# Laminate flooring around wood stove?



## mossycup (Feb 13, 2012)

We are planning on installing hardwood floors throughout the house as time and $$$ permit, but the carpet that we bought the house with is old and nasty and has got to go!  As I was shopping hardwoods, I ran into some laminate flooring that would work beautifully in place of the carpet until we can afford the hardwoods we have our hearts set on.

Right now, carpet is surrounding our hearth. 

Our F500 sits on a faux slate/porcelain tile hearth, over Durock, and solid piece of sheet metal, and permanently secured to plywood subfloor.  The hearth is bordered with a pine trim piece that I'm going to replace with a piece of oak that will coordinate with our flooring choice.  The hearth meets the minimum footprint required on all three sides (not including the border piece).

I know solid wood is a safe bet down the road, and we have not melted the carpet yet.  Should I have any concerns over laminate flooring?


----------



## firefighterjake (Feb 13, 2012)

I wouldn't worry . . . you've met (and actually surpassed) the requirement for floor protection for the F-500 . . . anything else outside of the hearth footprint should be good to go whether it be carpet, hardwood or laminate . . . I probably wouldn't have open pans of gasoline sitting there . . . but I suspect your laminate would be fine . . . and I would be careful (like you would with a carpet or hardwood flooring even) if any sparks or embers drop out and skid off the hearth and on to the flooring.


----------



## DAKSY (Feb 13, 2012)

Why not see if you can grab a sample to take home? Some places
will let you take small pieces to check compatibility with furniture,
wallpaper, etc. Lay the piece in front of your stove & on the carpet
for a couple of days & see what happens. There are adhesives in that 
flooring which may soften & cause some delamination...


----------



## mossycup (Feb 13, 2012)

DAKSY said:
			
		

> Why not see if you can grab a sample to take home? Some places
> will let you take small pieces to check compatibility with furniture,
> wallpaper, etc. Lay the piece in front of your stove & on the carpet
> for a couple of days & see what happens. There are adhesives in that
> flooring which may soften & cause some delamination...



That was my exact concern.


----------



## DanCorcoran (Feb 13, 2012)

I have laminate all around my Shelburne, which sits on a tile-over-Micore stove pad.  As long as the clearances to combustibles are met, you shouldn't have a problem.  Mine barely gets warm.


----------



## BobUrban (Feb 13, 2012)

x2 on Dan Corcorans comment - My floor is laminate and shows no sign of issue at all.  I cannot imagine carpet being safer than a solid floor and it cleans up real easy.


----------



## mywaynow (Feb 13, 2012)

Most laminates are a formica type material, which should be more able to take an amber than wood or carpet.


----------



## nate379 (Feb 14, 2012)

Same here.  The floor gets warmer with the floor heat on vs from the stove.




			
				DanCorcoran said:
			
		

> I have laminate all around my Shelburne, which sits on a tile-over-Micore stove pad.  As long as the clearances to combustibles are met, you shouldn't have a problem.  Mine barely gets warm.


----------



## mossycup (Feb 14, 2012)

Thanks for the the info.  I cannot wait to take up all the carpet.  I have always pined for wood and tile...no carpet ever again!


----------



## ScotO (Feb 15, 2012)

Mossy you'll be fine.  We have real hardwood oak floors all around our stove and we love them.  Easy to clean up and looks great.  I hate carpet in any room other than a bedroom.  So that's the only rooms in our house that have any carpet, the rest is oak hardwood with tile in both bathrooms.  Yer gonna love your hardwood floor!


----------



## BlankBlankBlank (Feb 15, 2012)

A nice thing about laminates is that you can replace pieces easier if they get damaged because they float over the subfloor.  Keep in mind though that the "easier" part might not be true if the laminate you choose requires each piece to be glued together.  I purchased a laminate for a few rooms in my house.  Most of the pieces just lock together without glue.  With my brand, glue is required only if the piece needed to be ripped narrower in order to fit, such as the last piece along a wall or cabinet.


----------



## woodsmaster (Feb 15, 2012)

I had a wood stove in the house with laminite floor around it. Worked great exept I had a couple embers that got on it and I didn't see them untill the next day. Nice black spots on the floor now. I need to redo where the hearth was any how. It has to be
safer than carpet I would think.


----------



## agartner (Feb 15, 2012)

I was in the same boat a couple of years ago, nasty ol' carpet in front of the hearth.  I wanted to tile just in front of the woodstove, then transition over to carpet.  But then once I got a few rows of tile in, I liked it so much I did the whole room in tile.  You could consider the same thing, a few rows of nice tile then transition into the laminate.  Mostly would be for looks - I do agree with everyone here, as long as clearance is met you're golden.  I've since gone through and put laminate just about everywhere in the house - getting rid of the carpet - now everyone in the house breathes much easier.  I love the stuff - cinch to install and holds up really well.


----------

