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I've broken the ceramic glass on my wood stove, and replacements are expensive and have long lead times. I'd rather not rely on my backup furnace for the majority of the winter.

I have a pile of leftover printed porcelain tiles from a bathroom renovation. I have the tools to cut them and they are large enough to fill the space. They're free and cheap to replace, easy to cut to size, and I don't care about visibility into the stove since it's hidden in a corner anyways.

Porcelain seems to be able to handle the heat just fine. Is there any reason I can't do this as an alternative, or at least in the interim while waiting for new glass?

isherwood
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Brydon Gibson
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  • Good question. Seems to how? Have you run tests? The problem is mostly that porcelain tile isn't one thing. It's a wide variety of things of varying quality and composition. – isherwood Nov 28 '23 at 19:23
  • It seems the tile might with stand the heat. The main problem will be making sure it stays in/on the door. This seems to be your main/prefer source of heat so it will be on all night, while you are sleeping. – crip659 Nov 28 '23 at 20:33
  • The tile, just like the glass, will be fastened and sealed with a rope seal. I have no concerns of it _falling off_ provided it remains in one mostly solid piece – Brydon Gibson Nov 28 '23 at 20:57
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    As for "seems to", it's purely theoretical on the fact that it was fired at an even higher temperature – Brydon Gibson Nov 28 '23 at 21:14
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    Unfortunately this comes down to risk tolerance, making it essentially a popularity vote for the two positions. No amount of reasoning will sway some folks to try unapproved things. – isherwood Nov 29 '23 at 16:44

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Personally I would make a metal blank to fill the hole.

I would be concerned that the porcelain tile might shatter when hot.

Solar Mike
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  • On what basis are you concerned? This seems like a wild guess or just a fear-based response. – isherwood Nov 28 '23 at 19:29
  • @Isherwood so you imply that the use of porcelain is guaranteed safe? Given your other comment that does not seem to be the case. Why are some porcelain dishes rated for oven use and others not? Do you really think bathroom porcelain tiles are designed for that temperature range? – Solar Mike Nov 28 '23 at 19:33
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    I did not imply that, but I'm not willing to Chicken Little the idea so easily. – isherwood Nov 28 '23 at 19:37
  • As to your dish analogy, manufacturers expect users to do silly things like dunking a dish in cold (even tepid) water straight out of the oven. Its shape or thickness may not tolerate that, even if the material itself does. Anyone throwing water on a fireplace should expect damage. – isherwood Nov 28 '23 at 19:48
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Ceramic glass is actually just clear ceramic (crystalline glass), and since porcelain is considered more durable than ceramic, a good quality* porcelain should do well in your fireplace door.

Porcelain is also a great pick for the fireplace. It is fired at a higher temperature.... It stands up to high temperatures just as well as ceramic....

Daltile

* I'd consider a floor-rated tile from a reputable manufacturer reliable enough for this use.

isherwood
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  • So bathroom tiles are "good quality" rated for high temperature use? – Solar Mike Nov 28 '23 at 19:34
  • No idea. "Bathroom tile" is no better a descriptor than we started with. – isherwood Nov 28 '23 at 19:37
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    They were high quality tiles. I am tempted to throw an off-cut into the stove with a fire (the glass is still sufficiently intact to burn under close supervision) and see if it handles direct internal temperatures and then the overnight cooldown – Brydon Gibson Nov 28 '23 at 20:56
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    A proper analysis would involve multiple cycles and then some destructive testing (stress, impact) to compare with initial findings. – isherwood Nov 29 '23 at 16:47