Hearth pad advice

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bag of hammers

bag of hammers

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Jan 7, 2010
1,442
Northern ON
A few people have talked about hearth pads in recent threads. I'm installing a laminate floor and would appreciate some advice. Pretty sure the laminate will not burst into flames if a coal spills out that far, but still would like to add some extra protection. Preferably something I can cut to fit around beveled front edge of the raised hearth, if such a thing exists. What do you guys use, what's the best material, etc. thanks as always for any advice or pointers...
 
If an ember shoots out onto the laminate floor, the protective coating will melt and the floor will get some scars to prove it. A fiberglass hearth rug is one solution here. What did you have in mind?
 
I'm not sure to be honest. I'm thinking maybe something @ 4' wide x 16 or 24" deep..? Can a f/g mat be cut to fit "around" the front of a hearth?
 
There are hearth extension rugs that fit that rectangular size. I'm not getting the "around" question. Is this a corner hearth that you are trying to extend? Is there currently 16-18" of hearth in front of the stove?
 
a commercial hearth pad...well worth the piece of mind.. Cannot say how many times I have raked coals forward and some came out. Having a commercial hearth pad gave me calm to scoop up blazing coals and put em back....
 
Sorry for the vagueness. I do have a raised hearth now with 18" extending in front of the stove. The front corners are angled @ 45 deg. to match the stove pedestal. The "around" part was about having a 4' wide mat match / butt against those beveled corners. It's just a thought as I'm just trying to get some ideas. I could just get a rectangle shape mat and forget about the existing hearth shape. I gotta get some pics next trip out. I should also clarify "extension mat" in my posts.
 
If you're meeting minimum clearances, I wouldn't worry too much. Anything that spills out is going to happen while you're loading so you're right there to remedy the situation. Get some nice wood stove gloves and just grab anything that extends past your clearance (haven't had this happen yet and my stove is under the manufacturers rec by 1.5 inches, but fine by US hearth requirements). I worry much less with an insert/stove than I would with an open fireplace where I'm trusting metal mesh to do the job for me. People talk about the babysitting that is required with a wood stove...hogwash. The time spent after loading and dialing the old girl in is nothing compared to the inability to walk way from your fire for fear of an ember shooting through the screen over the course of many hours.

Otherwise, there are plenty of commercially available hearth extenders if you're looking for peace of mind. Don't buy one at a shop, you'll find much better pricing online.
 
yeah this is just for some extra peace of mind. The thought of pulling up the floor to replace some scarred plank(s) is kinda what's making my brain go there. The area in front of the hearth takes a bit of a beating as well so the mat may also help in that regard. Just giving it all some thought right now..
 
Nothing wrong with being more safety conscious. I'll be replacing my hearth flooring in the next two months and will meet the manufacturers recs. I just didn't want to make any changes immediately until I had a better picture of what my renovations were going to be. Generally I try to avoid temporary solutions.

I'm going to have to go through this again with my next inspection. The inspectors here always try to go with manufacturers recs as opposed to US requirements. My next install will not meet the hearth requirement by 0.5 inches, but by US standards given the elevation and hearth length, it exceeds them. Again, I have a planned fireplace remodel and will meet the manufacture recs at that time, but have no desire given the nature of spillage to address it right now.
 
Pallet Pete said:
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Hearth-Rugs

I ordered ours from here bag of hammers !

Pete
Click to expand...
Thanks Pete - I have to sanity check the exact dimensions of my existing hearth but the 27" half-round version might just fit perfectly along the front edge (my hearth is 48" wide but it's beveled / angled towards the front so that edge is shorter). Looks like a decent quality item - thanks for the link...

edit - oops i think I got the hearth mat dimensions screwed up - the one I was looking at extends 27" into the room, and is 48" wide.
 
Pete - did you go with a fiberglass rug? Apologies if you already mentioned this somewhere else...
 
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