Can I get some opinions please...
I'm building a hearth wall behind my wood stove. Using cement board (HardBacker) with slate tile. Should I use steel studs or wood studs? I was planning on steel, but some posting on other sites seem to indicate that steel studs are not as strong as wood and may not be capable of supporting much weight. I'd sure feel more comfortable with steel (non-combustable) behind the cement board. The stove will prolly set 20 - 24 inches away from the wall and has a rear heat shield.
My calculations put the slate at about 400 -450lbs plus the cement board.
I'm building a hearth wall behind my wood stove. Using cement board (HardBacker) with slate tile. Should I use steel studs or wood studs? I was planning on steel, but some posting on other sites seem to indicate that steel studs are not as strong as wood and may not be capable of supporting much weight. I'd sure feel more comfortable with steel (non-combustable) behind the cement board. The stove will prolly set 20 - 24 inches away from the wall and has a rear heat shield.
My calculations put the slate at about 400 -450lbs plus the cement board.