Tiling around a wood burner

[DIYgirlie]

I have a small fireplace in my lounge and I plan to put in a wood burner. I would like to tile the inside of the fireplace. I have seen a couple of websites which sell unglazed Victorian tiles for this purpose, but I was wondering whether I have to buy these tiles, or whether other (more common) types of tiles could be used instead? I don't want to use quarry tiles. Many thanks for your help!

 

[Richard C]

As this comes up so often, I’ve put together this generic post; read the links but not all of them may apply to you.

You can DIY a stove install but you need to understand the Building Regs. (which changed in October 2010), submit a Building Notice & pay a fee. Your LABC will inspect &, assuming everything is OK, issue a compliance certificate; the BI may want to witness smoke & spillage tests. No compliance certificate may lead to difficulties when you come to sell your property; if cannot produce a compliance certificate in the event of a problem, your insurance company may invalidate your policy & reject any claim.

Lots of archive threads on this, & other things you have to watch out for, here a few links for you to read:
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/stove_building_regulations.html
http://www.hetas.co.uk/public/certificates.html
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/pdfs/buidling_regs_consumer leaflet.pdf
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=183614
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=211524
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=242738
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=224751

& some more sobering stories just in case you think the safety thing is just a load of old tosh:
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/main_pages/news.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...wood-burning-stove-leaks-carbon-monoxide.html
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/warning_over_heaters_after_norfolk_couple_s_death_1_811099

Also get at least 3 quotes from local independent HETAS installers:
http://www.hetas.co.uk/nearest_member

You might be pleasantly surprised & you should ask yourself if you really want all the hassle & risk getting it wrong; climbing onto the roof with an 8M stainless steel snake on your back is not for the feint hearted!

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Read more: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=267604&highlight=#ixzz1I6jlicut

With regard to the tiles, most ceramic or porcelain tiles will be OK, stone even better; personally I like black granite but it can be expensive. Regards tiling, you must have the right background & select the correct adhesive which is definitely not tub ready mix; you need something that will withstand around 150 degrees C. As you will read from the above links, do not use plaster or plasterboard to finish inside the fire opening or on the chimney breast within 300mm to the side or at least 500mm above the stove, it will fail & your tiles will fall off.