SANTA ANA, CA. (December 12, 2006) - In the highly competitive new home market, builders strive to deliver top quality homes with strong consumer appeal while maintaining healthy profit margins and reputable work. To help give builders this advantage, DESA Hearth Products has introduced an innovative masonry technology under its Fmi® (Fireplace Manufacturers Inc.) and Vanguard® brands. Mosaic Masonry Technology is a process for lining a manufactured fireplace chassis with traditional masonry firebrick, enabling builders to install luxurious, true-brick fireplaces at a fraction of the time and cost of site-built masonry.

Fireplaces currently rank among the three most highly demanded household amenities and boost the property value of a typical home by an average of $12,000.00, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The timeless elegance of masonry fireplaces is especially desirable in high-end luxury homes. However, installing a site-built brick fireplace is a tedious, labor-intensive and time-consuming endeavor that tends to burn up a builder's revenue. Factory-built, hand-finished hearth products built using Mosaic Masonry Technology enable builders to satisfy consumer demand for old-world craftsmanship, but at new market profitability.

Mosaic Masonry fireplaces consist of large, factory-built, zero-clearance fireplaces lined with stainless steel template panels on the inner walls and hearth. The Mosaic firebricks are pre-cut and labeled to securely snap into corresponding templates. They are then grouted in place to create an elegant masonry-finished structure. The UL 127 listed, factory-built units are lab-tested and certified for guaranteed consistency and performance, alleviating the risk of non-tested, non-certified products. And due to Mosaic's unique ease of assembly, a trained installer can finish one, complete with venting, in about half a day, making them nearly half the system-cost of site-built fireplaces.

"Mosaic Masonry Technology was developed to provide the high-end housing market with a factory-built, true-masonry product," explains Mark Klein, President of DESA Hearth Products. "The hand-grouted finish reflects time-honored brickwork, while the pre-engineered chassis makes installation more time and cost effective."

"With four years of strong market demand for our masonry technology, we are confident that the Mosaic will set new standards for quality and efficient installation and grow as the platform for a variety of masonry products," says Klein.

Fmi currently uses Mosaic Masonry Technology in their "Georgian" and "Portofino" models, while the Vanguard brand uses it in their "Premium Masonry" Fireplaces. All models are available in 36" 42" or 50".- Additionally, Fmi will soon introduce the 48-inch "Plantation" Mosaic Masonry fireplace with an amazing 42" tall opening that sits flush to the floor for a rich, traditional look.

Mosaic-built fireplaces are among the deepest and tallest on the market, which are especially attractive in homes with 10' to 12' ceilings, and are wood-burning or plumbed for gas. Installing- distributors alleviate the stress of installation for the builders, and help them meet tight deadlines in an industry where each extra day can cost thousands of dollars.

Mosaic Masonry fireplaces are currently being featured in many fine home developments across the country. Louie Falco, of Spokane, Washington, installs an average of two Mosaic fireplaces a day in prestigious golf course communities like Coeur d'Alene, Idaho's Black Rock development. Reporting overwhelmingly positive feedback from builders, Falco says, "You can't distinguish the finished Mosaic Masonry work from site-built - they're tall, classy fireplaces. And when the builder learned they cost half of any alternative he could have installed, he asked, 'Why would we use anything else?'"

With thirty years in the hearth trade, Ingrid Carter, of Nashville Fireplace, is an industry expert who has had tremendous success with installing Mosaic fireplaces in unique applications. "The builders I work with tell me masonry is a dying art," reports Carter. "It's getting tougher to find skilled masons to work on site-built fireplaces, and most builders can't afford the time and expense. The finished Mosaic Masonry fireplaces are able to keep true masonry alive in a way that's accessible and profitable to builders."

Carter recently installed Mosaic fireplaces in a high-rise luxury condominium. The lightweight characteristics of Mosaic-built hearth structures make it possible to install the units on upper floors without additional reinforcements. Their versatility and ease of installation have also made Mosaic fireplaces a hot trend for creative placement in second homes and home remodeling projects. While the family and living room are still the leading locations for the hearth, Mosaic Masonry fireplaces are easily and economically installed in trendy outdoor rooms, the kitchen, en suite bathrooms and even bedrooms.

With the assurance of consistent aesthetics and performance in the fireplace built using Mosaic Masonry Technology, builders can focus on increasing profit margins and creating beautiful homes. Homeowners, in the meantime, can enjoy the charm of a classic masonry fireplace.

Editor's note: For more information and to interview a builder or independent dealer/distributor, please contact Dave Racine at: dave@caffeinecomm.com Please direct any leads to Darin Klein at 714-549-4759.