Installed the stove several years back . . . put down the hearth, but left the painted drywall behind the stove. The drywall in the corners has kept cracking with the heat and my wife has been concerned with the hot walls (even though it's within the acceptable temps and the stove is at the proper clearance.)
I've always wanted to make things look a bit better anyways so we opted to fix up the walls behind the stove.
Was going to go with stacked stone, but found a porcelain tile at Lowes that honestly went up very quickly and looks halfway decent . . . I like the look . . . wife likes the fact that there is a layer of tile and then cement board under that as it has given her some piece of mind.
I've always wanted to make things look a bit better anyways so we opted to fix up the walls behind the stove.
Was going to go with stacked stone, but found a porcelain tile at Lowes that honestly went up very quickly and looks halfway decent . . . I like the look . . . wife likes the fact that there is a layer of tile and then cement board under that as it has given her some piece of mind.