# Does a $69 sheet of tempered glass from Home Depot meet hearth pad code?



## John Ackerly (Mar 6, 2015)

A friend who just had a new  Rais wood stove professionally installed used a piece of 3/8 inch tempered glass as a floor pad.  It met all the right dimensions and only cost $69.  She found what looked like a similar 1/2 inch piece from Moreso for $500, but went with the Home Depot one.  Does 3/8 inch tempered glass meet Type 1 specifications?  Do all stoves need at least .84 R value in the hearth pad?  If this works, its a great cost saving option for folks who only need Type 1 pads.


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## begreen (Mar 6, 2015)

It varies. Some stoves only require ember protection. A proper sized sheet of metal will do that.


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## Heatsource (Mar 6, 2015)

yes, glass is a non combustible material. 
if all that is required is ember protection, then glass, metal, tile or other non combustible material are all acceptable

I'm not saying glass is a good choice for a hearth though as accidents can happen


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## begreen (Mar 6, 2015)

You can get a Type 1 hearth pad from Imperial or Hy-C for not much more if the stove requires Type 1.


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## jeffesonm (Mar 6, 2015)

My stove required embers only protection so I used a piece of tempered glass... been very happy with it so far.  Only regret is I should have gotten it a few inches bigger rather than just the minimum.


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## DougA (Mar 6, 2015)

Be aware that tempered glass does shatter. I've done it twice with the most innocent sharp object hitting it. You can bash it with a stick and it's OK but if you drop a sharp object like an ash shovel and it might turn into chunks of snow. If you have nice flooring underneath, it might be worth a try. Make sure the leading edges are not too sharp or someone will get cut.


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## John Ackerly (Mar 9, 2015)

Does anyone have an idea of about what percent of woodstoves only need a Type 1 hearth pad?  And are there any pellet stoves that need Type 2.  Seems like it should be recognized as one of the bigger items that can really add cost to the job, but I rarely hear about that.


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## Jags (Mar 9, 2015)

At first blush I would venture a guess at 50+ % now being in the ember protection only world.  That still leaves a bunch of stoves that DO require an R rated hearth (and not all are the same R factor).  The cost is subject to just how much of an R factor needs to be built in - and that is all over the place.  Some are barely over ember and some require a pretty hefty rating.
This is the very reason that we are always looking for stove specific install instructions.


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## Hogwildz (Mar 9, 2015)

Glass looks great, but one bad drop of a split, or pointy object, and oops.


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## Offset (Mar 9, 2015)

Just a matter of time.  I would not use this IMO.


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## 3650 (Mar 9, 2015)

My sister needed a hearth pad so I went to a local granite countertop maker and asked if he had any scrap. He walks me out back and said help yourself. I got a real nice piece that was bigger then the dimensions she needed for free. I chipped the edges on three sides to give it a rugged finish. It turned out pretty good. He had about five pallets so I asked if i could haul them off for him and he kind of raised a brow to that. Now I see he is selling them on Craigslist still very cheap.


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## jeffesonm (Mar 9, 2015)

So far I have two years under my belt with the tempered glass hearth.  I have dropped a few splits on it, as well as dropped the fireplace tools a few times from maybe 6-12" up and no issues.  I think tempered glass is pretty tough, but can shatter if you hit it on the edge.


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## xman23 (Mar 9, 2015)

Much different look, I like it. I wonder if you can get a large piece to not ha e voids under it. 

My guess most people , like me  never read the stove clearances and the very important hearth requirements. I'm glad mine required ember protection. Saved a lot of work and a much different look.


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