Hey folks, I thought I'd post something in relation with my slate tile hearth I just finished up for the most part, just grout and the next POSSIBLE thing to do is seal it. The train of thought here is that sealing would just keep a protective layer on this against water soaked garments I'm likely to place near the stove to dry up. Thing is with the seal, they often come out with the gloss and sometimes that's not desired in natural stone. Is there a seal you may be aware of that keeps the stone a natural color and not glossy? I've got plenty of time to make this decision, no rush. Here's another pic to those of you who haven't seen it yet.
I just tiled the bathroom...used a grout that already had sealer in it Power Grout | Tile Grout | Stain Resistant | Tecspecialty.com
I already have a sealer in the grout but its the tile itself i was asking but simce this is a hearth and not a bathroom, the function of a sealer seems obsolete but i wanted to give it also an opportunity to be cleaned more quickly. Smooth instead of trapping dirt and whatnot into cracks. Thats really it but it does seem like the effort would go a bit overboard and the natural stone itself is better. But if Ifind the matte stuff, might try it. Thanks for the input!
I used this Shop Miracle Sealants Company 511 Impregnator 16-fl oz Natural Stone Indoor Floor Sealer Pour Bottle at Lowes.com It did not add gloss, but did deepen the colors. This was on natural slate found outside.
I have Vermont slate for a hearth and I did not seal the slate. I'm pretty sure the grout is not done either as the slate would discolor. We hang wet winter clothing over it and drips water with no issues. Our stove radiates a lot of heat out the glass window and the hearth does get very warm. I wouldn't want the sealer to heat up and possibly fail prematurely. Not to mention the wood, hot embers, poker and wood splits dropping onto it.
