Q. We've had a solid fuel stove fitted recently with a reconstituted marble hearth. The hearth has a stain already, from what I think is dirty water. 1. Is reconstituted marble suitable for a solid fuel hearth? 2. Any suggestions of what I could use to try removing the stain? 3. What could I seal the hearth with to keep this from reoccurring in the future? It's clearly a very porous stone.

 

A. This is all going to depend on the amount of heat that is generated. Natural stone will generally work well as a hearth, but some of  the agglomerate materials  that contain resins may not be suitable. As far as removing the stain, I would refer you to the FREE stone care guide at www.stoneandtilepros.com/care-guide.pdf.

 

Dr. Fred