How To Build a Hearth for a Wood Stove

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Brock shows simple steps and mentions necessary tools needed for building your own hearth for a wood burning stove.

Make sure to check local codes to ensure your hearth is the appropriate size. This will also be affected by the size of the wood stove and the wood stove door. There is also a ceiling clearance requirement, so be sure to take this into consideration, especially if you are doing layers of brick.

Items needed:
- mortar
- water
- bucket(s) for mixing mortar
- trowel
- jointer (if using brick)
- chop saw with masonry blade if cutting brick
- level
- cement board
- sharp knife (for scoring the board if necessary
- tape measure
- pencil
- brick, stone, tile, etc. (whatever you decide to use)

Additional: You may require heaters and blowers to help dry the mortar depending on the environment you're working in.

Steps:

1. Once you've determined the dimensions of your hearth, you will want to cut the cement board to that size. If it's bigger than the piece you have, it's ok to cut pieces and place them together to attain the desired size.

2. Determine your layout of your bricks, and make sure to take into account the spacing using your jointer. This will also help you determine if you need to make any cuts.

3. Mix the mortar (and follow the directions on the bag exactly, as different products require different amounts of water, sand added, time to sit, etc.). The consistence of your mortar should be such that it's not too runny, but thick enough that your trowel will stand up on it's end when stuck in it.

4. Start to set your bricks one at a time. Spread the mortar evenly on the board, and set your brick in place. Take out your level and make sure the brick is level side-to-side and front-to-back. The levelling of your stones will be the longest step in the entire process. You may need to pull stones back up and add/remove mortar to level them properly.

5. Once everything is level, you will want to fill the spaces between the bricks with mortar. Pack everything in firmly with your trowel, and spread it evenly with your jointer. Take your time, as more mortar ending up on bricks where you don't want it will result in a messier cleanup, or needing to scrape the bricks with a wire brush once the mortar is dry.

6. Allow for drying time before putting the wood stove on the hearth. Use blowers and open windows to improve air flow if necessary. Humidity will affect drying time. Use heaters if working in a cold environment, as a drop in temperature below a certain mark could affect the way the mortar sets (the chemical reaction between the mortar and water is altered if the water starts to freeze).

7. Once it's dry, you're good to go! Clean up the stones/bricks and show that baby off!

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