firefighterjake said:RE: Stoves . . . ah, not all stoves look the same . . . sure if you want a traditional matte black cast iron stove you can get one . . . or a flat black steel stove . . . but many folks find the soapstone stoves or the enameled stoves to be mighty pretty . . . and some say it becomes a focal point of their home . . . especially in the winter. Myself, I went with a matte black stove . . . a) it was cheaper, b) it was available right then . . . however if I had to do anything different I might have sprung for the fancier looking stove.
RE: Hearth . . . all free standing stoves still need a hearth . . . well unless they're built right on a concrete pad . . . the hearth (also known as the hearth pad) protects the area from the heat radiating from the bottom of the stove in some cases and protects nearby combustible flooring (i.e. wood floor, carpeting, etc.) from errant sparks, embers or the coals which sometimes roll out of the stove.
Yeah, we gotta do some homework on hearth designs after "we" decide which stove to get.
-Emt1581