Soapstone for fireplace hearth?

15 years ago

I want to replace the ugly ceramic floor tiles that make up the hearth in front of the fireplace.

I found what looks like a pretty piece of malibu green, which from what I'm reading is not actually soapstone, but serpentine. I have no idea what the heck that is. it's a wood burning fireplace with a box that is rather low to the ground, with only a few inches of vents between the box and the floor. The current hearth is carpet level and just rests on the plywood subfloor, so I assume that the soapstone would be fine, but I know little about these materials.

Lastly, can this stone be finished with chiseled edges?

Comments (2)

fandlil
15 years ago
Since that serpentine thing is probably some kind of tile and is therefore not combustible, it will be appropriate to use in the hearth. But you would have to check with a tile installer/fabricator to find out whether it can be beveled.
foolyap
15 years ago
Soapstone is a superb material on or near a fireplace. Our free-standing woodstove has a soapstone fire-box and sides; it both looks good (my opinion), and absorbs a great deal of heat that it radiates to the room for hours after the fire has burned out.

However, it is a very soft stone, so I wouldn't want it where it's going to get much foot traffic.

--Steve
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