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.