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Suitable Hearths For Wood Burning Fireplaces

September 29, 2011

A fireplace hearth is the base section of your fire surround. This section needs to be constructed using specific materials and in a determined manner if it will be used with a wood burning stove or fireplace. The below article will outline what you should know about the suitability of hearths for solid fuel fires (real fires)

Hearth Materials

1. As the hearth will be used for a real wood burning fire, it must be manufactured from a non-combustible material to avoid the risk of the hearth catching fire if some hot ash would fall on it.

2. Typically hearths can be made from Marble, Slate, Granite or Stone. The most popular material in the UK currently (for solid fuel purposes) is Black Granite. Granite is extremely hard wearing are tougher than all the other materials.

(a) Stone is frequently used for solid fuel fireplaces, but is harder to maintain as it is a softer material & can easily be stained than granite and for that reason is not recommended.

(b) Slate is a tough material, but can easily be scratched.

(c) Marble is the softest natural stone and in some circumstances will not withstand the heat emitted from a solid fuel fire.

Slabbing solid fuel hearths

In order to create expansion joints for the heat to disperse, it is advisable to cut and re-join the hearth. The expansion joints allow the heat to escape without cracking the surface of the hearth. The back of the hearth should also be filled with cement to make the hearth denser and more heat resistant (this can either be done in a factory prior to dispatch or on-site)

Creative Fireplaces hearths

At Creative Fireplaces we manufacture all our fireplace hearths to order and are offer trade prices direct to all our customers. Typically you can easily save up to 70% of the RRP by purchasing direct from us