ember protection

[NickMark]

Hello everyone

This is my first ever posting of any kind anywhere on any subject. I would be very grateful for any advice. Here goes. I am installing an ember protection floor covering for my woodburner. I have chosen slate 12 by 12 tiles for the surface. My floor is wood floorboards - cupped and uneven. I am considering putting the tiles on 3 quarter inch exterior grade ply. When I put this on the floor I have experimented with using cedar shims to stop the board from wobbling. The board is 43 inches by 54 inches however and there is some play in the wood when I place my weight on it. My main concern is the tiles cracking with the very heavy weight of the woodburner and some foot traffic. Options I am considering are somehow attaching another surface to the ply maybe another three quarter inch ply (or less if I can) or one of the cement based products. Also should I secure the ply to my floor or let it float. Its a quite a small project but as usual the headaches are a little bigger. Many Thanks

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[gof]

Hmm, let me outline this and see if I have this right. You currently have:

1. Joists (what size and what spacing).
2. Floorboards (planking?) What width and what thickness?
3. Now you want to put something fireproof under your wood burning stove and surrounding perimeter, a square area roughtly 43" x 54".

Have I got that right so far?

Ok, if you put 3/4" ply on top of the floor planks, and then put something appropriate for tile (CBU) and then the tile itself, you're likely to have something of a elevated platform. Or, do you want to have something about at the same level as the existing flooring?

Can you remove the planks in the area for the woodburner, put down a subfloor of plywood, and then tile over that? You might need to adjust your dimensions or sister in joists for proper support, but you'd end up with a nicer looking job IMHO.

More details would help (or even a photo of what's existing).

[NickMark]

Hi Gof

Thanks for your interest. Yu've got it right. The joists are 3 inch wide with 23 inch spacing. My house is about 130 years old. For various reasons I can't remove the boards. The boards vary in width from five inches to six inches. I think they are about three quarter inch thick and are on top of a subfloor of boards which are three quarters of an inch. I actually like the platform being elevated. I suppose the crux of the mater for me is how thick does the platform need to be in order to remain rigid enough to avoid flexing, and should i attach somekind of board to the plywood and if so what and how? Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving. We've already celebrated ours here in Canada.

[cx]

Welcome, Nick. :) Or is it Mark? :confused:

We'd need to know more about the type of stove you have to give you much information on the flooring requirements, but I can say with certainty that if you're installing a wood-burning unit, your plan is not sufficient to meet the requirements of the NFPA here in the states. Don't know what y'all have for a regulating or advisory body up yonder in Canuck Land, but I'll bet it's similar and you should follow their recommendations.

As far as the tiling is concerned, removing the wood flooring would be the best option, as suggested. If you're not prepared to do that, I would suggest you build a mud bed over the existing board floor. The mud bed would want to be a minimum of 1 1/4" thick (a little more would be better) over a "slip sheet" and metal lath. If your codes/industry requirements call for sheet metal as part of the floor protection (as do ours), I think you could use that as your slip sheet and lay lath and mud over it. You'd hafta build a form around the perimeter to contain the mud until it cured, but then you could tile the edge or add some wood trim or whatever.

But first, you should find out what the requirements are in your area.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[NickMark]

Hi CX

Thanks for the imput. I spent a long time trying to find the Canadian equivalent of the regulationg body you mentioned - without sucess. But I have now spoken with several leading suppliers of woodstoves and they all say the same thing - the only requirement is that the ember protection be fireproof, and slate qualifies. Just need to make sure the protection is continuous and meets specified clearances for the sides, front and rear of the woodburner. Thanks again and hope things are well in Texas one of the few states I did not manage to get to on a road trip back in the 1990s in beaten up Ford Lincoln Mercury with no starter motor - met a lot of friendly Americans that way when I needed a push start. Nick

[cx]

Texas is a lot like some of them Provinces y'all have up there, you can spend a whole hellofa lot of time tryin' to see it all. :)