I finished the stairs this weekend and now the next step is to put in the wood burning stove. It will go in the crook of the stairs with the chimney going out the top. My question for all of you is what would you do to protect the stairs from the heat? I was thinking of building a small knee wall out of brick between the fireplace and stairs but I'm not sure yet. Also any pictures would be great of what you have done. Here is a picture of my stairs as they are now.
(https://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww170/bret7763/100_0589.jpg)
To be effective a heat shield must have an air space behind of at least one inch, plus 50% of the bottom must be open an inch or more to permit air to enter at the bottom and flow upwards between the shield and the combustibles behind the shield.
The stove manufacturer must supply what distances must be used between different parts of the stove and chimney if it is an approved stove. There also must be a metal plate attached to the stove with all that info.
Is the plan to run insulated pipe down fairly low so there is not danger of curious hands getting burned? Also some stoves have limits as to how much single wall black pipe can be used in a run.
Air gap
Heat shield
Insulation
Or combination of the three.
Brick is a good conductor of heat. It can transfer heat to the combustible it is touching behind it. Although it is not combustible itself, you are replacing a less thermally conductive material (air) with a more thermally conductive material (brick). It also depends on the stove. Check the manufacturing instructions.
Brick can be used as a heat shield IF it can be mounted/used without the brick touching any combustibles and it has the air space behind it (yop of air space open... I never stated that before.
We have a 24 gauge metal sheet heat shield in our gazebo. The metal gets hot enough to burn your hand but the air space behind stays below 90 degrees F.
My cabin has almost the exact same stair layout as yours. I fit the wood stove in while maintaining the required clearances. However just to be extra safe, I framed the area under my stairs with steel studs, covered the studs with cement board then I will mortar on slate tiles. The walls are angled and the steel stud and track system made it easier to frame.
This 2 year old picture doesn't show the fireplace or the walls under the stairs. I will try to remember to take a picture this weekend.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/jerry.wenzel/SM5j7zUQnoI/AAAAAAAAA88/k2ku5XwcB9g/s800/CABIN-221.JPG)