What to do with my fire hearth?

[AndyNo1]

Hi all,

Having just bought a victorian cottage that needs alot of work, this forum is proving a great help so far!

For my first post, a question...

We've just replaced the disgusting 1970s fireplace in favour of a cast iron beauty but now we're not sure what to do with the concrete hearth. I've cleaned off alot of the surface issues but it's still pretty filthy and unattractive.

I don't want to remove it/replace it nor do I want to add a raised top onto it. I like it being flush with the floor boards.

so - can I clean up the concrete? polish it up nicely? paint/stain it?

any thoughts welcomed!


thanks,Andy

 

[JohnD]

tile it.

 

[AndyNo1]

Thanks John but I don't want to raise the level of it, that's why I was really after suggestions of what could be directly done to it, rather than how can I hide it.

 

[Alastairreid]

Thats not a hearth!...........thats the concrete base where the hearth used to be.
if you are going to use your grate for solid fuel you will have to install a proper hearth.

 

[stevebamford]

i think its a 'legal requirement ' that there is a level change between the floor and an open fire.

we had exactly this situation and installed a tiled hearth - this is about 40mm higher than the surrounding floor

 

[Symptoms]

Andy - your "concrete hearth" is known as a constructional hearth and was designed to take a decorative finish above - tiles, slab, etc.

So if you intend using it 'in anger' then you must provide a fender (those fence/wall type barriers) to prevent hot/burning material from rolling off the hearth onto the floor. Now, if you have a fender you'll be able to disguise any difference in level between the hearth and floor, this will allow you to apply a finish to the constructional heath.

If however, you want to keep the levels, a trick we do is to chip the top ½" away then skim it, add a cement pigment (we use black to get grey) to create a level finish. A grey hearth look good against cast iron.