# newbie needs advise



## maggi1023 (Mar 3, 2009)

Need a more “family friendly” family rm for growing brood. Currently a red brick fireplace w/ lg raised brick hearth. Major need for storage & seating. 

Imagine: light oak fp surround/mantel in a simple Mission style w/ a few simple “earthy” ceramic accent tiles. Bookcases either side w/ doors on bottom for toys. Bench seating/storage on side walls in 3 sections. 2 w enclosed storage (flip top), middle section is cubby for upholstered cube otomann for more seating.

I will have to do it in sections to make the project simpler for me and for financial reasons. So to tie all this together I wanted to finish with matching base molding. To soften that big brick hearth I wanted to face it with the light oak and matching edge/base molding.

Q1-Should I use the light oak on just what would be seen to save money or would it not make much of a $$ difference. 
Q2-My husband said that framing the edges of the hearth just isn't done BUT we have glass doors and the edge is far away from any flame/spark and I think the wood rather than brick edge would soften it up visually and literally.
Q3-Is there a standard depth I should make the bench seating? I was thinking 12 inches. 

Any suggestions, advice?


----------



## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

FWIW, 12" strikes me as pretty shallow for bench-style seating. I'd think more in terms of 14" to 18" myself.

As to facing and/or edging the existing brick hearth, I'd suggest checking your local fire and building codes first. The codes may specify minimum distances for flammable material from the firebox. They might also specify nothing flammable for the hearth itself. 

Depending on the nature and regularity of the brick surface, you may need to attach some sort of under-structure to which the facing would be attached. If the general brick surface isn't plumb, for example, you'd probably want to correct that with the under-structure, which might be 1x2 fir, attached with masonry screws. 

Material-wise, I'd think in terms of 1/4" oak veneered ply for the flat surfaces, and 3/4" (finished) oak for the edging and baseboards.


----------



## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

I would have to say that Ralph has given you excelent advice The local codes is going to have the final say, so i would start there.


----------



## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

maggi1023 said:


> Q2-My husband said that framing the edges of the hearth just isn't done BUT we have glass doors and the edge is far away from any flame/spark and I think the wood rather than brick edge would soften it up visually and literally.
> Q3-Is there a standard depth I should make the bench seating? I was thinking 12 inches.
> 
> Any suggestions, advice?


You will need to check your local and national code on the wood being that close to the opening, if I remember correctly it is 12" or so from opening to flammable material and it doesn't matter if there are doors on the fireplace. 

Once again check code for the proper depth of seat. On this I do not remember there being a code per-say, more like minimum standards of building. I for sure remember the fireplace one on the test and that was in 2006 and I have not used it since November 2006


----------

