New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450

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Husker21

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Oct 6, 2008
12
SW CT
I've been lurking for some time. I truly appreciate the wealth of information shared here at hearth.com. I spent a good number of days reading everything on selecting an insert, stacking. hauling, splitting, and of course burning wood in an insert. I figured I would throw some pictures up on the process. I pulled down all of the hideous mirror, scraped off the adhesive from the mirror, and patched the sheet rock. My Dad and I resurfaced the mantle with tile and laid a bluestone mantle. After all that work my wife decided she didn't like the color with the tile so I had to paint as well. I had the Jotul 450 installed by a local shop. They did a bang up job.

Now for some pics...

[Hearth.com] New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450


[Hearth.com] New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450


[Hearth.com] New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450


[Hearth.com] New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450


[Hearth.com] New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450


[Hearth.com] New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450


[Hearth.com] New Member - DIY: Mantle Resurfacing and Installed: Jotul 450


BTW - I just grouted the skirt below the bluestone hearth on Sunday. I still need to get in there with a sponge and clean up the grout lines.
 
Rudyjr said:
Husker 21, What a difference!!! Looks great. Enjoy the stove over the holidays, and for years to come. Merry Christmas, Jim

Thanks Jim, same to you.
 
Wow, very impressive. Congrats! How is it heating the room?

I can't wait for my Jotul to be installed.
 
mkek said:
Wow, very impressive. Congrats! How is it heating the room?

I can't wait for my Jotul to be installed.

We have a Cape style home with an addition on the other side of the wall/insert. The addition is a large family room with cathedral ceilings. When I get a few consecutive burns in it does a great job of heating the dinning room (where the insert is installed) and the adjacent kitchen. Also in the dinning room is a set of stairs going to the second floor. I notice the temp feels noticeably hotter at the top of the stairs. There is also a noticeable warming of the two upstairs bedrooms. I need to start playing with some fans to try moving some air on the second floor. From our bedroom there is a door to a loft that is in that family room I mentioned earlier. If I can get the air into that family room I would be psyched. We aren't burning 24/7 yet. My wife is starting to get the hang of the insert. She will have to stuff the box while I am at work. But so far so good. I don't think it will heat our entire 2600 sq ft home but its doing a great job at keeping the electric heat down.
 
Glad to hear that the heat is reaching other parts of your home. I have a split level house. Hopefully, the warm air will travel to the bed rooms and reduce the use of our gas furnace.
 
Mkek, We heated our 1700 s.f all brick ranch all weekend with a c450 in the basement rec-room approx+300s.f. Temperatures were in the teens and single digits with 30-40 + mph winds. Rec-room was anywhere from 74-78 and the upstairs 65-69 degrees. Open stairwell is at far end of house stove is on the other end and the furnace never ran.
 
That's one nice looking install.. The Jotul is a real nice looking unit and was on my short list. I like the look of the black insert against that color tile, and the blue stone is icing on the cake.. nice choice

By the way, I have a bathroom that was done up like your fireplace, All mirrors!~! What the heck were they thinking back in the 70's??
 
bren582 said:
That's one nice looking install.. The Jotul is a real nice looking unit and was on my short list. I like the look of the black insert against that color tile, and the blue stone is icing on the cake.. nice choice

By the way, I have a bathroom that was done up like your fireplace, All mirrors!~! What the heck were they thinking back in the 70's??

Thanks bren. We actually met the original owners of the house. Looking back they deeply regret the choice. The guy I coach HS lax with grew up down the road. His best friend grew up in our current home.
 
Those mirrors were making my eyes bleed :grrr:

Very, very, nice install :coolsmile:
 
Quite a transformation - looks great!

Is that a thermostat I see on the stove top to the left? You may get better results if you stick it dead center, as far back as you can and still read it - a location know here as the "Mike Wilson position". Most folks get good readings there. Burn it hot (600-750 is not unusual based on reports here), and you'll keep the black soot from building up.

Keep warm, and Merry Christmas!
 
oconnor said:
Quite a transformation - looks great!

Is that a thermostat I see on the stove top to the left? You may get better results if you stick it dead center, as far back as you can and still read it - a location know here as the "Mike Wilson position". Most folks get good readings there. Burn it hot (600-750 is not unusual based on reports here), and you'll keep the black soot from building up.

Keep warm, and Merry Christmas!

you are correct, that is a thermostat. moving it dead center makes sense. i think i just randomly placed where it is. i do regularly get the insert between 600 and 700. getting it above 700 is when i start getting nervous. thanks for the tip.
 
67ref said:
Nice job, looks really good.
enjoy your new stove for sure.

btw: transfer all the mirrors to the bedroom ceiling (trust me)

I asked. She said no... ;-)
 
Adios Pantalones said:
A serious improvemen, and a great looking room now! I assume that you have a ceiling fan in the cathedral room?

Thanks. We do have a ceiling fan in the room with cathedral ceilings.
 
Wow, bout all I can say. Looks great. Too bad the previous owners ruined the original brick work with all of that mirror mastic.
 
boostnut said:
Wow, bout all I can say. Looks great. Too bad the previous owners ruined the original brick work with all of that mirror mastic.

i know. we wanted to save the brick and the money on the tile job. but in the end, we love how it turned out.
 
Very nice job Husker, bet your glad to see those mirrors go... because of the stove dust and all.
 
LISound said:
looks great Husky.

I do wish you has a bigger viewing area for flames :)

you won't be seeing any flames because you and your wife will never be invited over for dinner again. ;-)
 
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