Attempting a DIY Slate Hearth Pad for New Stove

Hello everyone. I have an opportunity to get a free hand-me-down Vermont Castings Aspen stove to install in the corner of the living room in the new house I just bought. I've been reading through posts on this forum for DIY hearth ideas and this community is an outstanding resource. I've never built a hearth pad before, or laid tile, so I figured that I'd document my experience here for anyone else looking to do the same. I also thought that posting my thoughts and progress would invite good recommendations from the knowledgeable forum members.

Here's a photo of the location where the stove is going to be installed (I don't have the stove yet - it's coming in a couple weeks). The cardboard cutout is the 16"x23" footprint and the painters tape is roughly where the pad will sit. You can see that it's going to be a little wonky with the radiator right there, but this is really the best spot given the orientation of the room. The bookshelf is just freestanding and is obviously going to come out.



Per the stove's manual (p. 13), the bottom shield provides the heat protection and the pad is there for spark and ember protection. There is only 3" of clearance under the radiator so I'd like to make the pad thin-ish. My design is slate tile on top of 1/2" hardieback on top of 1/2" plywood on top of the hardwood floor. I'll have to cut around two sets of radiator legs as well as the pipe that feeds the radiator. There isn't going to be any shield on the wall so I will set the rear corners 15" from the baseboard trim (manual says a minimum of 13"). The front of the pad will be 16.5" from the front of the stove footprint (manual says a minimum of 16").

One thing I'm unsure of is how to finish the face of the pad. My neighbor is a professional tiler so I'm going to end up borrowing his tools and he's got a wetsaw. I was thinking I might cut lengths of slate and run them around the perimeter on the vertical face. This would probably look better than trimming it with wood, especially when it is grouted.

Part 1 is done. Overall it is a 5'x5' pad not including the chamfered corner - oversized based on the recommendations here. It's an old house and nothing is at right angles, so I used the wall opposite the radiator for setting out since it has a clean sight line down the length (and so you'll want to see the grout lines parallel to the wall). I spent Easter measuring and applying the two layers. The first is 19/32" plywood (one 4'x8' sheet, cut into pieces) and its screwed down to the hardwood. The second layer is 1/2" Durock and the joints are staggered since those sheets come in 3'x5'. The Durock pieces were all measured, cut to fit, and loose laid over the plywood. Once I was satisfied that I had all the Durock puzzle pieces properly arranged, I removed them and mixed up the thinset. Working piece-by-piece, I applied the thinset, placed the piece, and screwed it down to the plywood. I couldn't get screws into the plywood or Durock under and behind the radiator, but this area won't be trafficked so I'm not too worried. Hoping the thinset will hold and keep it solid under there. Cutting the ply and cement board to fit around the radiator legs and pipe was a PITA but it's done now.



I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The two pieces are nice and flush on the faces which should make finishing easy. I'm now debating what type of tiled surface I want. Cost is certainly a consideration, but I want something that will look the business and give that corner some character. I originally thought slate but that might be too dark.

xman23 said:

The construction and thickness of the hearth will help with the best way to do the edge detail. I do like your idea of a cut slate vertical boarder. Consider the top slate slightly overhangs the border. What type of slate finish are you using. If you end up with a exposed cut edge, you can get the stone roughened up to match the other surfaces.

I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a seamless edge. I did the hearth before installing the hard wood floors. On the sub floor I nailed down stucco screening. The pavers were set on the screening. The limestone boarder were undercut 3/4" vertically. The hardwood slide under the stone. So the hearth is 3/4" thicker than what you see.

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I like the idea and the look of that limestone! How has it held up?

begreen said:

It's great that the stove was given to you but perhaps consider making the hearth pad a bit oversized in case the stove doesn't work out well. The Aspen was not a great stove. If it needs work you may want to replace it with something better. Making the hearthpad a bit more generous will give you some wiggle room in the future.

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Excellent advice! I oversized the pad a little bit (several inches in each direction) in case I want to expand. I can also add a wall shield in the future if need be. Out of curiosity, what is "not great" about the Aspen? Like you said, it's free so I'm not going to quibble. Apparently it has a few rusty spots on it. Is there a product (polish, paint?) that you would recommend?