When finishing to fireplace hearths, stone walls and other irregular shaped obstacles with a hard surface floor such as hardwood, ceramic tile and plastic wood core laminate, the best way to achieve a clean good-looking finish is to under-cut, or remove a shallow, narrow section of material from the bottom. This way the floor can be slid into the void, essentially hiding the cut edge and maintaining the required expansion space.
Click a picture to see a larger view.
