Fireplace & Hearth Tiling

The hearth is the floor area in front of and beneath the fireplace; the surround is the wall area around the opening. Both can be tiled. Fireplace hearth tiles are often finished with a border that frames the main tiles, and the hearth needs to sit level and square to both the fireplace and the room.

Tiles around a fireplace have to cope with heat. Porcelain, ceramic and many natural stones are commonly used, but the adhesive and grout must also be suitable for the heat the fireplace gives off. Check the tile, adhesive and grout manufacturers' guidance and follow their instructions.

A hearth isn't only decorative. For open fires and stoves, the hearth must be non-combustible, with a size and construction that suits the appliance. Requirements depend on what you have, so check the requirements for your appliance, and confirm them with your installer, before tiling.

Vanta Tiling doesn't install or connect gas fires or stoves; the tiling is planned around the appliance and its installer's requirements.

Many period homes still have their original fireplaces, and Victorian-style patterned tiles and coloured borders suit them well. Patterned designs are set out from the centre of the fireplace so the pattern is symmetrical, with cuts kept to the edges. Borders are planned so the corners meet cleanly.

A hearth can match the surrounding floor tiles, so it reads as part of the floor, or stand out in a contrasting tile with its own border. Where a hearth meets a wooden floor, the edge needs a neat, deliberate finish and the heights should be planned in advance.

Heat makes materials expand and contract, so joints where movement is expected, such as between the hearth and the floor, are finished with a suitable flexible material rather than rigid grout. Natural stone usually needs sealing to resist soot and staining: follow the manufacturer's instructions.