Noob fireplace hearth extension tiling questions

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

iraseattle

New Member
Apr 17, 2021
1
seattle
Hi,

We recently moved into a house where some items were mid-renovation, including the hearth extension, (pic 1). I thought I should get some input before making a massive mess of things. Roughly speaking my plan was

1. Self leveling underlayment to get an even base to work with
2. Dry fit tiles, cut to size
3. thinset
4. tile
5. grout
6. ???

Questions:

0. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?
1. The fireplace is lower than the floor, and I'd like the tile to be flush with the floor. Any issues about the tile being higher than the fireplace?
2. The concrete is very uneven but seems solid (picture 2). I was planning on pouring some self leveling concrete to get an even base to grout off of and make my life easier.
2a. Should I be concerned about the self leveling concrete (and mortar) coming directly into contact with the exposed subfloor (picture 3) ? i.e., do I need to put up some barrier?
3. The trim around the floor was not placed perfectly in line with the subfloor, so it juts out a bit (picture 3). Any concern about basically ignoring that and placing mortar directly on any tiny edges of exposed subfloor, if necessary?
4. As far as I can tell, both ceramic and porcelain tiles are fine for hearth extensions. Anything I should be concerned about re: material? In the future I would also like to add some tile around our entryway, so something that could work for both purposes would be good.
5. Any recommendations on where I should go buy tile in Seattle? :)

IMG_1213.JPGIMG_1214.JPGIMG_1216.JPG