If you sit your stove on carpet, wood, vinyl or some other combustible material, the heat from the stove can damage, and even worse, ignite the floor materials. A hearth pad, if made well, can add beauty to your home. Once the hearth pad is built, you can decorate it with tile or brick.
Things You Will Need
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Place your stove onto a piece of 1/2 inch cement backer board. Measure the dimensions of the backer board so there is at least 16 inches that extends out from the stove in the front and on both sides. This will center the stove. Larger hearths are suggested for allowing room for wood storage and reloading the firebox. Cut the backer board with a utility knife.
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Cut out equal dimensions from a 3/4 inch piece of plywood or subfloor with a circular saw. The plywood serves as the backing for the backer board. It is the subfloor that sits on the ground.
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Nail the cement backer board on top of the plywood with 8-penny nails.
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Apply a layer of cement or mortar, with a trowel, onto the cement board and apply tile. Cut the tile to size with a tile cutter. Set the tiles right into the wet cement using spacers between them to leave enough space for grout. Let them dry overnight.
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Apply grout into all joints and seams with a rubber grout tool. Wipe up any excess grout with a spatula and a utility sponge. Apply a clear liquid sealer to the grout after it dries.
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Nail a 1-by-3 MDF board as a trim all the way around the perimeter of the hearth pad. Nail it to the plywood with 8-penny nails.
The Drip Cap
- A wood burning stove often sits on a hearth pad.
- The hearth pad can be as simple as a metal shield or even a concrete slab, but the stove must sit on a non-combustible surface.
- The plywood serves as the backing for the backer board.
- Nail the cement backer board on top of the plywood with 8-penny nails.
- Apply a clear liquid sealer to the grout after it dries.