Hearth Reconstuction advice

[Match Girl]

I have the next couple of weeks to reconstruct my hearth before I have a Lopi 1750i installed. I'm not exactly sure the best way to go about it.

Right now, there is standard sized firebrick mortared inside the metal firebox. Then it steps down to what was left after i busted out a broken hearth from the 40's... Leaving behind the structural hearth cement slab... This extends out 9" from the outside Brick wall of fireplace. The 1750i will extend out to that point. The green tape represents how far out I will need to go with my non combustible material, another 16 inches. The greatest depth of the front half of house is 11 1/2 ft, so more narrow than this where fireplace is. For this reason i am hoping to make that 16inch extension as close to flush with the floor as i can. I got one of those multipurpose tools to cut that space down a couple layers.

Big question: I either need to build up the cement slab area to reach the height of the firebrick, or i need to remove the firebrick and resurface the whole slab. My style is rustic industrial... So I'm not looking for anything super fancy, but rather more earthy/artsy.

I thought about slate tiles... Or picking from piles of cast away stone at my local stone company (definitely on a budget) for the upper hearth... And then something thinner for the remaining 16inch extension... Totally open to suggestions!

In your experience, am i better off with a smooth surface (tile) that is easier to sweep (unlike the uneven surface of slate or raw stone)? Or doesn't it really matter? Ever see sheet metal used on floor? What would you use if you were starting over?

Then with the brick chimney... That was the best i could clean it after many cleaning tactics... If i decide not to put the surround on... Then maybe I'll paint it to coordinate with the other materials I choose.

I would love your thoughts! Thanks!

 

[firefighterjake]

I went with slate . . . it works well enough, but ash and bits of wood still get "caught" in the grout lines. I went with slate though since I had been given several free boxes so it saved me some money. I sometimes wonder if I would have gone with a granite, soapstone, etc. hearth for a very smooth finish . . . I think it would have had a clean look, but I kinda like the more rustic look of the slate as it goes with the look of the house.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I did a search on “sheet metal hearth pad” and pulled up an old thread from this site that I thought might interest you. It’s discussing a different stove, but one of the responders has a nice description of what he did. Also, the Lopi manual specifies a non-combustible hearth with a minimum thickness of .018” (26 gauge), so it looks like it would be allowed. You’d just have to figure out how to do it if that’s what you wanted.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/sheet-metal-hearth-pad.100970/

 

[Woody5506]

I used slate tiles for my hearth pad, I don't find much issue cleaning them but I'm not really sweeping, I do a weekly vacuuming with a shop vac.

 

[yooper08]

If it were me, I wouldn't resurface the entire hearth all the way into the fireplace. I would just do the part you've uncovered and the extension you need.

Have you given any thought to the wood tile? There are rustic wood tile designs out there, not sure if you can find one that closely matches or compliments your current floor. I do like the idea of slate tile and you can find relatively smooth slate. You can sweep it daily/as needed and then a weekly vacuum.

I don't know that I'd go with a metal hearth though, at least in this case. I don't have your insert, but I wonder how hot to the touch it would get vs. tile.

 

[Match Girl]

Thank you so much everyone! I appreciate all your input!... I checked out what my local tile store had and what Menards had... I think I should finish uncovering the floor area that I have to do before my final decision. I think I agree with the hardware and tile people when they thought I shouldn't do anything that has a lot of pattern or color variation to it being that my flooring is also kind of busy in a multi colored wood grain sort of way. I think I'm drawn to your basic dark grey slate. It reminds me of the rocks on the shores of Lake Superior here... And there is nothing fancy about my house... So I think the raw look will be best! It just feels like a bit of a daunting task to start because I don't want to screw anything up. But I've been in this boat before, so I just better start rowing it!☺
Tomorrow I'm going to uncover the rest of that flooring and see where it leads me.

 

[Match Girl]

I would love to see pictures of anybody's slate tile hearth!.... any thoughts on making my brick face of the fireplace look nice?

 

[yooper08]

Well if you're on Superior, all the more reason you should definitely go with dark grey slate.

As for the brick face, could do a wash on it to continue the rustic theme.