What are the regulations with installing a hearth and what size do I need for open fires, wood burning stoves, multi fuel stoves and gas fires? Can you guide me?
Hearths that are going to be used with stoves, (which do not exceed the hearth temperature to exceed 100 degrees centigrade) can be one-section. They need to be 12mm above floor level. If the appliance is a closed appliance (most stoves are), the minimum depth of the hearth is 225mm from the front edge of the burning area. This in our opinion can be too small, say for example, if the door width is more than 225mm. This means that when the door is opened ash may go on the floor in front. If buying standard black granite hearths from the website, the more hearth space in front of the stove the better. If making hearths for stoves we often advise customers to go for a hearth between 300mm – 450mm deep, depending on the size of the stove. Hearths that are flush with the floor level can conform to building regulations, as long as there is a constructional hearth of at least 150mm thick. If the stove is going onto a solid concrete floor then a 12mm thick hearth is not required, but a visual
