# Granite slab under wood stove



## Maine27 (Jan 22, 2009)

I just bought a used Waterford Erin wood stove.  We are going to put it in our living room which has hard wood floors.  The legs on the stove are 6" off the ground.  We have a piece of 1" think granite, 2" thick granite or 3" thick slate that would work as a base.  Can I just put the granite or slate directly on the wood floor, or do I need to put a heat shield down under the stone.  If so, can it just be a piece of metal heat shield under the granite or do I need to go with something more?


Thank you!


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 22, 2009)

First thing that needs done is to see what the manufacturer recommends. But it does seem like that thick 3" slate might do the trick. Still, best to find out for sure and see what R value they recommend. It could make a difference with insurance too.


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## M1sterM (Jan 22, 2009)

Maine27 said:
			
		

> I just bought a used Waterford Erin wood stove.  We are going to put it in our living room which has hard wood floors.  The legs on the stove are 6" off the ground.  We have a piece of 1" think granite, 2" thick granite or 3" thick slate that would work as a base.  Can I just put the granite or slate directly on the wood floor, or do I need to put a heat shield down under the stone.  If so, can it just be a piece of metal heat shield under the granite or do I need to go with something more?
> 
> 
> Thank you!



You'll need to find the actual intallation requirements/instructions, and see if the stove requires simply a non-combustible surface (and the needed dimensions for the surface), or if it actually needs a specific r-value or some air space to prevent thermal bridging (e.g. the stone heating up enough to get the wood floors under the base to ignite).


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## Maine27 (Jan 22, 2009)

Thank you for the feedback.  Unfortunately, I don't know the R value they recommend.  Does anyone else know?

They do say the following for FLOOR PROTECTION:

When installing this heater on a cobustible floor, a floor protector, consisting of a layer of non-combustible material at least 3/8" think or 1/4" thick covered with 1/8" sheet metal is required to cover the area under the heater...

BUT, when I looked on line, I found others that said that they used granite and it got VERY hot -- too hot to touch.  Granted they didn't have a Waterford Stove but  I thought I should ask before I install .


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## M1sterM (Jan 22, 2009)

Maine27 said:
			
		

> Thank you for the feedback.  Unfortunately, I don't know the R value they recommend.  Does anyone else know?
> 
> They do say the following for FLOOR PROTECTION:
> 
> ...



I think that answers the question quite well...if it needed to be insulating, it would say "requires a layer of non-combustible material with an r-value of 1.0 or greater" or something along those lines.  Some stoves put out a lot of heat underneath, but many don't, and all that's needed is ember protection for when you're filling or cleaning out the stove.  So any of your materials will work, but in my opinion, the thicker the better (and better looking).

Does it tell you the dimensions (width and length) or amount the floor protector must extend beyond the stove's footprint?


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## Maine27 (Jan 22, 2009)

Dimensions: 8" sides, back  18" front

Thank you for your help.

J


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## weezer4117 (Jan 22, 2009)

is the stove firebrick lined on the bottom and sides?


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## Maine27 (Jan 23, 2009)

yes -- there are bricks on the bottom and sides.


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## firefighterjake (Jan 23, 2009)

Like many of my answers of late . . . the answer is it depends.

As others have mentioned knowing the stove's R value requirements is the first step. From the sounds of it your stove is looking for something a bit thicker than ember protection (which can be sheet metal, tile, etc.) but it doesn't list out a specific R value requirement. To me that would mean that I would want to use/buy a material that is non-combustible which complies with those requirements.

But . . . it also depends on your insurance carrier . . . and where you live. What I mean by this is your insurance company can require more stringent requirements as can the Fire Inspector if you are required to have the stove inspected before use. I know personally here in Bangor that the Inspector will not approve granite . . . because as he puts it, "The granite may be a fine material . . . but it is not listed for floor protection so I have no way of knowing what the R-value requirement is when it comes to using the granite." 

I would check with your town/city and insurance company . . . and honestly if I liked the look of the granite (which seems like it would meet your stove's floor protection requirements) I would simply purchase some Durock (the 1/2 inch stuff which is currently listed for floor protection -- not the 1/4 inch stuff or new stuff which apparently is no longer listed for floor protection) place it under the granite slab and voila . . . you've met the stove manufacturer's requirements and hopefully the town/city and insurance company since I doubt they will have any more stringent requirements other than perhaps requiring listed floor protection.


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## Maine27 (Jan 28, 2009)

Thank you all for your help!  I really appreciate it.

J


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