Adding a wood stove to your home can be a great way to make your home feel cozy and warm during blustery winter weather. Wood stoves are free-standing units that can be added to any room in your house. However, most homes haven’t been built with the accouterments to house a heavy accessory such as a wood stove, and they obviously don’t have any provision made for a fire-resistant hearth to protect your floors and maintain safety while using a wood burner. You can, however, purchase wood stove pads in many colors, materials, and finishes which will give you the protection you need when using your wood stove.
There are some basic safety tips you need to follow when installing a wood stove.
* You should never burn anything except 100{74755d553577f4b6a67c31abdd5acf6d2003392b8684840fa8d5e29ee9555d89} wood in your stove.
* You should never install a stove directly onto a floor unless it has legs.
* Never cut the legs or pedestal off of a wood-burning stove.
No matter what kind of a stove you buy, though, you need to have something on the floor in the form of a hearth for protection. How much protection you need will depend on the stove you buy and how much heat it directs towards the floor. A stove that is considered “listed” will have a shield already built into the bottom to protect the floors. With a listed stove, you can get by with as little as ¼” of tile to keep excess heat from damaging the floors.
If you have an unlisted stove or you want to make sure you provide the ultimate protection for the operation of your wood burner, you’ll want to take a look at wood stove pads, either at a local home improvement or fireplace store or online. By looking online you’ll be able to find dozens of different hearth pads, so there’s bound to be something that will set off your stove and add to your décor. These pads are so durable and well-made that they don’t come cheap, so be sure to add an extra $500 — $700 to your budget when you purchase the stove so that you can include the pad with your purchase.
