Heat retaining wall 'furnace'

Q. Our home is built into a side hill. On the ground floor there is a wood stove which is 42 inches from a concrete wall with wood paneling. What can be used to cover the 10-foot-high wall behind the stove that would safely absorb the heat from the stove and give it off as the fire died down? J. F. Mitchell Greensboro, Utah

A. If it were my house, I'd install floor-to-ceiling clay brick against the wall. Behind the masonry place a sheet of rigid insulation so as to prevent a backward loss of heat.

The brick will safely absorb the heat from the wood stove and radiate it back into the room as the fire dies down. Presto, you have a vicarious furnace.