Great News for Noobies Regarding Hearth Pads!

[DanCorcoran]

I recently asked for help in finding an affordable (36" x 45" minimum, R= 0.8 or greater) hearth pad, aka hearth board. My dealer had tiled ones for $539 and up. He also said his cheapest was a black metal-covered one for $150.

After a lot of online searching, the cheapest one I could find was $208 plus $150 shipping, with a 2-3 week wait. Then my wife suggested I call a local Richmond Ace Hardware dealer (Pleasants, an old-line family-owned store). They had two sizes in stock, but both were too small and neither gave an "R" rating.

I took down the name of the manufacturer and called them (a Canadian company, Imperial Group). Seems as though they have a complete line of various sizes and three finishes, all very reasonably priced and all with an R rating of 1.08, sold with the "Imperial" label. They supply many stove dealers as well as Lowes, Ace Hardware, True Value, and Tractor Supply. I checked online and found a nearby Lowes with 4 in stock in the size I need. Because this is a seasonal item for Lowes, they were all clearance priced at $43 (instead of the normal $57).

The major breakthrough I had: when looking online, searches for "hearth pads" or "hearth boards" will bring up premium products with premium prices. The way to find budget-priced items is to search for "stove boards".

Oh, by the way, the Canadian company said they ship to my stove dealer as well. That means the product he was going to charge me $150 for, I bought on clearance at Lowe's for $43!

 

[ChipTam]

Dan,
I would be very suspicious regarding that 1.08 claimed R-value for their roughly 1/2" stove board. Did they tell you that over the phone or did you find that in their literature? I'm trying to remember the details from several years ago but, to the best of my memory, my stove only required a .85 R-value but the Imperial stove board had an R-value of only about half of that. Actually, the only information they provided was a sheet of paper in the package saying that their stove board was equal to one layer of millboard and, if you go to the Hearth wiki, you will see that a layer of millboard equals around .40 R-value.
ChipTam

 

[DanCorcoran]

Thanks for the response, ChipTam. I couldn't find the wiki reference in your last sentence, but I was able to find a LOT of conflicting and inaccurate information online. I'm going to keep researching this and will post whatever I'm able to find. At the very least, I haven't unpacked my Imperial stove board yet, so I can either return it or buy a second one (since R values are additive).

 

[ChipTam]

Dan,
In actual practice, I'm pretty sure that the Imperial stove board would work out fine. I can hold my hand to my hearth pad with a roaring fire going and my pad is barely warm. I would just make sure you have something in writing that the Imperial stove board has that R-value of 1.08 to show your insurance company or whoever will inspect your installation. As mentioned before, I was very frustrated in dealing with Imperial in the summer of 2008. There was nothing on their web site about R-values, their 800 number provided no help and the exterior of the box said nothing about R-values. Finally, their standard sizes were not ideal for my particular stove.
Last, I've noticed a couple of minor drawbacks with these stove boards at the home of a friend. While they are manufactured in three colors, as you mentioned, most stores seem to carry only the black ones and the black highlights every speck of dust that falls on the board. Also, the edges seem to curl up over time and can present a trip hazard. Good luck on with whatever you decide.
All the best,
ChipTam