sq ft of tile for hearth etc

[Adios Pantalones]

Folks that have built their own hearths- what is about the avg sq footage of base area that you needed, and about how much wall coverage (for those that needed it)?

 

[daveswoodhauler]

AP, glad to see you back.
One in my last house was only 15-16 sq feet on the base....stove was a small Jotul 3CB.
I like the larger hearths where you can keep wood racks and pokers, etc...

 

[edthedawg]

Mine was about 24 sq ft, minus the corner cuts.

FYI - Safe gamble is about 10-20% extra tile for the purchase.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Thanks- it's good to be here. Strangely enough, I have less time now that I'm unemployed.

I'm trying to work out some standard package of tile that I could make for installations. It would be more expensive (hand making tiles), but pretty cool.

 

[moosetrek]

Base = about 28 square feet
Wall = about 27.5 square feet
Total of about 56, plus some extra for cutting, etc. and a couple to keep on hand "just in case".
We used 13x13 tile with 3/16 spacing.
Good luck and enjoy!

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Thats a real good idea, and I think that you would have a good market base.
Materials not too expensive, and customers could mix/match if they want. (Unless they want tile imported from Italy)
I was thinking that making these would be a good idea when I made mine....just dont have the time though....I don't think a lot of folks lke the prefab ones.
Good luck.

 

[mayhem]

I think my main pad is about 24-25 square feet and the lower level is about 6-8.

I too have toyed with the idea of making them for homeowners. They can mix and amtch it any way they want to and its really fairly simple work.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I mean making the actual tile (as in forming and firing the clay), then packaging them. I could precut and number them I suppose.

 

[edthedawg]

It sounds like a neat idea but would there be that much market for it really? You'd wind up limiting yourself to predetermined shapes, and we see these ones above are all kinds of different custom shapes.... not tryin' to rain on your parade, sorry.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Actually- they're normally squares that get cut. Predetermined shape = square

 

[Bobbin]

This one required about 25 sq.ft.. The tiles are 13"x13". I had only pcs. left over and I believe you are supposed to add an extra 10% for a diagonal pattern. I did not because it was clear that getting the cut pcs. would yield the "scrap" I needed for the smaller cuts. I was VERY careful when I cut the tiles. (I used Conproco Structural Skin over the basic masonry block chimney, skim coated with drywall compound, and painted it).

This is before I grouted:

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Some talented mofos on this site. Nice installs!

 

[Vic99]

AP, bring your tile plan up on the car ride next week if I forget.

 

[karl]

I saw your pottery work on your site Paul. That stuff is beautiful. I bet you could make some great tiles. I have been playing around with the same idea using concrete.

 

[fossil]

If you want to make & market tile, then by all means, make and market tile. I bet you'd make some beautiful stuff. Marketing it specifically as "Hearth Kits", or stove-related seems to me to be kind of limiting your potential base. Tile is pretty much tile, and has essentially unlimited applicability. The home-built hearths and wall installations we see on here are pretty much one-off creations, tailored to the appliance and the location. I'm not sure you could really standardize that. Each installation would call for some appropriate number of square feet, different from lots of others. Make great tiles and sell 'em by the square foot or by the tile, maybe. Rick

 

[wendell]

This doesn't show all of it but i have 72 sq. ft. on the walls and 52 sq ft on the floor. My splitter partner is a tile artist. Very impressive stuff!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Fossil- it wouldn't be for installs only, but could easily be packaged as such, or marketed through stove shops rather than the normal pottery or tile avenues. The woodfired look would be a natural complement for a hearth, I think.

Thanks Karl.