Do I Need To Seal My Hearth? Why You Should Always Consider Sealing

A sealing service is the perfect way to finish a bespoke hearth. A dry application of a solvent based, colour enhancing sealant brings the finished piece to life, removes any buffing or scuff marks, makes the colours more bold and blends the colours to a uniform shade - all whilst protecting the hearth against future scratches, stains or marks.

We would recommend sealing your hearth 10 times out of 10, whether you do this yourself, are want the hearth to be delivered pre-sealed, it should be done each and every time.

It's easy enough to see the sealed hearth is much more vibrant in colour, and not only this, the sealed hearth is also protected against future scratches and scuffs - a no brainer. But let us explain the key reasons you should consider getting this done!

Why Should You Seal Your Hearth?

There are 3 key reasons to do this:

• Protection - Sealant effectively adds a protective layer onto your hearth,  meaning stains don't absorb into the stone and scratches don't mark on the surface permanently.
• Vibrant Colour - Our specially manufactured hearth sealant makes colours bolder and more decorative.
• Consistent Colour - With the bespoke finishes and edging, the edges can often end up a different colour because of the tool work, but a sealing service brings all the edges together in matching colours.

Sealing Protects Your Hearth Against Future Stains & Damages

This is the major reason that getting every hearth sealed is highly recommended.

All of the hearths are going to be in regular use with a lot of things being stored, moved and spilled on them. These can lead to a lot of wear and tear, with scratch marks incredibly likely within weeks. Sealing this stone protects the stone from visible markings from shallow scratches and keeps the surface unblemished and and consistent.

Colour Enhancement Sealing

On top of it's protective properties, colour enhancing sealers also do exactly what they say on the tin. They enhance the colour of the stone they are put on.

Dark colours are made darker & bright colours are brighter. The naturally occurring colours in natural stone can be somewhat muted to start with, but a sealing treatment is really going to make those colours pop.

Consistent Colours

On top of enhancing the colours of the stone, the sealing also has a secondary visual benefit - consistency across the hearth.

When cutting and finishing a bespoke hearth,  the saw blade or sanding pads have been working the stone to the size and shape that it needs to be:

Where the saw blade has buffed or sawn the stone, it will be a different colour than the surface of the stone due to the friction created from the blade. The worked edges will often be lighter than the surface of the hearth and the sealing treatment brings every sealed edge back to the same shade. So, not only does it bolden the colour, it also makes the entire piece the same shade.

How Would We Seal Your Hearth?

The process is fairly simple. It's a process called dry-sealing - we quickly heat the stone by hand to ensure it is bone dry before applying the sealant:

It's important that stone is incredibly dry before attempting to seal. Sealant reacts terrible with water and moisture. Even water in the air, or even within the stone itself is enough to cause a process called 'blooming' which causes the solvent to turn a milky white colour - completely ruining the effect of your hearth.

Once we have quick-dried the hearth, we will apply a coat of sealant. As the first coat begins to dry, we apply a second coat and then allow the sealant to impregnate the hearth overnight. During this time, the stone absorbs the sealant to a depth of around 6mm, fully protecting the stone for the foreseeable future.

Should You Seal Your Hearth?

For us, it's a resounding yes. We will always provide it as option on your bespoke hearth. We would recommend it as an add-on as we've sealed 100's of hearths and we guarantee it will be perfect every time. However, you are more than welcome to do this yourself - a simple linseed oil, or even something like WD-40 may do the job. 

The important thing is that someone seals the piece - a sealed hearth is going to be well up to the job!

Bespoke Sealed Hearth - Get A Quote

So, if this seems like something you are after, don't hesistate to get in touch. We take care of everything from cutting, finishing and sealing bespoke hearths on behalf of our 1000s of happy customers.