marble for a hearth pad and or non combustible wall?

[jeepin in maine]

well after 2 years of heating from the basement with the old smoke dragon,we've finally decided to install the quad 4300 step top on the main floor.
quick question......is 1/2" thick marble ok to use for my hearth pad?all my stove requires is a non combustible material.also,can i use it for a non combustible wall finish on top of my durorock?
i know it won't burn,but will it crack or anything from heat?thanks.

 

[begreen]

I've seen marble hearths on fireplaces. It can take the heat. Just be sure it is well supported on a flat, level surface.

 

[Elfin]

Yeah, it can be done, but marble is soft and can chip and crack very easily, not only under the weight of your stove, but if you drop your poker or firewood, damage can occur. What you might consider instead is solid-body porcelain, which in some colors and styles looks remarkably like marble. It's seriously tough and the best tile material out there for taking the weight of a woodstove.

Here's a photo... this is the variety of porcelain that I used on my hearth, which looks very much like polished marble.

(broken link removed to http://www.crossvilleinc.com/gallery/r1_41.jpg)

 

[begreen]

Whoa, though beautiful, that looks like a pretty slippery surface for a bathroom.

 

[Elfin]

No kidding! Maybe it's a bathroom/ice skating rink combo

But it is a very appropriate material for a non-combustible hearth.

 

[fossil]

Posed the same question about slippery-ness to a tile/flooring supplier who I trust (he's providing a lot of material for our ongoing major remodel, and we've done business with him in the past). He said, "Have you walked through Macy's lately?". This same material is used for floors in high-traffic commercial establishments where the proprieters are very concerned about anyone slipping & falling. Looks shiney, but has some "grip" to it, apparently. Just one of the many modern marvels of human ingenuity. It just might go into our bathroom. Rick

 

[Elfin]

The product information for this particular tile says it's not recommended for wet areas. Yet their promo photo shows it in a bathroom, go figure.

But all that is neither here nor there, since we aren't talking about using it in a bathroom

 

[elmoleaf]

I think marble is fairly porous and stains easily. You might want to consider tile.

 

[fossil]

I've put down polished Spanish marble for bathroom floors. No problem. It's a natural stone, it needs to be sealed and properly maintained. Can be stunning and perfectly functional and safe. People have been walking on marble floors for thousands of years...well, not the same people for thousands of years...but you know what I mean. You want really good strength, hardness, and scratch/chip resistance, along with low/no maintenance?...go for the porcelain. Rick