I am redoing my fireplace (mantel, surround and hearth). I am ALSO installing new wood floors. The mantel will be wood, while the surround and hearth a stone tile. I believe, by code, I am required to have a hearth. It will not be a raised hearth, but rather flush with the floor.

My questions are these:
1) Should the hearth tile go down first, and the floor installed "up to" the tile? (I believe so, but wanted to make sure. I guess the only other option would be to install the floor and then cut out a portion for the hearth, which makes no sense to me.)

2) Will I need a "transition" piece to merge from one to the other (from floor to tile - like a threshold)? Or can the floor butt directly up to the tile? (I was told I need to allow for expansion and contraction of the flooring, thus the transtion piece was recommended. My concern with this is that I don't want a "bump" in my flooring. Most of the pictures that I have seen of hearths flush with the flooring don't APPEAR to have a transition piece, but maybe I am just not seeing it.)

Any recommendations? Thank you!

I am in OC also, I think I read you are near Fountain Valley - thanks for the name of that tile place off Euclid.

I am also redoing my fireplace. I have about a 2" raised area on the hearth. I hate it and want it removed. Also want to redo the surround. It has a bondo type layer over it. The fireplace is gas but can burn naturally as well.

The quotes that I have received from local places have been in from $1800.00 up. I believe I have to supply materials....

I will also be replacing the existing carpeting w/stone, wood or tile. I do not want the raised hearth but want it to be flat. I was told that it depends on the material used on the flooring if there will be a transition.

I will be curious what you find out and do. Please keep posting!! Will look forward to seeing your pictures.
Good luck.

You're welcome. Tile Matters is great! I found another place that I can give you some info on if you want to email me. I think if you go to "My Page" I should be set up to accept emails.

Regarding the hearth, I did get a response to my post from the Flooring forum which I'll link to below.

I was going to have my contractor do my fireplace (mantel) but he only provided a small catalog of prefabricated ones and the styles were not to my liking. So I got quotes from two other guys which were in the $900-1500 range to build, lacquer/paint, install ... depending on if solid wood, or part MDF.

Now this does not include the tile, which I'll be doing around the fireplace and on the hearth. That I do need to supply. As for the labor, it is already in my contract with the contstruction company doing my remodel.

It's a very convoluted project! ha ha!