.
Drag across each picture. These are design visualizations of the same fireplace, not photographs of a finished job.
Old logs to white birch and crystal
- Before
- The same dated logs, blending into a dark interior.
- After
- White birch-style logs over clear and gold glass, bright against a black firebox.
Old setup to modern fire glass
- Before
- A wide modern opening let down by an ordinary log set.
- After
- A low, even flame over reflective glass that suits the clean lines of the wall.
Visualization for design reference. Final configuration depends on your fireplace and approved components.
Compare the materials
Logs, birch, glass or lava rock
Compatibility depends on your fireplace, burner, and manufacturer requirements. Never add glass, rock or logs to a fireplace yourself.
| Style | Suits | Visual character | Typical design direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional logs | A classic wood-fire look | Warm bark texture and a full, natural flame | Traditional and transitional rooms |
| White birch logs | Bright or contemporary rooms | White bark with dark markings against a dark firebox | Modern, Scandinavian and coastal rooms |
| Fire glass | A clean, modern fireplace | Reflective glass under a low, even flame | Contemporary and minimalist rooms |
| Lava rock | Texture without shine | Matte charcoal stone and a soft flame | Modern-rustic and natural-material rooms |
| Style | How it looks over time | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional logs | The bark texture hides a little dust between cleanings | Log sets are made for their own burner; many fireplaces allow only listed sets |
| White birch logs | Light bark shows soot more readily, so the flame setup matters | The same as any log set: approved for the fireplace and burner |
| Fire glass | Glass shows dust and film, so it is cleaned as part of service | Only on burners designed for glass, or with an approved conversion kit |
| Lava rock | Dark stone hides dust well | Only on burners designed for rock, or with an approved conversion kit |
The firebox itself
A darker firebox can make the flame stand out
A clean, dark interior gives the flame and the media more contrast and makes the fireplace look finished. Where appropriate, approved high-temperature fireplace coatings may be used, depending on how the firebox is built and what the fireplace's instructions allow.
Ordinary paint is not made for a firebox. Changing the interior is part of the design, planned with the fireplace identified.
Gallery
Every style, every fireplace
Sixteen style-and-fireplace pairs and three combinations. All are design visualizations.
Traditional logsTraditional masonry firebox White birchTraditional masonry firebox Fire glassTraditional masonry firebox Lava rockTraditional masonry firebox 
Traditional logsModern rectangular firebox 
White birchModern rectangular firebox 
Fire glassModern rectangular firebox 
Lava rockModern rectangular firebox 
Traditional logsLight stone surround 
White birchLight stone surround 
Fire glassLight stone surround 
Lava rockLight stone surround 
Traditional logsDark stone surround 
White birchDark stone surround 
Fire glassDark stone surround 
Lava rockDark stone surround 
Birch logs over clear and gold glassTraditional masonry firebox 
Dark logs over lava rockTraditional masonry firebox 
Traditional logs with ember mediaTraditional masonry firebox
Not sure which style fits your fireplace?
Book a free inspection and describe your fireplace in the request: gas or wood, its rough size and how it looks now. At the visit we identify it and tell you which styles it can take.
The work
What a firebox upgrade covers
Choose firebox design when the fireplace works and you want the inside to look better. If it does not light, shuts off or smokes, book a gas fireplace repair first. Changing the surround, mantel or hearth is fireplace remodeling; replacing the whole appliance is fireplace installation.
Included
- Identifying the fireplace, its burner and what its instructions allow
- Choosing a design direction: logs, birch-style logs, fire glass, lava rock or an approved combination
- Replacing the visible media with components approved for the fireplace and burner
- Checking the flame and operation once the new media is in place, where applicable
May be added, estimated separately
- Gas fireplace repair, if the burner or controls need work first
- A new burner or an approved conversion kit, when the look you want needs one
- Fireplace remodeling, if the surround or hearth is changing too
Not part of this service
- Media or finishes the fireplace's manufacturer does not approve
- Replacing the fireplace appliance itself, which is fireplace installation
- Surround, mantel and hearth work, which is fireplace remodeling
Deciding
Choosing a look your fireplace can take
Traditional logs, birch-style logs, fire glass and lava rock each change the fireplace in a different way, but they are not interchangeable. Fire glass and lava rock are made for burners designed to use them, a log set is made for its own burner, and many fireplaces allow only the media their manufacturer lists. Choose the look after the fireplace and burner are identified, and never add glass, rock or logs to an appliance yourself.
Your estimate
What shapes the estimate for a new firebox look
Prices are not listed here: an estimate depends on what the visit finds. These are the things that move it.
What moves the estimate
- Whether the existing burner can take the new media, or needs a new burner or conversion kit
- The media chosen and how much of it the firebox needs
- The size and type of the fireplace
- Any repair the fireplace needs before the new look
What your estimate should list
- The fireplace and burner identified
- The media and components, and whether the burner is reused
- Any repair or conversion work, listed separately
- What is excluded, such as the surround or the appliance
The visit
How we design the firebox
Request
Send the form on this page with your name, phone number, email, the service address and a preferred date and time window. Describing what you have noticed is optional.
Review and confirmation
We review the address and details you send. Your preferred date and time are subject to confirmation by Virginia Chimney Pros.
Inspect the existing fireplace
We identify the fireplace, its burner and what its instructions allow inside the firebox.
Choose the design direction
You compare styles such as logs, birch-style logs, fire glass or lava rock against what your fireplace can take.
Fit the approved components
The new media is fitted with components approved for the fireplace and burner, set out as the instructions require.
Test the final operation
Where it applies, the fireplace is lit and the flame is checked with the new media in place.
Before the visit
- Find the model and rating label, usually behind the lower grille or on the burner.
- Gather the owner's manual if you still have it.
- Take a clear photo of the fireplace from the front, with the fire off.
Afterwards, keep
- The chosen design and the components used
- What the fireplace's instructions allow, noted for later
- The owner's manual and any new component instructions
Questions
Questions before a firebox upgrade
General answers. The findings at your home come first.
Can I replace my old gas logs?
Often, yes. Many fireplaces can take a new log set, but it has to be one approved for that fireplace and burner. In some fireplaces the logs and burner are one listed assembly, so replacing the logs means replacing the burner too.
Can I change from logs to fire glass, or mix the two?
Only if the fireplace allows it. Fire glass is used on burners designed for it; putting glass on a burner made for logs can change the flame and how the fireplace operates. Some fireplaces have an approved conversion kit, and some manufacturers offer approved combinations, such as a log set over a glass or ember bed. Combine media only where the fireplace's instructions list the combination.
What is lava rock used for?
Lava rock is a natural volcanic stone used on some gas burners to spread and soften the flame and give a textured, modern-rustic look. Like glass, it belongs only on a burner made to use it.
Can the inside of a fireplace be painted black?
Not with ordinary paint. Where appropriate, approved high-temperature fireplace coatings may be used, depending on how the firebox is built and what the fireplace's instructions allow. A darker interior can make the flame stand out, but it is a job to plan, not a quick coat of paint.
Do I need a new burner, and how do I know what is compatible?
Not always. A like-for-like change of logs can often reuse the burner; moving from logs to glass or rock, or to a different style of log set, may need a new burner or an approved conversion kit. The model and rating label and the owner's manual list what the fireplace allows. If they are missing, describe the fireplace in your request; the technician reads the label at the visit and identifies the fireplace before recommending anything.
Can I preview the look first?
Yes, as a guide. The design visualizations on this page show how each style changes a fireplace. They are illustrations, not photographs of a finished job, and the final look depends on your fireplace and the approved components.
Keep going
Where to go next
Virginia Chimney Pros
Request an estimate
An estimate starts with an inspection visit in Virginia. Send your name, phone, email, the service address and a preferred time; describing what you have noticed is optional.
A request does not confirm an appointment.
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