We're building a raised hearth for a Lopi Liberty wood stove. Currently looking at different ways of completing the top of the hearth (where the stove will sit, people will sit, etc.). At present the candidates are...
Limestone: We can get 2.25 in. thick product locally. It's relatively "affordable" too. I've heard that limestone can crack under heat changes though, so that's a concern. It looks nice, but then for the joints.... do you just mortar them?
Slate: Cost effective for sure. Not as nice looking, and will look like flagstone in the end. Can be about 1 - 1.25 in. thick.
Granite: Big $$$!! Could be fabricated to have no seams. What we looked at was 3cm thick. We have kids so if some damage occurs.....
Concrete Hearth Stones: 20 x 20 or 24 x 24. Kinda big $$$, but not as big at granite.
DIY Concrete Pour Our Own Custom Piece: Would likely be cost effective, but would need to practice to get decent with using dyes, properly forming something like this, etc. Concrete also cracks over time, so should we put contraction joints to counter this? If so, how many? Where? And then there's finishing and edge work to do.
What do you all think?
Limestone: We can get 2.25 in. thick product locally. It's relatively "affordable" too. I've heard that limestone can crack under heat changes though, so that's a concern. It looks nice, but then for the joints.... do you just mortar them?
Slate: Cost effective for sure. Not as nice looking, and will look like flagstone in the end. Can be about 1 - 1.25 in. thick.
Granite: Big $$$!! Could be fabricated to have no seams. What we looked at was 3cm thick. We have kids so if some damage occurs.....
Concrete Hearth Stones: 20 x 20 or 24 x 24. Kinda big $$$, but not as big at granite.
DIY Concrete Pour Our Own Custom Piece: Would likely be cost effective, but would need to practice to get decent with using dyes, properly forming something like this, etc. Concrete also cracks over time, so should we put contraction joints to counter this? If so, how many? Where? And then there's finishing and edge work to do.
What do you all think?