I just finished tiling a fireplace surround where I used Stone Beauty for the first time. As I began writing this review, decided I really wanted to do more that just say it was a fantastic product and give it a Five Star rating. Pichers seemed to be in order but the Review Section in the TYW store is not set up for pichers so I’m placing this review here. If you guys want to move it somewhere else, go for it.
Stone Beauty is a very cool product.
A. No obnoxious odor (in fact now that I think of it, I don’t recall smelling anything while applying it);
B. Dries to touch very quickly, like within minutes after wiping it off; and
C. Does a wonderful job of sealing and enhancing the natural beauty of stone. Does exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Here are some before and after pictures, using Stone Beauty on honed slate and unhoned quartzite. {These pictures using a digital camera which is at lest 8 years old do not begin to capture the real beauty of the stone, but it’s the best I can do right now}
I tested Stone Beauty, quite a bit actually, on scrap tile pieces set and grouted. This testing of mine reinforced everything JB and Tim tol me when I first bought the product:
1. Before you begin, Test, Test, Test. Yep, I learned that again during testing too. Wet the tile and grout down…this will show you what the final results will look like. Let all that dry.
2. The easiest method I found to apply the product was a piece of grout sponge, Tim’s idea.
3. As it dries it becomes quite sticky. It’s certainly not paint but think of it as paint when applying it, i.e., keep everything clean and dust free. TYW Tile & Stone Cleaner with final dusting using a tack cloth was my method. If applying it to a honed or polished surface, work a relatively small area at a time, I’d recommend about 10 sq. ft. until you get the hang of it. Apply it, let sit for several minutes, then wipe dry. Cheesecloth worked great for me. All this goes very fast. Move on to the next section.
4. Honed/polished tile has a much smoother feel after applying Stone Beauty. I’m thinking this will make any treated surface, especially grout, much easier to keep clean.
As a footnote, I made the wood portion of the mantle entirely out of reclaimed lumber…actually they were window casings at one time, quarter sawn clear fir. A lot of elbow grease went into all that I can tell you.
