Sealing concrete hearth

[suz_]

Hi all -
I am planning to make a concrete hearth for a wood stove to replace a tiled pad that is falling apart. Will be casting large concrete 'tiles' and then putting them in place. Planning to polish with diamond pads to create a bit of a shine. The next step is to seal (or not?).. I have some Cheng countertop sealer on the way.

Does anyone have experience sealing their hearth after polishing it vs. not sealing it? Does the shine from polishing fade? It will get a fair amount of use and sometimes gets walked over.

Also, if I were to use Cheng sealer... is there anything else I need or should put on top of that to protect it? I know occasionally people with concrete countertops will use a wax over the sealer.

Thanks!! I have been doing a lot of browsing on the forum and it has been very helpful in creating my plan for the hearth

 

[begreen]

If the surface is going to see a bit of traffic, I wonder if a silicone or silicate sealer like they use for garage floors would be good.

Making Sense of Garage Floor Sealers | Which is Best for Your Application?

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