Remodeling my fireplace / hearth

[mtcates]

I want my hearth the level of my floor. It was 12 inches high. Look at the picture below. The former owners burned a wood stove and there is creosote everywhere. Thats why I had the chimney cleaned and a liner put in. My question is, I want to put my new stove stove partially in the firebox. Probably an Englander 30. I want to cover the firebrick on the back and sides of the fireplace to make it look better and cover the thin layer of creosote on the brick and the mortar joints. I wonder if I could just nail a metal lath up and just stucco it with an inch mortar layer. Maybe just cover it with stone over the lath. What do you guys do? I'll probably make the floor level hearth go back and cover the floor of the firebox with the same material. What do you think. Give me some ideas. It's going to be burning season in a month.

 

[madison]

I want my hearth the level of my floor. It was 12 inches high. Look at the picture below. The former owners burned a wood stove and there is creosote everywhere. Thats why I had the chimney cleaned and a liner put in. My question is, I want to put my new stove stove partially in the firebox. Probably an Englander 30. I want to cover the firebrick on the back and sides of the fireplace to make it look better and cover the thin layer of creosote on the brick and the mortar joints. I wonder if I could just nail a metal lath up and just stucco it with an inch mortar layer. Maybe just cover it with stone over the lath. What do you guys do? I'll probably make the floor level hearth go back and cover the floor of the firebox with the same material. What do you think. Give me some ideas. It's going to be burning season in a month.

cover the floor? I hope it is a concrete slab (which it does not look like in the picture), otherwise, you better read up on the specs for the stove (specifically R value for the hearth) you are planning on purchasing prior to constructing the hearth. Some stoves need only ember protection, some need specific R valued hearths....

we had a brick hearth covered with stone, and he did exactly as you intend, pop nailed the metal lathe to the brick, mortered and (cultured) stoned to lathe.

 

[mtcates]

The hearth 12 inches in front of the actual chimney is on the foundation of the chimney. I'm only going to have the stone hearth over the chimney foundation. The floors will be hardwood. in front of the hearth. I will set the wood stove half in and half out of the firebox on the new floor level hearth.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Without even getting into minimum r value of the hearth, you also need at a MINIMUM, more per some stoves, and some local codes, 16" of permanent ember protection in front of the glass, or any side loading door. Long before you choose your hearth and flooring, you need to know what stove you intend to use. Assuming that connection shown in your first post is for the new stove, you are going to need a lot more than the area of the fireplace foundation...

EDIT: and they make products for cleaning firebrick..

 

[oconnor]

We poured concrete into the area similar to yours after we expanded the hearth by removing some of the hardwood and subfloor. We framed in the area between the joists from the basement, and hand tooled and colored the cement to look like stone. You can see the build in my links below.

So long as you only need ember protection that would be enough. Also, if you leave the floor of the fireplace higher than the floor in front, you may reduce your need for any R value requirements, as some stove give clearances that take into consideration a raised hearth (i.e. leave it raised under the stove, but not in front of it.)

That, and you won't have to bend over so far

Many stoves only require ember protection - I recommend you check the stove's requirements in advance and choose one that won't need any specific R values.

 

[mtcates]

Thanks guys. You have given me some ideas.