# wood stoves and vinyl floors



## drbridge (Nov 30, 2013)

Hi all
I am new to this forum, but have been sifting through past posts and have found lots of great info.
One subject that I have found very little on, is the compatibility with wood stoves and vinyl floors. We are getting ready to install a stove in our manufactured home. The existing vinyl floor in the kitchen area is where the stove will go. The floor needs replacing. We are considering using vinyl plank floating floor over the existing vinyl in hopes it will hold up well in a wet environment. My concern is whether the vinyl will be OK near the heat of the wood stove I was hoping to find some first hand knowledge on this subject. Let me know if you have any experience with vinyl plank flooring near wood stoves.
Thanks, Doug


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## begreen (Nov 30, 2013)

Welcome Doug. As long as the stove's hearth requirements are honored it should be ok. Note that there is no harm in exceeding the hearth dimensions or insulation value if you want greater peace of mind.


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## Sinngetreu (Nov 30, 2013)

drbridge said:


> Hi all
> I am new to this forum, but have been sifting through past posts and have found lots of great info.
> One subject that I have found very little on, is the compatibility with wood stoves and vinyl floors. We are getting ready to install a stove in our manufactured home. The existing vinyl floor in the kitchen area is where the stove will go. The floor needs replacing. We are considering using vinyl plank floating floor over the existing vinyl in hopes it will hold up well in a wet environment. My concern is whether the vinyl will be OK near the heat of the wood stove I was hoping to find some first hand knowledge on this subject. Let me know if you have any experience with vinyl plank flooring near wood stoves.
> Thanks, Doug




Your stove wont be sitting in the vinyl right? You will need to check codes, but a few feet away should be alright. You will be surprised how cool it really is on the floor since that is where the cold air is.


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## toddnic (Nov 30, 2013)

I know from first hand experience that vinyl flooring will melt/burn if it is too close to the woodstove.  Make sure you follow the installation guidelines and you should be alright.  I rented a house about 20 years ago that had the flooring too close to the woodstove and the edge of the flooring melted.


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## Dave A. (Nov 30, 2013)

I'd think exceeding the minimums in this case would be a good idea, or plan on using a hearth rug in front.  Realize any coals or flying embers that get away are going to melt and ruin the floor very quickly.

Edit: In fact since you're replacing the floor, I'd seriously consider a more durable material for proximity to a stove.  Apparently stone and ceramic tile have gone out of style, but they seem to be more suitable for around a stove.  Even wood is not going to be ruined as quickly as vinyl by a (infrequent but possible)  hot coal or burning log that rolls out and lands on it momentarily.  That's just my opinion though.


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## Cynnergy (Nov 30, 2013)

I was worried about the temp changes on vinyl plank flooring, so we eventually ended up putting down some cheap (but real) white pine t&g flooring instead in the cabin.  We definitely get some shrinkage and small cracks right in front of the stove, but with real wood it just looks like it's supposed to do that.  I think it would look pretty bad with vinyl planks though if gaps started showing up.  It might be ok, but I decided it wasn't worth the risk.

FWIW, our slate hearth transitions to the wood floor 20" in front of the stove.

If you want to keep the vinyl, I would go with sheet vinyl instead.


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## drbridge (Nov 30, 2013)

Thanks for the insight. The reason I am thinking of the vinyl planks is because they are cheap, easy and fast. The flooring were the stove area is going to be is really part of the kitchen area so I need something that is compatible with water. One thing nice about the vinyl planks is that since it is a floating floor you could easily replace a section if an ember burned it. I would however, plan on building an oversize hearth pad to be on the safe side. I have a stove in my shop and I got it going pretty hot today and put some samples next to it. Much closer than they would be if I used them next to the stove in the house. They don't really seem to be getting warm at all. I do plan on using the click lock version of the planks rather than the self adhesive. From what I've researched about the planks, they are quite durable and actually do look a lot like wood. It would be nice to have a custom tile floor or perhaps wood plank. but I need to do this myself and am short of funds and time for a project like that.
Thanks for your help.


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## begreen (Nov 30, 2013)

Please be sure to budget enough to cover a good stove and a totally proper installation and chimney system.


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## drbridge (Nov 30, 2013)

begreen said:


> Please be sure to budget enough to cover a good stove and a totally proper installation and chimney system.


Amen to that begreen. I am looking at an Englander NC30 and Metalbestos Chimney system. Just don't have much left for the floor. Originally had not planned on redoing the floor until we pulled up the through rug and saw how yellow the sheet vinyl had turned. The floating vinyl will be easy to pull up if We want to do something else later.


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## begreen (Nov 30, 2013)

Sounds good, note the 30NC's hearth requirements are R=1.5. If concerned about the floor make the hearth taller, while meeting the insulation requirement.


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