DIY plans for a hearth?

[Thomaswv]

Does anyone have a good DIY plan to share for a hearth? I have two lovely pieces of soapstone (old pizza trays) that are 2'x3' and 2 inches thick. My plan is to lay them down for the hearth. Should I lay cement board down first? Is soapstone ok for this? Are there any good 'how to' plans that I could look at to make this myself over the weekend? I'm getting a Jotul Black Bear.

 

[Jags]

Thomas, this is kind of a hard one to respond to. The reason is that different stoves require different R values for the hearth pad. So basically what I am saying is: what works for your stove, may not work for the next one, or the one that I have designed may not meet your stoves requirements. It really is not a cookie cutter project.

 

[InTheRockies]

The soapstone sounds lovely, but I'm not sure how durable they'd be when you get the weight of the stove on them. Maybe someone can weigh in on using soapstone for a hearth. What type and size of stove are you installing?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

While the soapstone would certainly stop any sparks that may fall to the floor you will also have to deal with any heat that may radiate down through them to the floor and joists below. The drying that goes on all season long could cause them to ignite. You should find out what the manufacturers guidelines for the stove are and see if the soapstone fits.

Soapstone is pretty soft. You may be able to repair scratches with some mineral oil, but I'm not sure if the stone would still look good after a few years.

Matt

 

[BurningIsLove]

I have a solid piece of slate (2") on top of a 2" concrete foundation. With the previously mentioned caveats, make sure this is a safe design for your stove. With my stove which has a well designed bottom heat shield, the slate is barely warm to the touch even after hours of burning, and the temp probes of the joists below show no danger.

 

[begreen]

Welcome Thomas. It should work if well supported. What is the stove make and model? That will determine what is built up under the soapstone top layer.

Edit, just caught that this is a Jotul F118. Is it a new model or the old style? If a new model it should have a bottom heat shield. That makes the requirement minimal, just a non-combustible surface. Be sure that the joints between slabs are filled.