Hi all,
I bought a used Vermont Castings Intrepid II on ebay. It will fit in my fireplace, I can buy the conversion kit to hook it up. I come to you with questions about flooring. The fireplace has a lovely brick hearth. Manual says very clearly that IF this hearth is over wood it need to be protected with something “like 1.4 inch non-asbestos mineral board”. I definitely need to extend the clearances around this hearth AND on the hearth. Whatever I lay down, first I’ll have to put something that is quarter-inch thick on the wood floor around the hearth to bring it up to level and then lay another surface over everything to match clearances required.
So what to use? What would be aesthetically pleasing? Tile over the brick won’t work so well?
I’m a bit stumped, so am grateful for help you have to offer.
Thanks
Replies
Here, the standard for woodstove installation over a wood floor is 2" of solid concrete. (It doesn't have to have ventilation space under it for the floor; wall shields do.)
We usually accomplish that by building a form out of finish-grade 1x3 screwed vertically to the floor (counterbore & plug the screw holes), lining it with galvanised flashing metal (to prevent leaks into the floor during the pour), placing concrete patio tiles so as to fill as much of the space as possible (saves mix) , and then pouring concrete to fill the rest of the space. Then we float it, using the top of the form as the screed.
If you're going to set tile or stone on the hearth, you can lay it directly in the concrete once it starts to set up a bit, but in that case float the concrete below the top of the form so the surface of your tile/stone is flush with it when you're all done.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
I'd lay down a few layers of hardibacker and tile over that. Something like a slate would be my choice.
I have seen a very clean setup whereas the tile guy used some 1-1/2" steel angle, carefully mitered and welded into the shape that fit the area (a half octagon, whatever that's called), with the thin portion of the angle pointing up making a nice smooth rim. Then backerboard and tile was installed inside the steel rim. Much cleaner than tiling the 1" edge down to wood.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Check your instructions again, I think mine called out a non combustible surface with a minimum R value. I used Micore 300(mineral board) tile backer and tile.