I have a 1 1/4″ granite slab for my woodstove but would like to make the hearth area larger, to accomodate 1-2 weeks worth of wood to the right and back of the stove. I have some 1/2″ X 12″ x12″ pink granite tiles in mind for the extended hearth area which will abut the hearth itself; will this be sufficiently durable (on top of 1/2″ backerboard and 3/4″ Advantech)?
Additionally, can I go directly on top of my subfloor with the granite slab or should I bed it in some mortar? Thanks in advance.
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Replies
Just a question, how does your wife feel about all the bugs that will come out of hibernation while your two weeks worth of wood are sitting there?
all the bugs that will come out of hibernation while your two weeks worth of wood are sitting there
Amen.
Just one days worth sitting on our terrazo hearth and the metallic wood borers migrated from the fir firewood to the fir beams in the house right quick!!
>>>Amen.
Art, ya salty ol'
>>>Amen.
Art, ya salty ol' dog. Haven't seen you around much lately. But then again I disappeared for a few months too.
As for indoor firewood storage around a stove, I'd think about the bugs, but I'd also think about the temptation for people to stack a whole bunch of wood too close to the stove, a fire hazard.
I designed our house with the stove next to an exterior door, so I simply leave a wagon full of wood outside the door. It's super handy, the wood stays cold, and the bugs stay out.
If I didn't have that option I'd think about a wood hopper built off the side of a room with an insulated door/hatch that can access the wood from inside.
On top of the bugs, I can't see a stack of two weeks worth of wood as being seen by a female type as an attractive accent to her decor.
Scott and Art
I've not much room to talk.
but a history that allows an opinion.
40 yrs ago, I heated a "shed" that I lived in for a winter. Super small "smoker", non insulated pipe and fuel was whatever I could find. And yes, I did go inside the main house when the girls felt sorry for me. Ah, those commune days............
I've heated with wood either as an additional source or sole heat since that time.
Now, with a masonry heater, the volume is small-a half a log bag an evening or a whole bag a day if we're not running the radiant in the floor. Easy to bring that in on demand.
But over these 40 yrs I've never brought in more than a days worth for the very reasons you both mention.
You make it so it's dry outside and well away from the foundation. Better safe than sorry.
rephrased
Appreciate the concerns re bugs, fire hazard, etc. and perhaps I made it sound as if I were placing the wood directly next to the stove, which is not the case. My hearth will ultimately be about 55 ft2, including a 3X4 granite slab on which the Beast (Blaze King) sitteth. So plenty of room for stacking wood safely. I did this last winter, on my subfloor, with no problems with bugs. After all, there's been plenty of opportunity for them to enter my house and they have not done so as of yet. Nor have they ever bothered my folks who have used an identical setup (without tiles) for the last 25 yrs. So no worries in that department.
As for the tiles, I'm simply asking if a 1/2" granite tile over a 1/2" backerboard and 3/4" subfloor will be sufficient to stack a quantity of wood on (assuming some drops from several feet up) or do I need more meat underneath it all? Thanks again.
tuan
The Tile Council recommends 1-1/4" wood subfloor for tile or stone underlay (backerboard doesn't as it's not structural.
More important is the span and size of the joists. I assume the stove is located at or near a supported end of the joists. However, if the joists run parallel, you'll need to figure their deflection.
At the John Bridge tile forum site you will find an online span calculator to help you decide if your floor system will hold up. Ceramic/Porcelain needs an L360 rated floor, natural stone needs higher-L720
Here's a link to the span calc page- http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/deflecto.pl