Hearth pad suggestions

[skinnykid]

Well I was gonna build a nice raised hearth with all the fixins but Me, my G/F and the carpenter (BIL) finally agree on how to put an addition onto my house next spring. So during the construction we will be taking out a divider wall and centrally locating the Jotul. So now I need just a pad (moveable) for this winter. Any one have a bead on nice pads for good money? The one I need now is a corner pad, I will need a regular one when and if the stove gets moved. We got a super deal on the house, land and lake rights, we just need to add a bedroom so we can be here for longer/forever

 

[kork]

You can probably build one for under $100.00 with 2x4 cement board and some cheapo tile from a big box store. Check you owners manual, I beleive it says that the stove must be sitting on a none flamable surface (tile& cement board).

 

[CarbonNeutral]

There is some ambiguity in the f500 manual, but the implication in the main section is that non-combustible will do - no R-value rating - even just the cement board could do (though apparently one type is not useful as it has some combustible filler material.

 

[Highbeam]

The proper cement board is durock or wonderboard. These are both actual concrete with a mesh inside for strength. There is another material called hardibacker that is also used for tile work and it is not good for this application. Getting through the winter and only needing non-combustible ember protection I would make a pad consisting of a layer of 3/4" plywood, one layer of durock, and then tile of your choice for looks. Trim the edges of the pad with whatever you want, or nothing. You could even omit the tile if you wanted so long as you properly tape and fill the joints between the durock sheets. The tile looks way better though and is cheap. Good practice.

 

[skinnykid]

Great, thanks for the tips!