Just ripped out the old 80's hearth and updating it... pouring concrete for the new hearth floor NEE

[stevekon]

Hello,

OK This is the project. We are remodeling our living room where our wood stove is and we're replacing the hearth (Floor part only) the back is now exposed to the rest of the room so there is no wall behind the wood stove.

We would like to pour concrete for the hearth in an area thats about 4X4 and we'll stain and polish it to make it look cool.

My questions are: :exclaim:
What type of concrete should I use?
How thick should it be?
Do i need to reinforce it with anything - if so with what?
We're pouring it on OSB - how should I prep the surface of the floor?

Another Question :exclaim:
The wood stove is in a corner and there are 3 posts at each of the corners (directly behind and on both sides) They are far enough away from the wood stove per manufacturer's specs but do i need to use special sheet rock that's fire resistant behind it?

Thank You very much

 

[begreen]

I can answer the last question, but the others are more construction related. Thickness of the hearth may depend on the stove. What's going in?

If the posts meet mfg. specified clearances, you are golden, no worries.

 

[skinanbones]

when pouring concrete i personally like to use a metal lathe on top of osb and pour at least 2 inches to hopefully stop any cracking. As to what the codes requires i'm not sure what it is in the usa but here in canada it's 3/8 of a inch non combustable. As for firerated drywall it's just that, it's still considered a compbustable due to the paper surface. Cement board spaced out a inch to allow airflow would create a heatsheild that would allow you to reduce clearances if needed