Hearth Installation
There's a common misconception that installing a hearth is a more difficult task than it actually is. Dealing with the piece's weight is often the most challenging component. There is no longer any need to worry about your wood stove cracking your hearth because modern stoves are so efficient at distributing heat. However, there are a few things our team does to guarantee a good hearth installation the first time around. It's vitally important to know what kind of hearth we are working with because there are a few variations in the installation process. Once you've chosen your design and we have the relevance, we can next properly prepare the space and install the hearth into the cut-out.
What Function Does a Hearth Serve in a Fireplace?
You don't have to rely on the fireplace hearth in the same way that people did in the past because it has changed so significantly. The hearth, however, is still required in every dwelling that has a fireplace. A fireplace hearth serves many reasons, including safeguarding the floor in front of the fireplace, keeping youngsters and pets away from the open fire, providing a place to store and display necessary fireplace accessories, and rounding out your personal design aesthetic.
Different Types of Hearths
Both one-piece and multi-piece hearths are widely available. With that being said, both these types call for slightly different procedures during installation. One solid component; these are typically more difficult to move, but once lifted, they may be set in position with ease. When assembling a multi-part object, we always make sure to insert the parts in the reverse order. When installing the front piece first, it is vital to ensure our steps are placed as per specification, if we make a mistake with the back piece, the entire installation process has to be redone. This is one of the main reasons we always start from the back and perfect it before moving on to the front.
Log Burner Type will determine your Base
The kind of basis it needs to rest on is determined by the log burner type you are installing. The stone needs to be dealt with differently when using an open fire versus a closed wood burner. In most cases, a "constructional hearth" is required for the setup of an open fire burner. Since a 30-millimeter-thick decorative hearth wouldn't be able to withstand the intense heat generated by a fireplace, a 250-millimeter-thick concrete base is commonly recommended. Because of the significantly lower heat output, a "constructional hearth" is unnecessary underneath your ornamental fireplace. The functional ornamental hearth is there for show and therefore do not need the additional base thickness.
Fashion Factors
Despite the wide variety of fireplace designs, they all share three essential components: the hearth, the firebox, and the aperture. The fireplace might be installed at the same height as the rest of the floor, at a different height, or even below ground. There are raised, flush, and lowered fireboxes available to suit a wide variety of hearth designs. The mantel around the fireplace can be decorated in any imaginable style, Installing a fireplace, plastering around it, painting it, and then leaving it without a fire-resistant finish is technically possible, but it is not recommended because the plaster will eventually chip, crack, and peel from the heat it absorbs, and if the wall is painted a light color, the rising smoke will result in grey marks up the wall.