I just moved into a new(to me) house and the room I'm going to install the woodstove in has no flooring laid. Is rug an option or a bad idea? I like rug floors and this is where my family and I will spend most of our time. Are there fire resistant rugs? Am I better off with hardwood/laminant and an area rug? What think ye?
Flooring options for room w/stove?
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The room can have any sort of flooring you want to put in it...just keep in mind that the stove will require a protective hearth beneath it and extending out on all sides. I would not install such a hearth on top of carpet. If I wanted carpet in the room, I'd build the hearth first, then carpet up to it. The exact dimensions and insulative quality of the hearth are specified by the stove manufacturer. If you have an old stove with no documentation, then you have to default to the specs laid out in NFPA 211. Rick
Rick is right on, good advice.
One other note based on previous experience when we had carpet near the stove, I would consider having a small hearth rug, in front of the actual stove hearth, on top of the main carpet, especially if the wall to wall is low-pile carpet. The hearth rug can be removed in the non-burning season. The reason being that occasionally there will be wood that pops and sparks, sometimes with surprising results. We've had embers spit out of the door when loading or adjusting logs that went 3+ feet. If there is a normal carpet there, you can get a divot if the ember melts the synthetic fibers. After a few years, the unprotected carpet can start looking lightly cratered. Also, ash removal can be messy sometimes and the hearthrug offers a bit more protection in case there is a little spill. (It happens.)
One other note based on previous experience when we had carpet near the stove, I would consider having a small hearth rug, in front of the actual stove hearth, on top of the main carpet, especially if the wall to wall is low-pile carpet. The hearth rug can be removed in the non-burning season. The reason being that occasionally there will be wood that pops and sparks, sometimes with surprising results. We've had embers spit out of the door when loading or adjusting logs that went 3+ feet. If there is a normal carpet there, you can get a divot if the ember melts the synthetic fibers. After a few years, the unprotected carpet can start looking lightly cratered. Also, ash removal can be messy sometimes and the hearthrug offers a bit more protection in case there is a little spill. (It happens.)
Wood storage near the stove is another thing just to think about. Wood be messy. Dirt, bark scraps & shavings, ashes, etc - it'll all get on the floor around the stove. I don't know that I'd rely on just a regular sized hearth and/or hearth rug to protect the area and make it easily cleanable...
I would concur with all of the above sentiments . . . to summarize . . . carpets OK as long as you use the right sized hearth and hearth specs and a specific hearth rug is a good idea for the mess of ashes, firewood and occasional hot embers or sparks that might land on the carpet.
I like our hardwood near the stove for cleanup purposes. I can't imagine trying to get the bits of bark and dirt out of carpet every day - and I am just not careful enough to avoid dropping things off the wood when I carry it in and move it around the stove. So - if you go with carpet, I would plan an extra large hearth so that you can lay your wood down on it as you prepare to load etc. Consider when you are about to open the door and feed the fire it is nice to have 'staged' the splits right there in easy reach so you can just open the door, feed all the splits in, then close the door. I certainly don't like to go back and forth to my log rack as I feed. A hard surface is very easy to sweep up and then suck up with a dust buster...
Beyond this extra bit of explanation, I agree with the above comments.
Beyond this extra bit of explanation, I agree with the above comments.
Yeah, in our home we have hardwood flooring that cost me an arm & leg, and I don't want embers landing on it. Stove's on a generously sized raised masonry hearth, then a 12" border of porcelain tile's set into the floor around it...and we still have an area rug nearly up to the edge of the tile. Rick
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