So I started my hearth area demo

happy new year Josh!

michaelanthony wrote:happy new year Josh!

Thank you and the same to you!


There is a couple more post I want to reply to on this thread but I've just been busy at work!



The plan is to finish everything today so all I will need to do is lay the stone and brick down in the spring with lime mortar.

Don't forget to climb outta that hole before ya button her up

freetown fred wrote:Don't forget to climb outta that hole before ya button her up

Haha I feel like laying down in it and having my wife cover it with dirt! I've got to go to work tomorrow but I want to call in due to my physical ailment . Seriously though I'm going to be hurting at work and not in the mood to deal with their BS . A new year means push push push money money money ... Anyways they have this stupid rule where in order to receive my holiday pay for days off I must be at work 8 hours prior and 8 ours after the vacation . I can't call in for any reason or I forfeit my pay... Whatever.

Btw I am enjoying the heat from the kerosene heater while the stove is down. It really puts out a lot of heat! It's an old one from the early 80s. I'm also a very big fan of antique kerosene heaters and oil lamps/lanterns.
It's a Corona 22DKC and puts out 22,600btu/hr

My Kerosene heater smells like cow dung.

joeq wrote:My Kerosene heater smells like cow dung.

Haha why is that? I don't have any smell off mine really. Make sure you only use white kerosene. For some reason the red smokes!

I'll check into that. Thanx Josh. now quit posting and get back to work!

we were a corona dealer back in the day.... i have one also as well as a kerosun and few others

the work great cept white kero is 4.10 a gal.....

Poconoeagle wrote:we were a corona dealer back in the day.... i have one also as well as a kerosun and few others

the work great cept white kero is 4.10 a gal.....

Yea but you can burn one on low for a day with 1.8 gallons ! Also write it off on your taxes. I do the same with gasoline for my tractors! If I don't use it on the road then I shouldn't pay a tax! You know they used to rubbish tractors and some cars on kero . It last forever in storage.


Ok so I am to a stopping point for the moment . I am letting the concrete set now... This hearth is going to be interesting. It's going to be level and my floor is sloping ... At least it's a consistent slope

You can drive a truck on this!




6 60lbs bags of concrete! I dug down and found that the hearth is built on stone! Then I levelled the ground with coal ash. Talk about being green . I also used the hearth top bricks that I broke as filler.

Once this sets I will either put a top layer of concrete or put treated wood on top of whats there and then te hardie board . What do you guys think?

Seeing your there, the concrete would fit nice to finish it off, but the hardie board you don't need to wait to dry. Speaking of that, you should fire up your coal stove to help cure the cement.(Kidding). Looking great so far Josh.

No fly's on you josh your like a shark guttah keep movin' Is the temp below the floor freezing and if so can you get any heat to it? Wrapped in plastic will work as well as cement creates heat as it cures. Depending on your choice of hearth stone you may not need the hardy board. If you are using the hardy board I would do as previously stated and butter it up and put it down. Nice work!

Well I have a kerosene heater right by it and it's 46 outside. The ground under the house doesn't usually hit freezing until the end of January/February . I'm covering it with plastic before I go to bed. The reason I want to put the hardie board down is to cover the exposed wood. I am levelling up to the top of the joist and I didn't want to put a thin layer of mortar on the wood. That's the only reason though. Because masonry transfers temperature very well I was thinking about insulation. Should I put down a layer of that silver insulation on a roll then putting down the hardie board? Maybe it doesn't matter lol.

I'm thinking the concrete makes a pretty good insulator, wouldn't you? (Not my area of expertise.)

joeq wrote:I'm thinking the concrete makes a pretty good insulator, wouldn't you? (Not my area of expertise.)

The problem is concrete or brick on the ground transfers ground temps... This is why in a non insulated shop with concrete floors the building will be much colder in the wonder and the floors hold that cold temp and in te summer the floor is much cooler and can sweat. In my sunroom I have a brick floor and the floor is freezing in the winter and cool in the summer.

But I guess it doesn't matter I much on the hearth I was just thinking about it.

Smokeyja wrote:

joeq wrote:I'm thinking the concrete makes a pretty good insulator, wouldn't you? (Not my area of expertise.)

The problem is concrete or brick on the ground transfers ground temps... This is why in a non insulated shop with concrete floors the building will be much colder in the wonder and the floors hold that cold temp and in te summer the floor is much cooler and can sweat. In my sunroom I have a brick floor and the floor is freezing in the winter and cool in the summer.

But I guess it doesn't matter I much on the hearth I was just thinking about it.

Concrete is porous and wicks moisture as well that is why pressure treated wood and steel plates are used when building a deck with peer posts. 2 inch rigid foam( polystyrine ) would be good around he perimeter. When you put down the hardy board put a leveling layer of cement down to fill any voids or the board and whatever is above may crack, it doesn't take much of a gap with that kind of weight on top to cause that.