What kind of hearth is required?
In front of the chimney breast a constructional hearth at least 500mm (20 ) from front to back is required. Where there is a concrete floor slab, this is usually sufficient; but with a suspended wooden floor, the floorboards / joists must be cut back and concrete used to build up a constructional hearth, usually from ground level. The finish hearth is then laid on top of this using tiles, bricks, granite or marble; this finish hearth must extend at least 300mm in front of an open fire or a stove which has doors which can be opened, and at least 150mm on each side. Where there is no chimney breast, a freestanding constructional hearth must have dimensions of at least 840 x 840mm. A new relaxation to the regulations allows the constructional hearth to be dispensed with and a minimum 12mm thickness of non-combustible material to be laid over a wooden floor where the temperature under the stove never exceeds 100 degrees C during normal operation.
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