Hi,

Just wondering if anyone could please give me some advice regarding an eco stove and skirting boards.

I've had an eco stove fitted and I was told that when the new skirting boards were fitted, they couldn't go past the edge/start of the hearth due to safety issues.

I was then told by someone else that although the stove handle is outside the fireplace chamber, as long as non of the actual stove is outside the chamber, then I can have the skirting boards going onto the hearth (and ending on the chimney breast at the edge of the chamber) I had wanted to do this on both the left and right hand side as it would look more finished off.

I just wondered what people's thoughts were.

The second thing - and this applies wherever the skirting boards finish; at the start of the hearth, or into the hearth up to the edge of the chamber wall - I've already had skirting boards fitted just to the start of the hearth, but I know that when the carpet is put back, there will be quite a large gap showing under the hearth lip.

I wondered if I should just fill it/maybe caulk it? Or whether the skirting boards should be redone and go under the hearth to fill the gap?

A joiner has said they should go underneath the hearth lip but at the same time, he thinks it will look 'daft' if the skirting does finish at the edge and not go onto the hearth and up to the chamber. He feels like the skirting boards underneath the hearth lip will only look acceptable if the skirting then goes across the hearth.

I'll post some photos below and I would be very grateful for any advice.

Many thanks

Posted By: Jaytee73Tried to attach files and unable to.

Probably the file size is too large. Max 500 KB. I try to aim for <250KB.

You can get various types of skirting tiles - concrete or pottery - that are fireproof. It's also usual for the vertical wall behind a hearth to be tiled up and above the opening, often with a mantelpiece above. So that's another possibility to consider.

There's apparently no specific rule about safe distance, but stove manufacturers often offer guidance. That might be why you're getting differing advice from different people.

Posted By: Jaytee73The second thing - and this applies wherever the skirting boards finish; at the start of the hearth, or into the hearth up to the edge of the chamber wall - I've already had skirting boards fitted just to the start of the hearth, but I know that when the carpet is put back, there will be quite a large gap showing under the hearth lip.

I wondered if I should just fill it/maybe caulk it? Or whether the skirting boards should be redone and go under the hearth to fill the gap?

Not quite sure what you mean, is the gap under the skirting large enough for the carpet and underlay and grippers to be fitted underneath the skirting? I don't think that is normal. Normally the skirting sits pretty much flush with the floor and the carpet is fastened close up alongside. That's certainly how ours are and allows the carpet to be replaced even with something as thin as vinyl if you ever wanted.

Caulk above a carpet sounds like a really bad idea

A comprehensive online manual here
https://www.stovefitterswarehouse.co.uk/pages/rules-for-wood-burning-stoves/

Posted By: Jaytee73I tried to upload the photos but couldn't do it.

I use snipping tool to take a screen grab of the photo, then save it to desktop and attach that to the post. That results in a small enough file that can still be made out visually. also need to select one of the buttons "format comments as" either text or Html, I can never remember which one it is, but you can try the other one with "Edit"