Laying slate hearth with wooden flooring

wookie008 · 24 April 2017 at 11:25AM

Hello!

We are redoing our living room and are getting new engineered wood flooring as well as a slate hearth for our electric fire. The man we are buying the hearth from said to safely install it the floor fitters should leave an open gap slightly smaller that the hearth so the edges will rest on the flooring, then have dabs of cementy stuff in the gap to support the middle of the hearth.

Does this sound right and what would be the best way to install, put the dabs of cement down and rest the hearth on it whilst it's wet so as to ensure they're touching?

Many thanks

System · 24 April 2017 at 1:02PM

What happens when you want to change the timber flooring? you have to remove the fire/hearth etc?
A nice way to do a hearth is to inset it so that you have a it flush with the timber floor. If you are doing something standing proud of the floor then I would suggest that one is not on top of the other

teneighty · 24 April 2017 at 1:51PM

You need an expansion joint around the edge of the flooring.

Where it meets the hearth you can either raise the hearth up so the edge of the floor is hidden under the hearth or have the hearth flush but then you need some sort of trim to hide the expansion joint.

The first option is probably most common as your hearth fitter suggested.

wookie008 · 24 April 2017 at 2:54PM

teneighty wrote: »

You need an expansion joint around the edge of the flooring.

Where it meets the hearth you can either raise the hearth up so the edge of the floor is hidden under the hearth or have the hearth flush but then you need some sort of trim to hide the expansion joint.

The first option is probably most common as your hearth fitter suggested.

That's what I thought, I've always heard wood expands and contracts which is why I was reluctant to have it sitting on the concreate below and the wood flush. It's riven slate as well so isn't going to be straight edged and would look naff with a joint or a rim.

Thanks for the help

System · 24 April 2017 at 3:28PM

with engineered flooring you only need a tiny expansion gap so it's not a big concern, if you are going to lay the hearth onto the timber floor then make sure it can be lifted without damaging the slate

casper_g · 24 April 2017 at 7:34PM

I'm a bit concerned that you said the hearth would "rest on the flooring" as I'd have thought it would want to sit above the flooring, not be supported on it?

wookie008 · 25 April 2017 at 11:58AM

casper_g wrote: »

I'm a bit concerned that you said the hearth would "rest on the flooring" as I'd have thought it would want to sit above the flooring, not be supported on it?

Thanks for the responses.

There would be about an inch of wood around the hearth that it sits on, then mortar on the concreate ground that does the bulk of the supporting. Do you think this will be an issue?

wookie008 · 3 May 2017 at 3:02PM

We're getting close to installation date, so was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? It'll have an electric fire on it so we dont have to worry about excessive heat.

Wookey · 3 May 2017 at 4:09PM

Bed the slate up on mortar so that the flooring can go in under it with no more than 1/8th" clearance, the mortar will need to be back from the edge of the slate by at least an inch with the flooring running in below it by about 3/4" to allow for expansion.

wookie008 · 3 May 2017 at 5:59PM

Wookey wrote: »

Bed the slate up on mortar so that the flooring can go in under it with no more than 1/8th" clearance, the mortar will need to be back from the edge of the slate by at least an inch with the flooring running in below it by about 3/4" to allow for expansion.

Thanks for this, so if I'm right the hearth is resting on the mortar and the edges are hovering over the wood that goes underneath it by about 3/4"? How is it best to lay the mortar to ensure it's like this? I assume the mortar can't be right up to the wood becase of the gap needed for expansion?

hander · 16 January 2019 at 11:46PM

Hate to revive this but it would be great to get an update Wookie008....

What did you do?

Laying slate hearth with wooden flooring

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