Replacing hearth with a new one

Kash

Hi DIYers,

I am about to replace my existing fireplace with a multi-fuel stove.
I want to take the opportunity to replace my existing (ugly, chipped) tile hearth with a second hand marble hearth.

Easy so far, right?

Well, the 'new' hearth is not quite wide enough for the new stove!
So, not being able to afford a new piece of marble, I thought it might be ok to widen it with more concrete, and add a decorative tiled border around it to hide the concrete. I found some pics online that make it look like a nice idea, so am assuming it is doable - I'm an eternal optomist.

Finally to the questions (thank you for reading this far):

Am I missing anything vital from this order of events?

1. Remove the old hearth
2. Make a solid concrete bed for the new hearth (if the floor concrete isn't suitable/flat)
3. Find some muscley men to put the marble hearth in place
4. Build up the sides to allow placing of tile border (assume a timber frame would do this nicely)
5. Tile around the border
6. Sit back and relax

Lastly, could points 1-4 be done in two days?

Any advice from anyone out there is greatly appreciated.

Buford T Justice

You'll need to bed the hearth in on a bit of sand and cement anyway, but if you go ahead and do this, expect the grout lines to crack along the join between the concrete and marble. There won't be anything to bind the two surfaces together and as the concrete dries out it'll crack away from the marble.