Valcourt St-Laurent Linear Wood Burning Fireplace
A wood fireplace built wide for the view of the fire: the Valcourt St-Laurent puts a 42-inch panoramic pane of ceramic glass in front of a 6.4 cubic foot firebox that takes 30-inch logs, behind a guillotine door and firescreen that drop out of sight below the opening on a counterweight. It is Valcourt's linear decorative fireplace — listed to ULC-S610 / UL 127, EPA exempt, 63-1/8" wide overall, venting on an 8" chimney with a 15-foot minimum — from $8,279 with the facing trim and refractory panels you choose above, and covered by Valcourt's limited lifetime warranty.
Choose the St-Laurent if you want a wide, low, modern wood fire for ambiance rather than a furnace — the elongated rectangular opening is the point, and once the fire is established you can run it behind the glass or open behind the firescreen. It suits a new build or a full remodel where you are framing a chase and finishing the wall in tile, brick or stone, because the trim is matched to that finish. If you want the same door system in a taller format, the Antoinette takes 18" logs in a compact firebox and the Frontenac 30" logs in 9.4 cubic feet.
It is not right if you are buying it to heat the house — Valcourt rates it for under 1,000 square feet as a supplementary heat source and requires a primary heat source in the home — and it is not for a mobile home. It needs at least 15 feet of 8" listed chimney above its base (20 feet with offsets), 84" of clear height above the base, 48" to anything combustible in front, and a non-combustible wall of cement board around it, so it is not a drop-in for a finished room without opening the wall. For a closed-door, high-efficiency wood fireplace that heats, look at Valcourt's EPA 2020 models such as the Lafayette II instead.
Specifications
The fireplace is 63-3/4" high, 63-1/8" wide and 31-3/4" deep overall and sits on a 62-5/8" x 31-3/4" footprint that usually needs no extra floor support. Frame it in 2" x 3" or heavier lumber with floor-to-ceiling studs, headers only where the facing and mantel need them, steel studs above the fireplace, and nothing combustible directly above it for 84" from its base; the framing, facing-panel and corner dimensions are drawn in Figures 19 to 24 on pages 20 to 24 of the installation manual. Keep combustibles 48" from the front, a side mantel (projecting 3" at most) 8-1/2" from the door opening, and a side wall 24" from it. A combustible shelf 6" deep sits 48" above the bottom of the fireplace — add 42" to the shelf depth for deeper shelves, so 8" at 50", 10" at 52" and 12" at 54". Floor protection runs at least 20" in front and 12" past each side of the opening, 69" x 20" minimum, with no R-value required and a sheet-metal joint at the fireplace. The chimney is an 8" listed system from the approved list, at least 15 feet from the bottom of the fireplace (20 feet with two or four offsets), with 2" to combustibles, or a masonry chimney relined with an 8" stainless liner.
How the St-Laurent compares to the Antoinette and Frontenac
Valcourt's three decorative fireplaces share the guillotine door and firescreen, the 4" fresh-air adapter and the same choice of narrow overlap or masonry trim. The St-Laurent is the wide, linear one — 6.4 cubic feet and 30" logs behind a 42" pane, EPA exempt, from $8,279. The Antoinette FP7D is the compact one, 5.3 cubic feet and 18" logs, from $6,374; the Frontenac FP11D is the largest, 9.4 cubic feet with 30" logs, from $8,899, and both of those are EPA Phase II qualified. Pick by the shape of the fire you want to look at.
Features
- Guillotine glass door and firescreen on a counterweight, opened with a removable handle — burn behind 42" x 13-13/16" ceramic glass or open behind the screen
- Linear format: a wide panoramic glass surface in an elongated rectangular shape, 63-1/8" wide overall
- A 6.4 cu ft firebox that takes 30" logs east-west on two cast-iron andirons, non-catalytic
- Finish it to the wall you build: a straight narrow overlap for tile and thin facing or a straight masonry trim flush with brick or stone, and contemporary moulded brick panels inside
- 8" chimney from a wide approved list — Ventis, Nexvent, DuraTech, DuraPlus, Selkirk, Security, Metal-Fab, American Metal — or a relined masonry chimney, 15 ft minimum
- 4" fresh-air adapter in the box, and tested for a gas lighter (27,000 BTU/h) or a gas log set (39,000 BTU/h) if you want gas ignition or gas logs later
Answers to common questions
What chimney does the St-Laurent need, and is any of it included?
It needs an 8" chimney and none of it ships with the fireplace — not even the 8" anchor plate the chimney starts from. Use a factory-built metal chimney listed to UL 103HT (USA) or ULC S629 / S-604 (Canada) from the approved list — Olympia/SBI Ventis and Nexvent, Selkirk CF Sentinel, Super Pro 2100 and Super Vent 2100, Security S-2100+, DuraVent DuraTech, DuraTech Canada, DuraTech Premium, DuraPlus HTC and DuraPlus AC, Metal-Fab Temp Guard, American Metal HS and HSS — we stock DuraVent. The system runs at least 15 feet from the bottom of the fireplace (20 feet with two or four offsets), ideally with 18" of straight chimney before any offset, keeps 2" from combustibles, extends 3 feet above the roof and 2 feet above anything within 10 feet, and vents nothing else. Some brands carry mandatory extras: a ventilated roof flashing for Ventis, Nexvent and DuraTech, an attic radiation shield for Security, and no attic enclosure for American Metal. An existing masonry chimney works too once a sweep has inspected it and it is relined with an 8" stainless liner.
How close can a wall, mantel or shelf sit, and what goes on the floor?
Keep anything combustible 48" from the front of the opening. A combustible side mantel can sit 8-1/2" from the door opening as long as it projects no more than 3", and a combustible side wall 24" from the door opening; the enclosure itself may touch the back, sides and floor of the fireplace. Above the fireplace nothing combustible sits within 84" of the base — that space is framed in steel studs — and a combustible shelf 6" deep goes 48" above the bottom of the fireplace (8" at 50", 10" at 52", 12" at 54"). The facing itself is non-combustible cement board finished in tile, brick or stone. On the floor, lay non-combustible protection at least 20" in front of and 12" past each side of the door opening — 69" by 20" minimum, no R-value required — never over carpet, and join it to the fireplace with sheet metal.
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: Guillotine ceramic-glass door (42" x 13-13/16", 5 mm) and sliding firescreen with the removable handle; Two painted cast-iron andirons; Two top standoffs with screws, in the firebox and manual kit; 4" fresh-air intake adapter for an optional outside-air connection; ULC-S610 / UL 127 safety listing and the Valcourt limited lifetime warranty.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Facing Trim - a straight narrow overlap for tile and thin facing, or a straight masonry trim for a flush brick or stone finish; one trim must be installed to complete the fireplace, and none ships with it (choose above); Refractory Panels - the contemporary moulded brick panels that line the firebox; the fireplace is not used without them, and they do not ship with it (choose above); Venting - an 8" listed factory-built chimney from the approved list (see pg 37 in the installation manual) or a lined masonry chimney; Non-combustible facing - cement board around the fireplace and the brick, stone or tile finish that the trim you choose is made for; Floor Protection - a non-combustible surface at least 20" in front of and 12" beyond each side of the door opening (69" x 20" minimum), no R-value required, joined to the fireplace with sheet metal.
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Optional: An outside-air connection (4" insulated pipe, wall termination and clamps, plus the fresh air intake register with airtight damper) and a gas lighter or gas log set within the tested inputs — the fireplace burns wood fully without any of them.
Which facing trim do I need, and why is it sold separately?
It depends on the wall you are building, which is why Valcourt sells the trim apart from the fireplace: a narrow overlap for thin facing material such as tile, or a masonry trim for a flush finish with brick or stone — both black, both straight to match the linear opening. The narrow overlap goes on last, pushed against the finished facing and screwed to the fireplace with four screws. The masonry trim goes on first — screwed to the fireplace with 16 screws before the cement board and the brick or stone are built up against its edge, and if that non-combustible material is thicker than 3/8" the trim is fitted before the fireplace is even set in place. Whichever you choose, check that the doors still slide freely, and keep mortar, acid and abrasives off its face.
Does it need an outside air supply?
Valcourt strongly recommends one, and some local authorities require it. A wood fire pulls combustion air out of the house, which in a tight home can starve a gas or oil furnace, lose to a range hood and push smoke back into the room. The fireplace already carries the 4" adapter for its left side (or the back, on the left); you add 4" insulated HVAC flex pipe (6" beyond 20 feet or more than two bends, 30 feet maximum) with an insulated P-trap, two clamps and an outside wall termination that draws from outdoors — never an attic, basement or garage — no higher than half the chimney height or 10 feet above the base and no lower than 3 feet below it. The optional intake register with airtight damper lets you close that duct when the fireplace is cold.
Can I burn it with the door open, or put gas logs in it?
Yes to both, within the limits Valcourt tested. Once the kindling fire is established you can run the fireplace behind the glass door or open behind the closed firescreen, as you prefer — never with the glass door partly open — with the chimney damper fully open the whole time it burns. Valcourt has tested the fireplace with a gas lighter of up to 27,000 BTU/h — with the lighter burning, close the screen and keep the glass door open — and with a gas log set of up to 39,000 BTU/h; the lighter or log set carries its own code requirements for the gas connection.
Does buying online affect my Valcourt warranty?
No. The warranty is Valcourt's and applies whichever trim and panels you choose; it runs from your dated sales invoice, so keep it and register the fireplace online at valcourtinc.com with the model name and serial number from the nameplate on the back. The Torch Guys will help you with any claim. Coverage is a limited lifetime on the combustion chamber welds, castings, convector air-mate and ceramic glass (4 years labour, one replacement), 5 years on the stainless components, trims and baffles, 3 years on carbon-steel firebox parts, glass retainers and the handle, and 1 year on paint, gaskets, insulation and refractory panels. It covers the original purchaser only and requires installation by an authorized qualified technician.
