Wrestling with the mantel shield problem. I've noticed a cool looking glass hearth pad (Morso) before and the idea popped into my head to use glass as a mantel shield. I have an antique mantel that will require a fair amount of shielding and I think glass will look much better than metal, especially the shiny, black stuff available online. Called my local glass guy and he says that tempered glass is rated up to 400 degrees and they can cut it and drill it easily. I'm thinking of getting some brackets made to hold it in place and basically lining my mantel with glass (one inch space between glass and mantel). I talked to Woodstock and they thought it would work, as stove running temp is usually 400 to 600 range and there would be 12" of air space (or more) between stove and glass. Any thoughts, suggestions, comments would be appreciated. Trying to balance aesthetics with safety, with safety holding the trump card.
