Slate oil

[toolsntat]

....
Are there any down sides to using slate for a hearth?

None that I'm aware of. Heavy !

Leaky roof :roll: :lol:

 

[AndyT]

We had a fireplace installed a few years ago, with a nicely polished slate hearth.
The installers recommended an occasional wipe with WD40 to remove any marks (eg from extra heavy rain splashing down the chimney).

We've done this and it still looks fine.

I expect mineral oil would look just the same, but haven't tried it. I just can't decide between the 3-in-1 and the baby oil fragrances!

 

[HOJ]

Are there any down sides to using slate for a hearth?

I hope not, going to be fitting one in the next week or so, for a client.
Bought 2 large pieces of 32mm thick slate, gave it a quick wash over last week to find they were 2 different colours, one grey/black, the other green/grey which was not clearly visible until they were wet, the company it was bought from had no hesitation in sending a new piece out almost immediately.

With regards the finish, we have used Fiddes hard wax oil on slate splash backs in the past with good results, but felt it would be best to use a propriety slate seal for the hearth in this instance, so we are going to be using Lithofin Slate seal.

 

[Jake]

We had some fireplaces with slate hearths put in, the installer used and recommended WD40 which seems to work OK (I've only had to renew it once in 3 years). An exception to the rule that it is a vastly overrated substance?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

We had a slate hearth in a previous house. Half an hour after we first lit the fire there was colossal bang - the hearth cracked in half. It was one piece, and had been cut very accurately to fit the recess under the fire place ......

 

[Nelsun]

It's been a number of years (so grab a pinch of salt) but, as memory serves, there are two common types of slate finishes: penetrating and surface. The penetrating type was the most recommended of the two so that's what we went with. It coped very well for the few years until we sold the place... and the new owners ripped out and boarded up both stoves :roll: :roll: :roll:

I can't remember the exact brand we used, but the bottle was blue (homer)

 

[SammyQ]

A worktop supplier I used to deal with, used Johnston's baby oil

Seconded. I did my new hearth with three coats in 24 hours, near enough a year ago today; it is still shiney, despite the attentions of a shaggy lurcher betimes. Wipes clean with a damp cloth, then buffs dry to a lovely sheen.

Sam