How to Install a Wood-Burning Stove to Crank Up the Coziness in Your Home

It’s best to install your wood-burning stove on the ground floor of your home near an outside wall or existing chimney so that it’s easy to vent the smoke and gases outside. Like space heaters, wood stoves are best for heating individual rooms, so the U.S. Department of Energy recommends putting your stove in the room where you spend the most time.

It’s also important to install your stove away from combustible surfaces, including floors and walls. Check the stove’s user manual and your municipality’s regulations regarding minimum clearances from these surfaces.

Next, you’ll need to add a non-combustible hearth pad, which sits under the stove. The hearth pad reduces the risk of your floor catching on fire if embers or sparks fly out of the stove while also protecting your subfloor from heat. 

You can buy a pre-assembled hearth pad or build one yourself from tile, stone, or another non-combustible material. Your stove’s installation instructions and local building codes should provide guidance on where to place the pad so that it complies with clearance requirements.

As we’ve mentioned, many municipalities have rules about how close a wood stove can be to a combustible wall. However, some places will let you install wall protection to reduce these clearance requirements. 

Wall protection is available in several materials, including sheet metal or brick. When putting up the protection, it’s important to leave a 1-inch space between the protective material and the wall. Otherwise, the heat may penetrate the wall, creating a fire risk.

There are several ways to vent a wood-burning stove, including through a ceiling, wall, or existing fireplace chimney. For this guide, we’ll focus on ceiling ventilations, but your user manual should have instructions for venting a stove through a wall or chimney.

First, lay down a drop cloth to catch any debris that might fall when you start cutting into your ceiling and roof. Then, put on your safety glasses, dust mask, and gloves. On the ceiling, use a laser level or plumb bob to mark the center point of the spot where the stove pipe will pass through. With a reciprocating saw, cut an opening in the ceiling for the stove pipe. The size of the opening will depend on the stove pipe, so check your installation manual for more information. 

Remove any insulation so that there’s a clear pathway between the ceiling and roof sheathing. Then, use your drill to run a screw through the roof sheathing at the center point of the opening. On the roof, lay down the roof flashing so that it’s centered over the screw. Reach into the flashing and use chalk to trace the outline of where you’ll cut the roof. Finally, use your saw to cut through the shingles and roof sheathing.

Does all this roof work sound overwhelming? If so, put down the saw and call a fireplace pro to help.

Set up the ceiling support box according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This involves sliding the box upward through the opening in your ceiling, then securing it to the ceiling joists with brackets and hardware (these are included in the ceiling support box kit).

From the roof, cut the roofing nails around the top half of the hole in the roof. Slide the flashing under these shingles, making sure it fits snugly. Pull out the flashing, apply silicone to the underside, and slide it underneath the top shingles again. The bottom half of the flashing should sit above the shingles. Attach the flashing to the roof with screws, then add more silicone on top of the screws.

While you're still on the roof, start assembling the chimney. Begin by attaching the pipe adapter to the male end of the chimney pipe, then lower it through the flashing and ceiling support box. Slide the storm collar over the chimney pipe and secure it with a bead of silicone. Finish the roof work by attaching the rain cap to the top of the pipe.

Back inside, connect the stove and chimney by attaching the male end of the stove pipe to the top of the stove. Connect the pipe’s female end to the male side of the adapter. Use a level to make sure the pipe is straight.

Finish setting up the wood-burning stove in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. This might involve adding the fire bricks, installing a damper, and inspecting the various parts of the wood stove.

Perform a final check of the connections, then light a small fire in the stove. Keep a close eye on it as it burns, looking for any signs of smoke entering your home. You should also head outside and make sure smoke comes out of the chimney.