Is 2cm of slate thick enough for a real fire hearth?

[jgkgolf]

I'm buying a cast iron fireplace privately which comes with a black slate hearth which is 48 inches long * 15 inches deep which I think should be ok as it matches the size of the concrete base which currently exists. However the depth of the slate hearth is 2cm and I'm not sure if this is thick enough? The previous owners only used the fire with a gas fitting, not as a real coal fire. Does anybody know about this?

Also the slate hearth is currently in one piece so it will have to be cut into 3 pieces to allow for expansion etc. Is it easy to cut slate and what kind of saw would you use? Thanks for any help.

[Rick]

If the fireplace was sold to them as electric/gas then is NOT good enough. It it was sold to them as solid fuel, it is good enough. If you can't determine this fact, then its a risk.

I don't see why you would want to cut the slate, but anyways its quite easy with an angle grinder.What I do is clamp a roofing batton onto the slate, and use the batton as a guide. I use a small grinder, as its easier to control.

Rick

[Chris Bacon]

You could also use a circular saw.