Tiling a Stove Enclosure

Intro

A wood or gas stove brings warmth and a touch of the old-fashioned into a family room or den. If you're considering a stove, decide whether you will treat it as an addition to your design or as a reason to completely redecorate the space.

Your first concern is how and where to vent the unit, followed by aesthetic considerations. Do you want the stove to be housed in a three-sided enclosure or simply set against a wall with a tiled base and rear heat shield? A corner-stove installation can fit right into the current design scheme of the room without requiring major alterations.

Using the manufacturer's specifications and any requirements set by local codes, draw a dimensional plan of the stove location. Don't scrimp on the size of the space. Large areas of tile look attractive and are easy to clean -- a backdrop and base of about 54 inches is a good place to start. Make sure the floor structure can hold the combined weight of the stove and tiled base.

Checklist

Time
Stove base: four to six hours; heat shield: three to four hours

Tools
Hammer, tape measure, 4-foot level, stud finder, cordless drill, notched and margin trowels, float, carbide scoring tool, circular saw, snap cutter or wet saw, chalk line

Skills
Measuring; cutting, setting, grouting tile

Prep
Remove carpet and padding, remove/repair wood flooring

Materials
Mortar, backerboard, joint tape, tile, grout, hat channel, strapping, screws, shim, tile spacers, plywood, lumber

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Set the Tiles Flush

Any tile set crookedly on a small surface like a stove base will be obvious. Keep the edge tiles flush by tacking wood strips to the sides of the platform before you spread the mortar and set the tile. Rip 1/4-inch-thick strips from a 2x4. Then use brads to tack the strips to the sides of the platform. The strips needn't be perfectly level, but you will need to extend them above the backerboard by about 1/2 inch. Remove the strips after the mortar has cured.

Step 1

Remove carpet. Cut away baseboard to leave an opening for the tiled base. If tiling a wood floor, install backerboard and tile. For a raised base, dry-lay tile and spacers on 3/4-inch plywood. Cut the plywood to dimensions of a layout that utilizes full-width tiles.

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Moving the base

Even if you assemble your stove base in the room in which you'll install the stove, you'll need to set the base in its final location once you've finished tiling it. And that means moving it.

A tiled stove base is extremely heavy and moving it will prove next to impossible unless you can get your fingers under it.

To give yourself some clearance and to make moving it easier, slide a stiff putty knife under each end of one side of the platform before setting the tile. That way you can use the putty knives to lift the finished unit enough to give yourself a handhold. Be careful to avoid straining your back: Bend at the knees and enlist the aid of a helper, if possible.

Step 2

Build up the base with 1x2 or 2x2 sleepers (depending on the height the platform will be), tacking the sleepers to the plywood every 16 inches on center. Cut backerboard to the exact dimensions of the plywood.

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Step 3

Turn the base over and secure the plywood to the sleepers with screws. Then spread and comb heat-resistant mortar on the plywood. Use a 1/4x1/4-inch notched trowel, taking care to make the mortar bed even and level.

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Step 4

Set the backerboard on the mortared plywood and fasten it with backerboard screws at no more than 8-inch intervals. Tape any joints in the backerboard, fill with compound, and sand. If the layout requires edge tiles, snap chalk lines on the backerboard as guides for the tile layout.

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Step 5

Spread and comb mortar on the backerboard to the layout lines. Set the tiles flush with the edges. Begin setting whole tiles in a corner and work outward. If the layout has edge tiles, set field tiles, then edges. Back-butter bullnose or trim tiles for the sides of the platform. Grout the joints.

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