Is this Micore????.....Close-up picture of Micore 300??...

[Intheswamp]

If someone has a piece of micore 300 laying around that they could take a closeup photo of and post it here I would appreciate it.

I'm having a terrible time finding anybody that knows what I'm talking about when I call them inquiring about it. I called a couple of fireplace shops and the two places that USG lists under L&W Supply down in the Florida panhandle and they didn't have a clue. So, I'm figuring that I might try hitting some the the HFH/Restore/Recycle centers up in Montgomery and see if I can stumble upon some office panels...I just need to actually be able to visually ID it when I see it.

So, anybody got some photogenic micore sitting around waiting to be a poster child?

Thanks!
Ed

 

[sugarloafer]

I have some left over from my install, but there's not much about it that would stand out in a photo. It's gray. From a distance it looks like the un-faced side of sheet rock. But it's soft. Feels almost as if it's made out of ground up paper. Cut's easily with a utility knife. Flexible, yet brittle – it will snap and crumble if bent too far.

I found my sheet by going to the manufacture's website and searching for distributors. Here's the link: http://www.gypsumsolutions.com/distributor/BrandDistributors.asp?brand=33

Looks like there's a distributor in Alabama, but up north in Huntsville. Maybe they'll ship to a local supplier near you.

If you are able to get a sheet, and you have to pick it up, be aware that it is not strong like plywood, or even sheet rock, and not suitable to be tied to a roof rack without support. Bring a sheet of plywood for the bottom and 2-3 two-by-fours, or plywood (something rigid to keep it from flexing up while driving) for the top. It's also quite soft, so you can cut it down to size with a utility knife at the supplier if that helps with transport.

If you really need a pic, I'll give it a shot.

 

[Wade A.]

I'm in Birmingham, and I found some at Colonial Fireplace in Pelham. I paid a premium for it, because the guy didn't have to sell it...they install furnaces, pre-fab units...but he was glad to. I was glad to find it, and would have paid more, so I guess that is what commerce is all about, right?

 

[Intheswamp]

Thanks for the reply, sugarloafer, and the description. I guess if it's a plain gray board then I can imagine what it looks like, no need for a photo. I saw the one listed up in Huntsville...about 250 miles from me. Shipping a single sheet of micor would probably cost more than the Micore. I may end up having to bite the bullet and get some of the 20" wide sheets shipped in to me. I shot an email off to a fellow but didn't realize he was in California...he has a $48 price on a 4x8 sheet....shipping would probably kill me and the sheet would be busted up pretty bad. Does piecing smaller sheets together work OK, you think?

Ed

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I had to call the manufacturer for it. They put me in touch with a local distributor.

Matt

 

[Intheswamp]

I'm in Birmingham, and I found some at Colonial Fireplace in Pelham. I paid a premium for it, because the guy didn't have to sell it...they install furnaces, pre-fab units...but he was glad to. I was glad to find it, and would have paid more, so I guess that is what commerce is all about, right?

That sounds mighty interesting there, ploughboy. I'll check'em out!

Ed

 

[DanCorcoran]

I posted this thread four days ago. It's titled, "Are You Looking for Micore for Your Hearth Pad?" The key to finding this stuff is to search for "stove boards", not hearth pads or stove pads.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/67372/

 

[Intheswamp]

I had to call the manufacturer for it. They put me in touch with a local distributor.

Matt

Howdy Matt. I emailed USG a little while ago, hopefully I'll get a reply soon. So for the distributors that they have listed that are reasonably close to me (125 miles of me) did't even know what it was.

Ed

 

[Intheswamp]

I posted this thread four days ago. It's titled, "Are You Looking for Micore for Your Hearth Pad?" The key to finding this stuff is to search for "stove boards", not hearth pads or stove pads.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/67372/

I had checked your post out, Dan. I'll check it out the next trick to Lowes and see what they have. I have an odd shaped area that I'm working with and a standard square/rectangle isn't going to cover what needs (for aesthetics) to be covered, thus the attempt at a custom pad.

Something else that I run into is that I'm in a fairly rural area....basically 60 miles to the nearest large city (Montgomery) which in truth is a small city...just bigger than the average around here.

Ed

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I had to call the manufacturer for it. They put me in touch with a local distributor.

Matt

Howdy Matt. I emailed USG a little while ago, hopefully I'll get a reply soon. So for the distributors that they have listed that are reasonably close to me (125 miles of me) did't even know what it was.

Ed

Mine didn't either. IIRC, the manufacturer told me the regional distributor, whom I called to get their local distributor. Then I had to get the local building supply to call the distributor for it.

I was able to order 2 sheets without a problem after I had the groundwork laid.

Matt

 

[Intheswamp]

I had to call the manufacturer for it. They put me in touch with a local distributor.

Matt

Howdy Matt. I emailed USG a little while ago, hopefully I'll get a reply soon. So for the distributors that they have listed that are reasonably close to me (125 miles of me) did't even know what it was.

Ed

Mine didn't either. IIRC, the manufacturer told me the regional distributor, whom I called to get their local distributor. Then I had to get the local building supply to call the distributor for it.

I was able to order 2 sheets without a problem after I had the groundwork laid.

Matt

Ah, looks like we have to go through the chain of command, eh? I'll wait and see if I get a response to my email in the morning and if not I'll make a few phone calls. Thanks for laying the scenario out for me, Matt.

Ed

 

[billbaehr]

Here ya go... a couple pics of Micore 300.

Note the identification markings in the first picture, These usually appear on only one area of a full 4'x8' sheet, so cut boards may not always have the markings on them. These identification markings tell you the date & time it was produced followed by the manufacturer and then the product id.

In the picture, the marking tells me that this board was manufactured on July 29th of 2010 at 23:20 (11:20 pm in military time). The manufacturer is USG and the product "Micore # 300".

Hope this helps!

 

[DanCorcoran]

Hearth core porn!

 

[cmonSTART]

Ok, do we seriously have an official Micore guy on here? Man this site is amazing.

 

[Arc_Dad]

I used N.C.F.R. board for my hearth and here is the website: http://www.homasote.com/products/NCFR-Homasote.aspx This is what the local building suppy had and maybe it'll be easier to find in your area too. The pic of the micore above looks identical to the NCFR board, I purchased and it has an R-value of 0.85 per 1/2 inch which was more than I needed. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Intheswamp]

I used N.C.F.R. board for my hearth and here is the website: http://www.homasote.com/products/NCFR-Homasote.aspx This is what the local building suppy had and maybe it'll be easier to find in your area too. The pic of the micore above looks identical to the NCFR board, I purchased and it has an R-value of 0.85 per 1/2 inch which was more than I needed. Good luck and have fun!

Uh, I'm not sure of the impact of this but here are a couple of quotes from the Homasote 550 MSDS located here... http://www.homasote.com/MSDS/Homasote_550_MSDS.pdf

"Section V – Fire Fighting Measures
Material is fire retardant, but flammable, not explosive.
Extinguishing Media: Water, carbon dioxide (CO2).
Special Risks: Combustion produces irritating and toxic fumes and gases, including carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Dust may explode at concentrations greater than 40 grams dust per cubic meter of air.
Special Protective Equipment: Self contained breathing apparatus recommended."

"Section X – Stability and Reactivity
Conditions to be Avoided: Conditions that could cause ignition or fire.
Substance to be Avoided: none known.
Hazardous Decomposition Product(s): Burning produces irritating and toxic smoke and fumes including paraffin wax fumes, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide."

 

[Intheswamp]

Thanks for the pics, Micoreguy. As cmonSTART asked...do we have a micore expert among us?

It's wild that you posted this being as I'll be picking up some micore in Birmingham tomorrow. We've gotta take our 1 month old grand daughter to the doctor and the stove shop is about a mile off of the interestate...we'll hit it on the way back.

Thanks again for the pics.
Ed

 

[Arc_Dad]

Intheswamp, Thanks for the info. I was told that this stuff would be just fine for a hearth. It's a good thing I don't have a 500#+ ZC fireplace and a couple hundred pounds of granite on top of that NCFS board. Oh wait, I do have those on top of the board as well as 2 stories of metal chimney that's all finished and about to be framed in. Great now what?

 

[Intheswamp]

Intheswamp, Thanks for the info. I was told that this stuff would be just fine for a hearth. It's a good thing I don't have a 500#+ ZC fireplace and a couple hundred pounds of granite on top of that NCFS board. Oh wait, I do have those on top of the board as well as 2 stories of metal chimney that's all finished and about to be framed in. Great now what?

Arc-Dad, check me out on that and be sure of what you have and that I'm reading the MSDS correctly. I really don't know what to tell you to do, I'm just a rank newbie here. I think I would stop construction until I know for sure what the truth about this situation is. I definitely hope that I'm not causing you to panic for nothing, but if there is something to this that you need to know I definitely want you to know it. In case you haven't looked through the MSDS, there are a few more remarks about fire/heat characteristics within the MSDS.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Arc_Dad]

Yeah, I'm not panicking. I just think it's too bad. I thought I had done my research. I spoke w/ supplier, checked out homasote's web site and even called them about using the product for a hearth. During all of that I never saw or heard a single thing about using this for a hearth as being a problem. I did think it was odd that there was no mention of hearths on their website, but I didn't see a lot of hearth info on Micore's site either. The other issue is that I think in reality this is likely still a safe set up. The product is good til 450 degrees, it's under 1-piece of 1.25" granite and will be trimmed with silicone good til 500 degrees and the applicance is a Zero Clearance fireplace. Oh and Swamp, I don't want to steal your thread, but sometimes this keeps it going.

 

[billbaehr]

Ok, do we seriously have an official Micore guy on here? Man this site is amazing.

I don't work for USG, so I guess that makes me the "unofficial" Micore Guy. I do have the cell number for their Northeast Regional Sales Rep.. I've installed maybe 20 wood stoves using Micore and have used it as insulation between kitchen stoves and surrounding cabinets. I also supply local contractors and hardware stores that don't want to carry a large inventory and have listings on eBay and Craigslist.

 

[billbaehr]

I used N.C.F.R. board for my hearth and here is the website: http://www.homasote.com/products/NCFR-Homasote.aspx This is what the local building suppy had and maybe it'll be easier to find in your area too. The pic of the micore above looks identical to the NCFR board, I purchased and it has an R-value of 0.85 per 1/2 inch which was more than I needed. Good luck and have fun!

I looked at Homasote as well, but when I asked the manufacturer specifically about the "flame retardant" properties, they stated that although it meets the criteria for that designation, it contains a form of paraffin wax as a binder and therefore is combustible at high temperatures and will give off a nasty, noxious odor as it smolders. Flame Retardant designation only requires that the material not immediately catch fire when exposed to a direct flame. Doesn't mean it won't eventually. What most building codes and insurance companies require is the "non-combustible" designation. Homasote does not have that.

In a similar fashion, not all cement board is appropriate for stove hearths or surrounds. Some manufacturers are adding plastic binding material to make it stronger and lighter. Just fine for a back splash, underlay or tub surround... but not at all for high heat areas because it will release noxious, carcinogenic fumes into your home.

I guess my point is that, when it comes to something as potentially dangerous as fire, you should always ask for a copy of the manufacturer's specifications and MSDS sheets to verify that the material meets is appropriate for your purposes. All of the home supply stores are required by OSHA to have them on hand in a binder, usually at the contractor services desk. If they tell you they don't, then either they are being lazy or don't know where it is. Either way, you should just walk away and contact the manufacturer directly. Much better being safe than sorry.

 

[firefighterjake]

I hope you stick around MicoreGuy . . . I suspect your advice and knowledge would be very welcome here.

 

[Arc_Dad]

Thank You MicoreGuy. I just got off the phone with the homasote company (makers of NCFR) and Kozy Heat (maker of Fireplace). Bottom line is my install is ok. There should not be a next time, but if there was I'd use micore. Bottom line is w/ a ZC fireplace I could even put this thing right on wood and be ok. The issue is right in front of fireplace. I won't be having any fires in front and if I did I imagine the wood trim or flooring would ignite long before the NCFS which that is under 1.25 inches of solid granite and has fire retardant properties.

 

[billbaehr]

Glad to hear that you double checked and it turned out okay!

Your largest concern in front of the fireplace is ember protection. Most inspectors like to see a non-combustible material extending 10" or 18" (I forget which) out in front of the opening to catch any embers that might pop out unexpectedly. This is especially important if you have carpet in the area... but it will also prevent an ember from scorching your nice hardwood floors.

It may sound like paranoia, but I've had many logs pop and spit large embers at me the exact moment I opened the stove door. A fireplace matt should have you covered. It doesn't have to have radiant heat protection... it just needs to catch an ember without catching fire.

As always, check with your insurance company and building inspector or fire marshal to see if there are requirements in your area.