Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - pad for wood burning stove

I am installing a free standing wood stove and need to build a pad. I am building the pad on top of my Pergo flooring. My plans are to make a 4" riser and place a piece of particle board and top it with ceramic tile. Is this safe as far as heat resistance and fire hazard?

When we had our woood burning stove installed, we purchased a prefabricated hearth pad from the dealer. I forget what it cost, somewhere in the low $200's i think.

No, that's probably not good enough. I just did this myself, so here's some advice. First, read the manual for the wood burning stove. It will tell you the size and hearth requirements. This will also depend on if you add a lower and/or rear heat shield.

Now for the construction. Mine was for a Jotul 600 woodburning stove. First I used 2x4 studs on edge to make a base frame. Then I added a sheet of 1/2" OSB. Then a sheet of 24 gauge steel. Then a sheet of 1/2" fireproof insulation board called 'millboard'. Then a sheet of 1/4" durock or concrete backer board. Then use thinset and lay your tile. Grout, seal trim, and you're done.

I preface this by saying I am not a pro. While eddie's idea does indeed seem insufficient, yours seems to me to be overkill.

When I installed a woodstove in my log home a number of years ago, I built my own hearth. Like you, I started with 2x4s on edge, spacing them 12 inches apart. I then used two layers of 5/8 fire-rated drywall, and covered it with slate. Still working after nearly 20 years.

Certified wood stoves have a label on the back that tells you the amount of clearance required. Certified stoves have been tested for safety and will not overheat a combustible floor. Floor must be, however, protected from live embers. There are floor pads available at hearth stores. Installing floor pads over carpet is not a good idea. Ceramic tile, slate, stone, brick, or other non-combustible material can be laid with 8" on sides and rear and 18" in front. If your stove is not certified contact a professional at a local hearth store for wall clearances and pad size for uncertified stoves.

md2lgyk, It may indeed be overkill, but it was per the instructions given to me by my dealer to conform to the specs in the manual I received with the stove. There's no inspections where I live, so I could have cut corners, but why would I? Plywood or OSB is cheap, and provides a strong foundation for my 600lb stove. The steel cost me $40 at Lowes. The Millboard was $50 from my stove dealer. And the concrete backer board is better than drywall for laying ceramic tile. If I choose not to follow my manufacturers instructions, I would be concerned about my home insurance policy coverage. Anyway, y'all can do what you want, I'm just sharing my experience.

:coffee:

Well, if you did what the manual said, I guess it must be OK. I didn't mean to imply you didn't know what you were doing. I bought a used stove that came with no manual, and I don't do permits/inspections, so I just did what I felt was appropriate. In retrospect, I probably should've used backer board but it was neary 20 years ago and no slate has come loose.