To Seal or Not.........

That is the question for the grout on my hearth................................that's almost done

Def seal.

What do a walrus and tupperware have in common? They both like a tight seal
Seal it

The only reason i could possibly think of (and I had to think a while) to not seal it would be the slight possibility that the heat could discolor the sealant. With that said, if you don't seal it, your grout is going to be some sort of nasty brown color in no time from the dirt anyway. So, seal it.

Just axing; because, I truly don't know!!

I had thought it was only necessary in "wet" environments

Just axing; not arguing!

Next time try asking. Definitely seal.

Assuming you're talking about a tile hearth? Not sure I see much need to seal a stone hearth. Mine seems to have faired well (239 years old!) without sealing.

Can we see a photo?

what I've been told at work by the in-house carpenters is that the newer grouts have a stuff in them that older grouts did not, lessening the need to seal. And when you go to re-grout, if you ever did, the grout doesn't like to stick to the areas with sealer on them. That being said, I've never grouted, know absolutely zero about it - just passing on second-hand information.

Definitely........ when it's all grouted and "sealed"!!

Use a siloxane based sealant, you won't even be able to tell it's on there. That's what I used on my chimney on the natural stone veneer I installed, and once it dries you can't even tell it's on there. Beads up water and everything else just like a coat of wax! It's great stuff, probably the best sealer for masonry/concrete/grout that you can get.

Thanks for the info. Would that happen to available at the Home Despot or Meynards or Lowest??

They should have some sort of siloxane sealer. If they don't, go to your local masonry or bricklayer supply store. The certainly should have it. As a last resort, check fleabay or the internet. Keep us posted.