Could this be tighter between hardwood floor and fireplace?

8 years ago

We just had our floor installed and felt that the installer didn't make it tight enough and left a gap that requires caulking. We contacted the floor company and she mentioned that's the tightest due to need space in case of wood expand might buckle but the floor glued down therefore wood shouldn't expand, right? We are going for the modern minimalist look. Could anyone tell me if this is the tightest that the installer could do? Strangely there other area was nice and tight.

Featured Answer

wsea

8 years ago

That would have been possible if the order of the build was reversed. The floor should have gone down first and then the fireplace tile added over the top.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

User
8 years ago
Around our fireplace our installer did a tighter fit than at the baseboards. It is closer than yours.
baileysr
8 years ago
Our wood floor expands in the summer and contracts in the winter, just like all the wood in our house. I think it's a good idea to have some space. Our contractor finished our hearths with a molding to cover up the gaps at the border, and it looks good. Would that work for you? I think it's safer than squeezing it in and risking major floor damage.
Related Discussions
Genuine fireplace or not?
Q
Comments (9)
Hi Clara, Congratulations on buying an Edwardian property, its still on my dream list and it is my favourite architectural period besides Deco! Your Edwardian property might have some Arts & Crafts influence (not an architectural style, but an artistic movement which emphasises craftsmanship) which might be apparent on some of the external detailing of your home. The mantle could be original. The piece itself could have been done by an artist or the builder may have just "fashioned" the house in a particular way to make his houses sell (yes that used to happen back then too!). In the Edwardian times this may have been seen as "fun" or "whimsical". I would have expected to see a tiled surround and that is what is throwing me a bit, as a colourful and light surround would have given it away, especially in pink, blue or green! Looking closer at the photo, maybe there are tiles that have been painted over? The detailing and egg motif are quite simple, which again may or may not be from the era as during this time there was so much variation, (some artists and architects detailed things in either a revival or were leading the way for less detailed designs and sometimes the builders who were trying to stay on trend just got the styles wrong). I would start by meeting your neighbours and see if your home was built as an individual or as part of a development. If it is part of a development, checking the details in some of the other homes could help. The next thing I would do is see what material it is made out of. If it is pine and looks like it was "machined" then my guess is that it is not original. If it is built from solid timber and has layers of paint and or varnish underneath it could be a real gem! Personally, I think it is original as ornate fireplaces were very fashionable at the time, but other things that would give it away are any original remains in the exterior details of the building, such as any decoration (Queen Anne style) windows, doors, posts, balconies etc. Either way, I;m totally jealous. I hope this helped give you a head start on your journey! Have a great day. Jo
...See More
Need advice on fireplace without working chimney
Q
Comments (13)
Of course. The dimensions would depend on the size of the fireplace/burner you would be going for. The opening would have to be made of non-flammable material, such as brick, stone, metal, porcelain tiles, Vermiculite Board, etc. You could use non-flammable paint over that. For example, our freestanding baskets like the one Richard posted above need 60 cm clearance from the bottom to the top; or if you wanted a contemporary line of fire look you could go for our Regulating Bio Containers like the one in the photo below - all required dimensions are available in the brochure with building advice on our website. We hope that helps :) Good luck with the project!
...See More
Can't decide between 2 floor plans...
Q
Comments (23)
@kikamack, many thanks for your thoughts. My kitchen layout was just a quick one - it's not finalised but the fridge/freezer would go with the tall oven unit is and I would probably just have the oven underneath the hob instead for ease. We didn't want high wall units as we want to go for a more Industrial style and less kitchen looking. We are considering a peninsula depending on the outside door location though. Re the plan - we are looking to add perhaps an extra wc downstairs & making a wider hall, but, after having spent a full day/evening yesterday going through all different options ie kitchen in the dining room, we decided that we really prefer the lounge in that section as I have it on the plan with the larger bathroom. Main reasons being:- we don't have to remove the chimney breast, we still have access to all the storage space under the stairs (not shown on the pic) and it means we can have 2 sides of windows/doors at the back if the dining table is there (which we couldn't if it was the living area due to needing space for a log burner and tv wall) which will overlook a wrap around garden. We have an entire house to pretty much rebuild (needs a new roof, upstairs all re-doing as not insulated and a new bathroom/dressing room) plus gardens to landscape and the outbuilding renovating to use as a home office/granny flat. Phew. So we need to do the least disruptive amount of work to gain the best plan for us. I quite like the kitchen idea of in the dining space but my husband hates it and he rarely hates things so I don't want to push him on it
...See More
What Flooring should we go for in our kitchen
Q
Comments (10)
I think it depends on the aspect and lighting levels of the room. If it's really light you can have anything, if it's North facing I would introduce warmth (wood or similar colour). It's personal taste but I'm not keen on timber effect tiles, maybe it's the gaps between them. There are so many amazing large format tiles now, look at Mandarin Stone.
...See More
Kivi
8 years ago
That is how it should be done. You need to leave a gap for expansion. You don't caulk it. Your baseboard will cover the gap.
PRO
Main Line Kitchen Design
8 years ago
There should be trim covering the gap that is necessary for expansion and contraction. The baseboards cover the gaps around the perimeter of the room and a piece of matching 1/4 round or inside corner molding would normally cover the gap around the fireplace.
Kivi
8 years ago
Sorry i neglected to look at the fireplace picture which obviously won't get baseboard. Just find a small trim piece for that.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
8 years ago
I would look for a thin tile the same as the fireplace to act as trim at the bottom and yes an expansion gap is common
PRO
iSO Design
8 years ago
Cover it up with quarter round trim.
User
8 years ago
She said she doesn't want trim on it. Lots of fireplaces don't have trim and the wood essentially goes to the hearth smoothly. Surely this is possible?
User
8 years ago
Ours wasn't done in that order. We had new hardwood put down in a room with an existing fireplace and it goes right to the edge of our hearth. It does have a kind of finishing piece not just end of the wood pieces but it's flush no trim.
PRO
Main Line Kitchen Design
8 years ago
Good thinking wsea.
PRO
RCH Construction INC
8 years ago
wsea is correct. Nothing about base board or quarter round says modern minimalist.
Kivi
8 years ago
If the desire was for no trim pieces then that should have been the plan from the beginning. As stated above, the floor should have gone in first (with the gap), followed by the stonework on the fireplace to cover the gap. It is a more challenging order because much more care needs to be taken to avoid damaging the floor while doing stonework.
acm
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
For what it's worth, I think it looks gorgeous in your final picture. I'd use clear caulk and move on to the next thing. There's no perfect solution.

(Note: did the installer realize that there would be no quarter-round? I do think that the edges should at least line up, and it looks like they weren't sanded/perfected.)
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
8 years ago
Yes...gaps are required even with glue. When gluing hardwood you need to use a VERY flexible glue (that's why it is $1 - $3/sf for the glue alone!!!!!). It needs to be flexible so the wood can move...even though it is glued. If it isn't flexible the floor will rip itself away from the glue and you have a bigger mess than you can imagine.

A retrofit against a stone hearth like this is tough. Very, very, very tough. The "other areas" also have drywall to move UNDERNEATH...which means they could bring it TIGHT to the wall...because the drywall doesn't come all the way down. There is a natural, built in gap.

It is true that decorative wood COULD have been used to get flush against the stone. But that would have been discusses with both the point of sales AND the installer (the guy who did the work). It would have been an added expense that would have been agreed upon at the very, very, very beginning.

Had this been thought through, the floors would have gone down first and the finish on the fireplace would have been last. It would have covered the gap (with 1/32" of a gap between bottom of the stone and top of the floor).

At this point, you need to find out what can be done. This type of gap (and level of "cuts") are completely acceptable for a floor that is about to receive BASEBOARDS or molding of some sort.

Please find your contract and find where it says the finish around the fire place. This will tell you if it was planned for or not. Sadly, the installer (boots on the ground guy) was probably left out of the conversation. Someone forgot to tell "boots on the ground" that he had to do something around the fire place.

Here's how you can "fix" this: remove bottom stone tiles around the hearth; remove cut boards touching the fireplace. With the fire place BARE of stone (just the bottom layer) you reinstall the wood planks as tight to the vertical surface of the hearth as possible. Reinstall stone (assume stone will break upon removal so make sure you have NEW stone available when you do this).

Then reinstalled stone will now cover the gap...because the wood will be 1/2" closer to the fire place substrate. This is one of your only options. Good luck
PRO
ULTIMATE HARDWOOD LTD
8 years ago
NWFA guidelines state that there should be a gap around all objects and the perimeter the same thickness as the flooring. I'd just caulk it with translucent silicone and be done with it.

Could this be tighter between hardwood floor and fireplace?

wsea

Comments (16)

User

baileysr

Related Discussions

Kivi

Main Line Kitchen Design

Kivi

Patricia Colwell Consulting

iSO Design

User

User

Main Line Kitchen Design

RCH Construction INC

Kivi

acm

Cancork Floor Inc.

ULTIMATE HARDWOOD LTD

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US