Mystery Hearth Pad?

[ChipTam]

My wife and I will be putting in a wood stove at our summer home in Newfoundland next summer. I've noticed that a number of local folks use a hearth pad that is only about 1 inch thick and black in color. It is not Durock which is stiff and heavy but rather feels much lighter, softer, and is more flexible. These hearth pads are sold at the local general/hardware store specifically as hearth pads and they are not all that cheap (around $200). Now, the owners of the general store are also the local plumbers and electricians. In my dealings with them in the past on other matters, they seem to take code very seriously so I would be surprised if these pads don't meet code. However, recent discussions here at the forum regarding hearth pads mention multiple layers of Durock, micore(?), and tile which would produce a much thicker hearth pad. Anyway, here's my question. What are those 1 inch hearth pads in Newfoundland made of and are they code? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Chip

 

[JohnnyBravo]

i have seen them before too. i was looking for one for my house. i think they are full of asbestos or something. im sure they meet code for certain stoves. mine only required non-combustable, no specific R/K-value. im sure that they are listed and have a lable on them that tells you the value.

 

[restorer]

Not sure if this is what they are using, but some guy is selling welder's pads for this purpose. They are heat shields used in industry to protect nearby objects from all sorts of high temp processes. Some have a heat sink effect that is really dramatic. I have not done a lot of looking, as I don't need one for the P-Stoves, but it does have it's merits. I think the insulator is a spun ceramic and not aesbestos, though

 

[Shane]

Might be a metal stove board. Basically sheet metal and micore.

 

[ChipTam]

Thank you to everyone who responded my question. Shane, I think that your feedback may be close to the answer since they don't seem to involve new technology but have been around for quite some time. Would anyone know the manufacturer of these thin (!" thick) hearth pads? They would work well for our application as long as they meet code. Thanks again.
Chip

 

[Shane]

R-Co I think. Look at Sandhill Wholesale or Copperfield website they have them available. They're wholesale so they won't sell them to you but you can get info on them.

 

[webbie]

As mentioned above, usually sheet metal and a soft mineral fiber board. This will dent easily with heavy stoves and legs, but can provide a relatively low cost solution.

Imperial in Canada makes a lot of these.......
(broken link removed to http://www.imperialgroup.ca/catalog.cfm?navcategory=5&category=15)

Note, these should not be used for stoves with really short legs or heavy downward radiation......unless you can get a confirmed R value from the maker. But for stoves with regular legs and pedestals, they should do the job.

 

[ChipTam]

Shane and Craig,
Thank you for the additional replies to my query. Shane, Sandhill shows "hearth extender pads" which are designed to go in front of an existing hearth to extend the hearth 18" in front of a stove. The material looks similar to the hearth pads I've seen in Canada but (given the size) I'm not sure these would really work for my purposes. Copperfield would not allow me to access their site as a retail customer.
Craig, those hearth pads shown in the Imperial internet catalog look very much like the ones I've seen in Canada. I was going blind trying to read the tiny text in the catalog but I think these must be the ones I've seen in Newfoundland. Once we actually purchase our stove (probably a Jotul F3CB) and check the hearth requirements, I'll go back and take another look at the Imperial catalog. Also, I've been following another thread here on the forum regarding hearth pads. If the stove I purchase only requires a non-combustible hearth pad (ie, no specific R-value) I may go with a single sheet of 1/2" Durock and a layer of 1/4" tile. Did I understand that thread correctly? Thanks again.
Chip