Bedding Hearth for Electric Fireplaces is this necessary?
Answer: Not for electric fires
We often get asked if it is necessary to bed a fireplace hearth on sand and cement base when you are installing an electric fire. Most homeowners are able to install electric fires themselves saving both time and money as the fire simply needs to be plugged into a standard 13amp socket.
What you should know
1. As you are installing an electric fire there is no legal stipulation requiring you to bed the hearth on sand and cement base
2. If you are ordering a marble fireplace hearth, then the hearth can simply be placed directly on your concrete floor and you can perhaps lay a thin layer of clear silicon to help seal it to the floor
3. Marble hearths weigh in excess of 40kgs and the sheer weight would be enough to keep it in position. The body of the fire surround rests on-top of the hearth, and again holds it in position
Flooring and your fireplace hearth
It is conventional to position the hearth first and lay laminate flooring and carpet up-to the hearth. Although this is the conventional way to do things, there is no real reason why you cannot lay your flooring first and then at a later stage cut your carpet or laminate flooring around the hearth if needed. Many showrooms actually lay their flooring till the end of the room and do not cut the carpet or wooden flooring around the fireplace hearth, and surprisingly this looks fine and saves lots of time and money 
