Greetings,
During floor redo, removed old 4'x4'x1" cast faux brick hearth pad under the Schrader (1/4" welded steel, 16x21, intact fire brick, 6.3" legs), replaced with 4x5 pad for more door protection (3/4 ply, thinset, 1/4 Hardie, thinset, ceramic tile). New masonry surface thickness 3/4" (Hardy+2xmortar+tile). Then found this site and NFPA211, now strongly feel that hearth is too thin and thus want to increase protection. Naturally it is after the thinset and tile grout is well set up!
Could not find any factory recommendations for Schrader floor protection, but old hearth pad directly understove was never more than warm to the touch, never painfully hot.
Current plan is to add at least one layer of 1/2 Durock (with maybe 1/2 Micore underneath) faced with tile to get to the full 2" depth called out in NFPA211. Could use patio pavers, but seems crude. Edges to be trimmed with tile strips cut from same pattern of tile.
Rather than hammer out new tile, I want to lay subsequent layers directly on it, cementing with thinset, using care and weights if needed to get acceptibly flat surface (thinset seems to adhere reasonably well to tile upper surface and I used code and factory specced screws for the underlying 3/4 ply and 1/4 Hardie).
Current philosophy better safe than sorry. Am ok with spending a few more $$$ and hours to get it right. Will also calculate floor loads and am now thinking of adding two concrete deck piers supporting new framing under floor joists to help bear extra hearth weight. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Best regards,
Wecanoe, Carson, WA
During floor redo, removed old 4'x4'x1" cast faux brick hearth pad under the Schrader (1/4" welded steel, 16x21, intact fire brick, 6.3" legs), replaced with 4x5 pad for more door protection (3/4 ply, thinset, 1/4 Hardie, thinset, ceramic tile). New masonry surface thickness 3/4" (Hardy+2xmortar+tile). Then found this site and NFPA211, now strongly feel that hearth is too thin and thus want to increase protection. Naturally it is after the thinset and tile grout is well set up!
Could not find any factory recommendations for Schrader floor protection, but old hearth pad directly understove was never more than warm to the touch, never painfully hot.
Current plan is to add at least one layer of 1/2 Durock (with maybe 1/2 Micore underneath) faced with tile to get to the full 2" depth called out in NFPA211. Could use patio pavers, but seems crude. Edges to be trimmed with tile strips cut from same pattern of tile.
Rather than hammer out new tile, I want to lay subsequent layers directly on it, cementing with thinset, using care and weights if needed to get acceptibly flat surface (thinset seems to adhere reasonably well to tile upper surface and I used code and factory specced screws for the underlying 3/4 ply and 1/4 Hardie).
Current philosophy better safe than sorry. Am ok with spending a few more $$$ and hours to get it right. Will also calculate floor loads and am now thinking of adding two concrete deck piers supporting new framing under floor joists to help bear extra hearth weight. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Best regards,
Wecanoe, Carson, WA
