Fireplace hearth... advice...

[Jeremy]

We're planning on having sanded/varnished floorboards in the lounge of our house... so far so good... but in front of the fire place, the hearth (which I think would have originally been a piece of stone flush with the floorboards) has been replaced with some old bits of tatty wood.

I think it would look much better with a piece of stone/slate in there... and besides, I am assuming that a stone hearth in front of the fireplace is mandatory if we want an actual fire or stove at some point.

So what's the best thing to do? Find someone who can supply a piece of stone of the correct size and fit it? Or is it better to buy a standard "off-the-shelf" one, and cut back the floorboards to fit around it?

[red devil]

Will the stone hearth go into the fireplace?...

http://www.firesandflues.co.uk/whitedragon/documents/image/Installations%20010.jpg

[Jeremy]

Actually there is already stone inside the fireplace itself... but not in front of the fireplace. And I'm talking about stone which is flush with the floor, not sitting above it.

(Come to think of it, the fireplace itself might contain poured concrete rather than a piece of stone)

[red devil]

Probably, therefore you shouldn't let that drive the aesthetic. A nice piece of stone sat next to some old concrete screed? When it was a working fireplace you wouldn't have seen the screed, therefore it wasn't an issue.

It's six of one, half a dozen etc if you go with bespoke or ready made.

Personally I would think about the overall desired finish and work back from that.

For instance does it, or will it have a fireplace surround to it?

If you had a stove would you want some space for decorative log storage to sit on the hearth.

These things will impact on the size of the hearth.

Personally I think it would look a lot better if finished like the above photo, all-in one, going into the fireplace, therefore it will need to be templated to suit. As for finishing flush or not, that's up to you, but the easiest would be to lay the stone on top of the screed and floor boards if required. If you wanted it flush, rather than messing with the floorboards, the screed could probably be lowered so that the stone sits flush...

[womanofdulwich]

its also good to think what you are going to put in the hearth- either now or in the future- as there are regulations esp for gas fittings/ coal effect fire etc. A real fire can get very hot and you must use the correct type of stone ( as we found out to our cost)

[red devil]

Having thought about it more (and to answer your original question) if you are happy with the size of the existing hearth (ignoring the rear screed for now) it will be better to get a bespoke piece of stone made rather than cutting into the existing floorboards to fit an off-the-shelf piece of stone. The reason being that the hearth and floorboards will have their own support structure beneath which will have to be mucked around with in order to get the new off-the-shelf hearth in...

[Jeremy]

My current thinking is that I should get a piece of stone cut to fit the existing hole in front of the fireplace... at least then it will look respectable once the floor is sanded and finished. In the future we may want to put an extra raised hearth on top of it (as in your photo, RD). This will mean ripping out the existing surround and then re-mounting it higher up... but the fact that there's a non-combustible hearth beneath it should mean we're safe if/when a fire goes in.

So I guess my next question is... who knows of someone who can supply a slab of slate to my specified dimensions for a decent price?

[red devil]

I haven't got any names of suppliers (worth checking local stone masons though as they might have off-cuts), but if you do end up taking responsibilty for supplying the dimensions, measure the diagonals as well as the sides, as the rectangle may not be square...if you know what I mean :)

[Jeremy]

I do. Good idea.

[Annette Curtain]

Either: You make a template out of clear Correx sheet

Mark the finished edges (the ones that you'll see) onto the template with black Sharpie. Spec a pencil round edge around the top edge , again where you'll see

Go down to Marble City Wandsworth or another stonemason and they'll quote/supply you

Honed black slate is usual and not expensive, finish it with this stuff http://www.amazon.co.uk/HG-Satin-Polish-Golvpolish-litre-P14-PLEASE/dp/B001DYUMD2

Once fitted mask the edges and fill the gaps with black silicon and tool wet into shape. Carefully remove and leave to cure.

Or: Get a company to template, supply, fit. It's a standard service. I use Paul Challen in Arundel as they work all over London.

Hope this helps

Pm me for any other details if you like.

[Jeremy]

Thanks nette. But for now I just need a rectangle, so template shouldn't be necessary. I actually came across marble city earlier when googling for 'stone hearth london', so will be sure to get a quote from them. Perhaps at a later date I'll go for a "T" shaped piece to lay on top of it.

Will probably fit myself... just a matter of ripping out the "placeholder" wood, squirting with adhesive, and lowering into place. In theory.

[red devil]

Don't make the hearth fit too tightly up against the floorboards, as they are likely to move/expand due to changes in temp/humidity...

[Jeremy]

Yeah, will leave a few mm on each side for the floor guys to fill with gunge.