A firewood rack is an enclosure in which you store wood to be used in your fireplace or wood-burning stove. Every firewood rack is designed for its basic purpose: to organize the firewood while in storage; to keep the firewood clean and dry; and to keep critters out of your firewood. There are two basic types of firewood racks; although the designs are similar some are for interior use and others are for exterior use.
An outdoor firewood rack can be as simple as a stacked out area where you stack up your firewood and kindling - it doesn't have to be fancy. There are companies that manufacture several different types of outdoor firewood racks. One type of firewood rack comes as a kit with posts to place into the ground to form a firewood rack of varying dimensions - all you need to do is go to your local hardware or home improvement store and pick up the tubes that run vertically between the posts to keep your wood from toppling over. Many firewood racks made for outdoor use come with covers to keep any debris and rain off your wood.
You can also buy a firewood rack for indoor use. An interior firewood rack, also called a "log rack," is smaller and more decorative but still highly functional. An indoor firewood rack can be made of a wide variety of materials, such as metal, acrylic or wood. You can purchase a firewood rack that is decorated in a wide range of motifs - from decorator touches such as fancy scrollwork to big game animal themes such as bears or elk.
An interior firewood rack can vary in dimension from those that can store a dozen logs or so, to the larger versions that can accommodate over a hundred logs. You can purchase a firewood rack at many home improvement stores, fireplace specialty shops, or online at firewood rack or fireplace suppliers.
Because the majority of people only use their fireplaces for a small portion of the year, it is important to keep your firewood clean and dry for next season. An interior firewood rack performs those functions - and it doesn't have to be tucked out of sight during the warmer months. Firewood racks offer valuable functionality but they are also an easy way to give a home some rustic charm.