How to Build a Pellet Hopper

Use a saw to cut a 3 foot by 3 foot square from a 4x8 piece of plywood. This piece will serve as the floor to your hearth. Repeat this step four more times. Three additional cut pieces will serve as the walls, with one side of the hearth remaining completely open. The fourth piece will as the hearth's roof.

Nail the cut pieces of wood together.

Spread the top of the plywood with glue and set your porcelain ceramic tiles on the outside of the box. You can also use clay tile, slate, or stone. All withstand heat. Apply the grout and then clean it and allow it to cure. Allow the grout to fully dry. Repeat this step for the walls of the hearth and its bottom.

Use a saw to cut a 3 foot by 1 foot rectangle from a 4x8 piece of plywood. Attach this to the base of the pellet stove's remaining open space using a hammer and nails. Cover it with tile as well.

Cover the wood on the inside of the stove with tile, allowing it to dry completely. After tiling, you should no longer see any wood.

Apply trim to the raw edges of your hearth. You can trim the edges with metal or copper strips or even small bits of coordinated tile designed especially for trim.

Place fire bricks at the bottom of the stove’s floor, forming a thee-layered centered square. The number of bricks you will need depends on how big you make the inside of the square. The larger the square, the more heat you’ll generate.

Fill the inside of the stacked bricks with wood pellets. When desired, use a match to light the pellets to keep warm.