A hearth serves as both cosmetic and functional features of a fireplace.

The purpose of a fireplace hearth is to provide a barrier between the floor of a building and the heat of a fire inside the fireplace or stove. A fireplace hearth also provides a decorative stand on which a fireplace stove, insert or standalone unit can be placed alongside fireplace accessories and fuel such as wood logs.

Functional

The hearth is an integral part of a fireplace and helps to protect your home from the heat of a fire, thanks to a layer of non-combustible material separating the floor of your home from the hot coals, embers and flames of a fire.

A hearth’s extension into a room acts a safety feature when having a fire in your home. A fireplace hearth extends out into the room in order to help prevent any soot, ash or burning embers from spilling or spitting out onto the floor of the room.

A hearth’s extension also provides a suitable and flat area for which a fire guard can be placed, in order to protect both users of the fireplace and furniture of the room from any hot embers that are released by the fire, and to help prevent young children and pets from getting near the fire.

A hearth can also be used to store fireplace accessories and tools, and as an area to store logs or coal for use in a fire.