Hello,
I am planning to have a Stovax woodburner, sitting on an 1800mm wide x 465mm deep x 350mm high steel bench. It will sit on an engineered hardwood floor which will be laid on (glued to) a cement screed. I am considering having a large (1950mm wide x 800mm deep x 30mm thick) slate hearth under the bench. I am assuming the floor will be dead level (the screed is very level, and there will be a latex screed going over the top of the cement screed before the floor goes down), but am concerned that any slight imperfections, coupled to the weight of the woodburner/bench, would result in the slate cracking.
Does anyone have any suggestions of what, if anything (am I worrying unnecessarily?) I should put between the floor and the slate to take up any slight imperfections? My first thought would be some kind of huge silicone mat - the kind of thing you'd use in the kitchen, but the same size as the chunk of slate - if such a thing exists!
Another option would be to have the hearth sitting directly on the screed, and floor up to it. I'd need to rebate the edges of the hearth so the flooring could slip slightly under the edges to hide the ends of the planks - I don't want any "trim" around the hearth where it meets the floor. But I don't think the timings of how everything is happening over the next few weeks will allow this.
I'd welcome any thoughts and suggestions, thanks!
~ Paul
I am planning to have a Stovax woodburner, sitting on an 1800mm wide x 465mm deep x 350mm high steel bench. It will sit on an engineered hardwood floor which will be laid on (glued to) a cement screed. I am considering having a large (1950mm wide x 800mm deep x 30mm thick) slate hearth under the bench. I am assuming the floor will be dead level (the screed is very level, and there will be a latex screed going over the top of the cement screed before the floor goes down), but am concerned that any slight imperfections, coupled to the weight of the woodburner/bench, would result in the slate cracking.
Does anyone have any suggestions of what, if anything (am I worrying unnecessarily?) I should put between the floor and the slate to take up any slight imperfections? My first thought would be some kind of huge silicone mat - the kind of thing you'd use in the kitchen, but the same size as the chunk of slate - if such a thing exists!
Another option would be to have the hearth sitting directly on the screed, and floor up to it. I'd need to rebate the edges of the hearth so the flooring could slip slightly under the edges to hide the ends of the planks - I don't want any "trim" around the hearth where it meets the floor. But I don't think the timings of how everything is happening over the next few weeks will allow this.
I'd welcome any thoughts and suggestions, thanks!
~ Paul