# My hearth mortar job was a failure,,,,Uggg!



## charly (Sep 24, 2012)

Don' t know where I went wrong. Stone place I bought my brick from gave me S type mortar. 12 hours later I could just pull have of the bricks loose. Mortar was rock hard on the back of the brick. Almost like it didn't stick that well to the Durock board. Brick box showed to only use lath on an exterior wall. So now I pulled everything back off the hearth pad, cleaned the pad and am tossing all the brick as there is no way to get that mortar off the backs. Kind of disgusted at this point. I guess maybe I should have just used thin set instead. I want to make the second time count. Mix was good, only thing I can think of is I didn't work the bricks  into the mortar,  enough. Any ideas as to make a second attempt good would be appreciated.


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## ScotO (Sep 24, 2012)

It can be hard to install mortar directly on Durock.   Did you pre-moisten the Durock?  I know if you try to put mortar on a really dry surface, the surface will suck the moisture right out of the mortar.  You don't want it to be soaking wet, but it pays to keep a spray bottle full of water while doing your brick or stone, spritz some water on the area your working prior to each stone or brick you lay.  Even better yet, install something expanded metal lath and a scratchcoat of mud down prior to installing your brick.  Still, whatever substrate you use, be sure to dampen it before installing your brick.  Makes the bond a lot stronger


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## begreen (Sep 24, 2012)

Good suggestion. Consider trying Scotty's method on a piece of scrap board.

Just to clarify, are these full bricks, half-bricks, or brick tiles?  If half bricks or brick tile, I would try some latex modified thinset on a sample board and see if that works better.


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## charly (Sep 24, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> It can be hard to install mortar directly on Durock. Did you pre-moisten the Durock? I know if you try to put mortar on a really dry surface, the surface will suck the moisture right out of the mortar. You don't want it to be soaking wet, but it pays to keep a spray bottle full of water while doing your brick or stone, spritz some water on the area your working prior to each stone or brick you lay. Even better yet, install something expanded metal lath and a scratchcoat of mud down prior to installing your brick. Still, whatever substrate you use, be sure to dampen it before installing your brick. Makes the bond a lot stronger


Be Green, I'm using real used cut brick,  1/2 inch thick.   Scotty, about half way through I started wetting the Durock with a spray bottle. I think my problem was using the 1/4 inch notched trowel, I scraped both the board and the back of the bricks with the trowel after applying mortar. Now I'm thinking of just buttering the the board and the brick , that giving me a better amount of mortar contact. I worry about the lath having movement even after coating it with mortar, once the weight of the stove is on it.. Just one more thing to give with the stove on and let the joints crack. Maybe I'm wrong?  Do you think thin-set will allow a better bond then the S mortar ? I'll have to try a piece of brick on an extra piece of rock board. Man I couldn't believe I was taking the whole thing apart!   Another question, once grouting all the joints, will that strengthen the bricks to the board at all? As I said before , some were solid as far as bonding and others pulled off . As far as wetting the board, would you spray the whole board ahead of time and wait 5 minutes before starting or just keep soaking it as you go?  I know my mortar was nice and wet . Sorry for all the questions.


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## Beetle-Kill (Sep 24, 2012)

Over the last few weeks I've used about 1600lbs of S type mortar, with another 800 or so to go. What Scotty said works, misting the board and brick prior to "buttering" it is the way to go. And when installing on a verticle surface, don't spread it. Take your trowel and flick it, slap that mortar onto the wall like you're trying to fling it off the trowel. Then spread it, then fling some more. don't know why but it really sticks by doing that.
before you toss your brick, do you have a grinder?  If so, pick up a diamond wheel and some dust masks, should cut that mortar fairly quickly.
Just do it outside.


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## ScotO (Sep 24, 2012)

charly said:


> I think my problem was using the 1/4 inch notched trowel, I scraped both the board and the back of the bricks with the trowel after applying mortar. Now I'm thinking of just buttering the the board and the brick , that giving me a better amount of mortar contact.


you don't want to use a notched trowel. I wouldn't even worry about putting a thick layer of mortar on the board at all. Maybe smear (and I mean really smear) your mortar in a thin coat over the Durock, only doing a small section at a time. Butter each brick with a nice, thick layer of mortar and wiggle each brick onto the surface of the Durock.......don't get ahead of yourself, only smear mortar on small sections of your board at a time, so as to not let it dry out too fast.



charly said:


> I worry about the lath having movement even after coating it with mortar, once the weight of the stove is on it.. Just one more thing to give with the stove on and let the joints crack. Maybe I'm wrong?


That expanded metal, when impregnated with mortar, will not move at all once it sets. My hearth in the kitchen has NO board under it at all. I put down tar paper, built up a form in the shape of the hearth, screwed my expanded metal lath to the sub-floor, and poured 1 1/2" of concrete right on top of it. Layed my tiles right to the concrete with thinset mortar. No cracks, looks like I did it yesterday, and I did it almost 6 years ago.



charly said:


> Do you think thin-set will allow a better bond then the S mortar ?


No. You need mortar. Type S is fine.



charly said:


> once grouting all the joints, will that strengthen the bricks to the board at all? As I said before , some were solid as far as bonding and others pulled off .


 Grouting is what makes the piece you are doing a solid unit, so yes....it will greatly strengthen the bricks. I hung real stone veneer on my walls, all through the house, and it is heavy stuff. Never lost a single stone, still tight as it was the day I put it on. And I used Type S mortar.



charly said:


> As far as wetting the board, would you spray the whole board ahead of time and wait 5 minutes before starting or just keep soaking it as you go?


No, just spray right before you lay. not soaking wet, just damp.



charly said:


> I know my mortar was nice and wet .


 That can be a problem. Only make your mortar the consistency of mashed potatoes. Too wet and the stuff won't stick right.

What percent are you mixing the type S with sand? I go almost 3-to-1 with my mix. Works fantastic.


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## ScotO (Sep 24, 2012)

OK, two suggestions.  First off, I just noticed that the bricks you are using are cut bricks 1/2" thick, I would reuse all that brick.  Don't even bother taking the mortar off, you can reuse those bricks with the mortar on them still, if you can live with your hearth being a half inch thicker.  So long as the mortar is set really good on the back of those bricks, get a dry diamond blade for your 5" angle grinder and cut grooves, around 1/4" deep, into the mortar on the back of those bricks.  Then, moisten them (just as you would the substrate, with a spray bottle) and re-butter them.  Apply them to the hearth just as you would have originally.  You should be fine, and you'll end up with another 1/2" worth of firestop under your stove......


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## charly (Sep 24, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> you don't want to use a notched trowel. I wouldn't even worry about putting a thick layer of mortar on the board at all. Maybe smear (and I mean really smear) your mortar in a thin coat over the Durock, only doing a small section at a time. Butter each brick with a nice, thick layer of mortar and wiggle each brick onto the surface of the Durock.......don't get ahead of yourself, only smear mortar on small sections of your board at a time, so as to not let it dry out too fast.
> 
> That expanded metal, when impregnated with mortar, will not move at all once it sets. My hearth in the kitchen has NO board under it at all. I put down tar paper, built up a form in the shape of the hearth, screwed my expanded metal lath to the sub-floor, and poured 1 1/2" of concrete right on top of it. Layed my tiles right to the concrete with thinset mortar. No cracks, looks like I did it yesterday, and I did it almost 6 years ago.
> 
> ...


Think that was one problem, I was just pressing the bricks down into the mortar, not wiggling them. I started doing that at the end and could feel a difference in them being seated.  As far as cleaning over a 100 bricks, I'll see how it goes. I do have a diamond wheel I was using to cut my shorter bricks for every other course.

I'm using S type quickrete mortar.   I think I didn't have the board wet at the beginning and not enough mortar on the back of the bricks. plus no wiggle, just pushing straight down.


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## charly (Sep 24, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> OK, two suggestions. First off, I just noticed that the bricks you are using are cut bricks 1/2" thick, I would reuse all that brick. Don't even bother taking the mortar off, you can reuse those bricks with the mortar on them still, if you can live with your hearth being a half inch thicker. So long as the mortar is set really good on the back of those bricks, get a dry diamond blade for your 5" angle grinder and cut grooves, around 1/4" deep, into the mortar on the back of those bricks. Then, moisten them (just as you would the substrate, with a spray bottle) and re-butter them. Apply them to the hearth just as you would have originally. You should be fine, and you'll end up with another 1/2" worth of firestop under your stove......


Good idea! Thanks Scotty!


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## ScotO (Sep 24, 2012)

charly said:


> I'm using S type quickrete mortar.


 Is that mortar pre-mixed or do you have to add sand to it?


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## charly (Sep 24, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Is that mortar pre-mixed or do you have to add sand to it?


Premix


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## ScotO (Sep 24, 2012)

OK, then you don't have to worry about adding sand.  Just keep using the mix, but don't make it too wet.  And don't forget the pics, brother!!  We THRIVE off of pics......LOTS AND LOTS OF PICS!


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## Jags (Sep 24, 2012)

"Twist" them in place, or a good wiggle will get the job done.  Wetting the backer board is only that.  It will not absorb water, so "letting it soak" has no advantage.


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## charly (Sep 24, 2012)

Jags said:


> "Twist" them in place, or a good wiggle will get the job done. Wetting the backer board is only that. It will not absorb water, so "letting it soak" has no advantage.


OK Thanks Jags!


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## ScotO (Sep 24, 2012)

charly said:


> OK Thanks Jags!


 Charlie, would that be an Esse Ironheart I see in your avatar pic?  YOU LUCKY BASS TURD!  I absolutely LOVE that cookstove!  Don't mean to derail your hearth thread, but I just had to compliment on it.  How do you like it for cooking/baking/heating?


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## ScotO (Sep 24, 2012)

Jags said:


> Wetting the backer board is only that. It will not absorb water, so "letting it soak" has no advantage.


Durock will absorb moisture alot like concrete, whereas the Hardibacker stuff will barely absorb it at all.  Just a spritz of water on the Durock before you apply the cement usually helps it stick.  And if you use a finishing trowel and REALLY smear a thin layer of cement on the Durock right before you butter up your stone/brick and install it, it'll stick really good.


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## charly (Sep 24, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Charlie, would that be an Esse Ironheart I see in your avatar pic? YOU LUCKY BASS TURD! I absolutely LOVE that cookstove! Don't mean to derail your hearth thread, but I just had to compliment on it. How do you like it for cooking/baking/heating?


Yes Scotty, that's Miss Esse , as myself  and friend who has one call it. It's a great stove. It cooks great and then you realize, wow it's heating us at the same time. Well worth the money . Overnight burns too. For the first 3 months , I would look up the Tee outside to check the chimney, it still had a shine to the inside, I couldn't believe it. Has a secondary air control at the top of the firebox. I shut the bottom main draft once it's going and just run the secondary air. Puts out some smooth comfortable heat with that big cast iron top. Over 700 lbs. 2 friends lifted her up waste high and carried into my house . Wish I took their picture carrying the stove.


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## paredown (Sep 25, 2012)

You can also clean mortar off brick with a good crack with a sharp brick chisel and heavy hammer--support the brick and get the chisel placed just so at the junction of brick and mortar and give it a good hit. You'll break some, but personally I hate cutting wheels and all the dust they produce.


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## charly (Sep 25, 2012)

paredown said:


> You can also clean mortar off brick with a good crack with a sharp brick chisel and heavy hammer--support the brick and get the chisel placed just so at the junction of brick and mortar and give it a good hit. You'll break some, but personally I hate cutting wheels and all the dust they produce.


Thanks for the tip.


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## charly (Sep 25, 2012)

Scotty, here's where I'm at. Nothing special, wife didn't want 45'd corners, old house she thought square looked more old school. Sorry no pictures of me disgusted ripping all the first brick job back off.


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## Jjm457 (Sep 25, 2012)

I'm pretty sure that Durock has two different sides to it, at least the original Durock did (not sure about the next gen Durock)  Check the label, one side is for mortar and the other for mastic. The best way to go is using the polymer additive directly to the thinset instead of a water mix. Also, 1/4 inch notch may not be enough for a 1/2 stone or tile.



charly said:


> Don' t know where I went wrong. Stone place I bought my brick from gave me S type mortar. 12 hours later I could just pull have of the bricks loose. Mortar was rock hard on the back of the brick. Almost like it didn't stick that well to the Durock board. Brick box showed to only use lath on an exterior wall. So now I pulled everything back off the hearth pad, cleaned the pad and am tossing all the brick as there is no way to get that mortar off the backs. Kind of disgusted at this point. I guess maybe I should have just used thin set instead. I want to make the second time count. Mix was good, only thing I can think of is I didn't work the bricks  into the mortar,  enough. Any ideas as to make a second attempt good would be appreciated.


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## ScotO (Sep 25, 2012)

charly said:


> Scotty, here's where I'm at. Nothing special, wife didn't want 45'd corners, old house she thought square looked more old school. Sorry no pictures of me disgusted ripping all the first brick job back off.



That looks great to me, so far.  Jjm may be right on the next gen Durock.   Not 100% sure though.  That's gonna be a nice looking hearth, cant wait to see it when finished!


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## Jags (Sep 25, 2012)

Hmmm...never heard anything about the "two sides" to the Nextgen...

Edit: - just confirmed with USG  (hey, I buy over 30 mill a year from them, I gotz a bat phone to the Commissioner ).  The OLD Durock did have specific sides.  The Next Gen does not differentiate.  There is a texture difference due to the making process, but either side can be used for "whatever".


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## ScotO (Sep 25, 2012)

Jags said:


> Hmmm...never heard anything about the "two sides" to the Nextgen...


All the stuff I've ever used was the old style Durock.  No idea what the next gen stuff is about.  As a general rule, if I'm doing a mortar to hang or set stone/brick, I pour the pad rather than using backerboard.  Just seems to be easier to work.  If you DO use the poured pad method, be certain to put metal lath or screen down first.  That'll keep it from cracking......


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## charly (Sep 25, 2012)

Only thing I read was to put the smooth side down which I did.


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## Jags (Sep 25, 2012)

charly said:


> Only thing I read was to put the smooth side down which I did.


 
You should be good to go on that front.


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## ScotO (Sep 25, 2012)

You should be fine, then.  You can go the extra step (I didn't get the name 'Overkill' for nothing) by screwing down some metal lath on top of the cement board, putting down a scratchcoat of mortar, and adhering the brick to that.  If you go that route, you won't have any problems at all.


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## Jags (Sep 25, 2012)

You really want to go overkill?  Go scratch coat as Scotty said and then use a scarifier to create "keys". The buttered bricks will bond like superglue.


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## ScotO (Sep 25, 2012)

Jags said:


> You really want to go overkill?  Go scratch coat as Scotty said and then use a scarifier to create "keys". The buttered bricks will bond like superglue.
> View attachment 74985



That's EXACTLY what I use, Jags!


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## Jags (Sep 25, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> That's EXACTLY what I use, Jags!


 
Hehehe - go figure.


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## charly (Sep 25, 2012)

Jags said:


> Hehehe - go figure.


 I assume if I use lath, the scratch coat has to dry for 24 hrs?


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## ScotO (Sep 25, 2012)

charly said:


> I assume if I use lathe, the scratch coat has to dry for 24 hrs?



Yeah, its best to let it dry at least 24 hrs.  That's how I do it, anyway.


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## charly (Sep 30, 2012)

Took a scrap piece of Durock, bought some thin-set. Troweled the thin-set onto the board after letting it sit for 15 minutes like the bag said, after mixing it. Buttered the board, went over it with a 1/4 notched trowel , held at 90 degrees. Then applied some bricks dry onto the board and buttered the back of two others. Did that yesterday, today,,,, I can't get any of them loose. All held great! So the hearth pad will move on today, let it dry for 48 hours and then get the mortar bag out for the joints. I believe the thin-set has an adhesive added.


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## ScotO (Sep 30, 2012)

charly said:


> Took a scrap piece of Durock, bought some thin-set. Troweled the thin-set onto the board after letting it sit for 15 minutes like the bag said, after mixing it. Buttered the board, went over it with a 1/4 notched trowel , held at 90 degrees. Then applied some bricks dry onto the board and buttered the back of two others. Did that yesterday, today,,,, I can't get any of them loose. All held great! So the hearth pad will move on today, let it dry for 48 hours and then get the mortar bag out for the joints. I believe the thin-set has an adhesive added.


That's great news!  I can't wait to see the hearth.  Make sure to post pictures of the project!


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## begreen (Sep 30, 2012)

Good news. I thought that might work. Thanks for the update and good luck with the hearth!


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## charly (Sep 30, 2012)

begreen said:


> Good news. I thought that might work. Thanks for the update and good luck with the hearth!


Scotty and BeGreen, I'll keep ya posted. Thanks for all the feed back!..........Charlie


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## charly (Oct 4, 2012)

Laid the used brick this afternoon.  This time using thin-set. Said right on the box of bricks to use thin-set, wish I used that the first time. Just leaving it alone for two days, then mortar the joints. Used homemade 5/8ths joint spacer for the first row across the back. The rest I just did by eye, just free handing it. Thought it would have a more rustic look. Whoops, should have started in the middle to line the pad stone with the stone on the wall. No big deal, once the stove is in place it will all go away, only I will see it.

​


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## begreen (Oct 4, 2012)

Lookin' Good!


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## charly (Oct 5, 2012)

begreen said:


> Lookin' Good!


Thanks a lot Begreen. First time building a hearth pad. Learn by doing. Checked the bricks this morning, glued down solid to the Durock, used Polymer Modified Thin-Set . Just misted the board with water then buttered it to my lay out lines each time and a quarter inch notched trowel. Nothing on the bricks, just grabbed them and rocked them into position. Made for a clean job. Going to trim it out in a stained wood.


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## charly (Oct 6, 2012)

Any reason I can't use thin-set to fill my joints over mortar?  The Thin-Set seems a lot stronger then the S mortar I used the on the first lay out.


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## raybonz (Oct 6, 2012)

charly said:


> Scotty and BeGreen, I'll keep ya posted. Thanks for all the feed back!..........Charlie


BG was very helpful when I built my hearth with lots of good info. I would suggest using a Laticrete thinset made for mounting the brick to a wall.. I had good luck with their products but you need to get the good stuff at a tile store as I found Lowes and HD don't carry the good stuff..I used the 254 Platinum which was top of the line and while it was overkill and a bit expensive I only wanted to do this once. I used the best of everything but got an amazing deal on the porcelain tile and the hearth still cost me round $300.00 for everything!

http://www.laticrete.com/contractors/products/thin_set_mortars_adhesives/thin_bed_mortar.aspx

Good Luck!

Ray


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## raybonz (Oct 6, 2012)

I used red oak trim around my hearth as it is much more durable than a softwood. Keep up the good work!  I bought the red oak at Lowes and while much more $$ than pine still set me back only around $35.00. It was a good decision as it has held up well so far.

Ray


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## charly (Oct 6, 2012)

Yes I did use thin-set with a polymer. A minute after my stone was done I couldn't move them. Great stuff. Stone place gave me S mortar to use the first time,only 50% of the stone held the first time. Should have looked at the brick box closer, said right on there to use Thin-set. Live and learn , it's all good now. Just have to fill the joints. Going to put my trim wood on next , put blue tape on the wood as to not get any joint material on the wood, then I can fill any gaps right up to the wood. Yes I too have about 400 into mine but it's bigger then you could buy and will give me extra roof and over minimums around the stove. Plus I did it myself. Next time I want to build something I'll already have some experience under my belt. A stepping stone of sorts.   Again, thanks to all that replied, I appreciate it. The Hearth is such a nice place to come and learn. Can't imagine all the money people must have saved each other on here by getting a heads first before making a bad move.


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## raybonz (Oct 6, 2012)

charly said:


> Yes I did use thin-set with a polymer. A minute after my stone was done I couldn't move them. Great stuff. Stone place gave me S mortar to use the first time,only 50% of the stone held the first time. Should have looked at the brick box closer, said right on there to use Thin-set. Live and learn , it's all good now. Just have to fill the joints. Going to put my trim wood on next , put blue tape on the wood as to not get any joint material on the wood, then I can fill any gaps right up to the wood. Yes I too have about 400 into mine but it's bigger then you could buy and will give me extra roof and over minimums around the stove. Plus I did it myself. Next time I want to build something I'll already have some experience under my belt. A stepping stone of sorts. Again, thanks to all that replied, I appreciate it. The Hearth is such a nice place to come and learn. Can't imagine all the money people must have saved each other on here by getting a heads first before making a bad move.


I suggest you do your joints 1st then add the wood. I did mine this way and I also stained the wood and applied coats of poly before finishing the grout to the wood. After your wood work is sealed and dry apply the blue tape then do your grout, wipe any excess grout and your wood will look fine. At least mine looked good following this process.

Ray


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## charly (Oct 6, 2012)

raybonz said:


> I suggest you do your joints 1st then add the wood. I did mine this way and I also stained the wood and applied coats of poly before finishing the grout to the wood. After your wood work is sealed and dry apply the blue tape then do your grout, wipe any excess grout and your wood will look fine. At least mine looked good following this process.
> 
> Ray


 Ray, are saying do your joints but stay away from the outer edges until the wood is on?


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## raybonz (Oct 6, 2012)

charly said:


> Ray, are saying do your joints but stay away from the outer edges until the wood is on?


I can only say the wood trim was done after the tiles were done on my hearth. The wood was added later then stained and poly'd. Once this was dry I used blue tape on the sealed wood then grouted from the tile to the wood. The tape kinda worked but I just damp sponged the grout off the wood and it cleaned right off.. I added pics so you can see what worked for me..

Ray


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## fire_man (Oct 6, 2012)

I'm curious why the debate never came up regarding combustibility/fireproof rating when using thinset vs Type S mortar in a Hearth. I don't see any problem using thinset (which contains modified latex), but after years reading numerous posts claiming Hardibacker was no good because it contained cellulose (even though it was rated "non-combustible"), I'm surprised nobody mentions issues with thinset. Just wondering....??


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## charly (Oct 6, 2012)

raybonz said:


> I can only say the wood trim was done after the tiles were done on my hearth. The wood was added later then stained and poly'd. Once this was dry I used blue tape on the sealed wood then grouted from the tile to the wood. The tape kinda worked but I just damp sponged the grout off the wood and it cleaned right off.. I added pics so you can see what worked for me..
> 
> Ray


Gotcha!


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## charly (Oct 22, 2012)

Finished up my hearth pad build,,,,,finally. I kept mixing and the wife worked the mortar bag. Let us make time.  Wondering if I should seal the mortar work or not? If I do will the sealant be considered a combustible?  Next,,,, setting the Fireview.


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## begreen (Oct 22, 2012)

It's looking great. Did you wipe it down with a muriatic acid wash?

This is a dry area so I would consider sealing optional. If you seal with a silicone compound it's non-combustible. Your call.


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## raybonz (Oct 22, 2012)

I agree with BG as this hearth is not exposed to the elements just like my inside chimney. I have never sealed that and there is no reason to do that and no problems in 25 years..

Ray


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## charly (Oct 22, 2012)

begreen said:


> It's looking great. Did you wipe it down with a muriatic acid wash?
> 
> This is a dry area so I would consider sealing optional. If you seal with a silicone compound it's non-combustible. Your call.


No, just kept sponging the bricks off with water. Is it too late to do the acid wash? What's up with doing that? After reading about it, I don't know if I want to use it indoors. Also I already have my wood trim on. I read you have to keep washing it down. Wondering if it will turn into a major mess trying to get all the acid diluted back out.


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## bag of hammers (Oct 22, 2012)

raybonz said:


> I agree with BG as this hearth is not exposed to the elements just like my inside chimney. I have never sealed that and there is no reason to do that and no problems in 25 years..
> 
> Ray


+1 on not sealing.  I beat myself up over this decision (to seal or not to seal) and ultimately left it alone.  I have a dark porcelain field tile ("sandstone" finish) with small slate inlay and chocolate colored grout, and IMHO it looks even better after a few years of smoke and ashes.   I think you mentioned your better half likes the "old school" look anyway?  A very nice looking hearth, btw....


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## BobUrban (Oct 22, 2012)

Looks great - I used water based poly to seal mine. Not for necessity - just asthetics. I used satin finish and just brushed it on with an old paint brush. Again, not necessary for function but I liked how it brought out a little shine. My bricks were road pavers and driven on for about 80+ years so they needed a little TLC.


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## raybonz (Oct 22, 2012)

BobUrban said:


> Looks great - I used water based poly to seal mine. Not for necessity - just asthetics. I used satin finish and just brushed it on with an old paint brush. Again, not necessary for function but I liked how it brought out a little shine. My bricks were road pavers and driven on for about 80+ years so they needed a little TLC.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Bob that looks great!

Ray


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## Pallet Pete (Oct 22, 2012)

BobUrban said:


> Looks great - I used water based poly to seal mine. Not for necessity - just asthetics. I used satin finish and just brushed it on with an old paint brush. Again, not necessary for function but I liked how it brought out a little shine. My bricks were road pavers and driven on for about 80+ years so they needed a little TLC.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Nice job Bob your giving me ideas.

Pete


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## charly (Oct 22, 2012)

bag of hammers said:


> +1 on not sealing. I beat myself up over this decision (to seal or not to seal) and ultimately left it alone. I have a dark porcelain field tile ("sandstone" finish) with small slate inlay and chocolate colored grout, and IMHO it looks even better after a few years of smoke and ashes. I think you mentioned your better half likes the "old school" look anyway? A very nice looking hearth, btw....


Thanks for the positive feedback. I like the rustic look myself.


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## charly (Oct 22, 2012)

BobUrban said:


> Looks great - I used water based poly to seal mine. Not for necessity - just asthetics. I used satin finish and just brushed it on with an old paint brush. Again, not necessary for function but I liked how it brought out a little shine. My bricks were road pavers and driven on for about 80+ years so they needed a little TLC.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice job also. No one knows all the work involved until you have some hands on. Just doing the joints, then striking them all and then washing all the bricks , a lot of work.


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## charly (Oct 22, 2012)

begreen said:


> It's looking great. Did you wipe it down with a muriatic acid wash?
> 
> This is a dry area so I would consider sealing optional. If you seal with a silicone compound it's non-combustible. Your call.


I'm wondering if your seeing the whitish bricks, that you mentioned the acid wash. These are old reclaimed bricks so they have been like that for who knows how many years. They were cleaned off with water and sponge before things got too dry. They just have that weathered look.


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## dylskee (Oct 22, 2012)

That looks great charly! Feels good knowing you built it with your bare hands too, now get that beautiful Fireview on there and upload some more pics!


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## begreen (Oct 23, 2012)

charly said:


> I'm wondering if your seeing the whitish bricks, that you mentioned the acid wash. These are old reclaimed bricks so they have been like that for who knows how many years. They were cleaned off with water and sponge before things got too dry. They just have that weathered look.


 
Yes, it's not clear from the picture how much of the whitish brick is from the dried mortar after wiping off the bricks. The acid wash would be to clear off haze left by the mortar. It can be done now without problems. Cleaning it off is a little hassle, but not a big deal. You can neutralize the acid after the wash with baking soda or lime. But if you like the look at it's current level then leave it.


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## charly (Oct 23, 2012)

begreen said:


> Yes, its not clear how much of the whitish brick is from the dried mortar after wiping off the bricks. The acid wash would be to clear off haze left by the mortar. It can be done now without problems. Cleaning it off is a little hassle, but not a big deal. You can neutralize the acid after the wash with baking soda or lime. But if you like the look at it's current level then leave it.


Our former used brick hearth pad had the same look, that was a manufactured pad.


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## bag of hammers (Oct 23, 2012)

BobUrban said:


> Looks great - I used water based poly to seal mine. Not for necessity - just asthetics. I used satin finish and just brushed it on with an old paint brush. Again, not necessary for function but I liked how it brought out a little shine. My bricks were road pavers and driven on for about 80+ years so they needed a little TLC.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Aesthetics for sure.  That's a very nice looking hearth.  The road pavers are awesome.  I like the step wall and the extra room to stack the inside wood on the same space.  I kinda wish I had done similar.


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## charly (Oct 24, 2012)

Just picturing what the Fireview will look like. Wish the stove was under the box!


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