Flooring under hearth

[chriselevate]

Hi, I have to lift and refit this engineered oak in the photo due to a change in UFH system.

When refitting, my proposal is to run the engineered flooring right up to the front of the chimney breast. This way, the hearth (likely to be 20mm porcelain tiles or maybe slate) can sit on top of the flooring. A wood burning stove would then sit on top of the hearth.

Doing it this way would enable the hearth/stove to be changeable (if necessary) in the future and would hopefully give a nice overall finish to the job.

Does that sound ok?

 

[chriselevate]

Otherwise it would mean building the whole area up with a sand/cement base I guess.

 

[dal5band]

The flooring is a floating floor so is likely to expand / contract. Also it will move when people stand around the hearth. I would think the hearth will crack eventually.

 

[lostinthelight]

Not all stoves run cool enough underneath to be suitable to sit on a 20mm hearth on top of a combustable floor