Finishes for facing cobblestone and mortar

I have not sealed the rocks with anything, as the toxicity of the cure n seal was questionable. I would still like to at least seal the flagstone bench, as it is a bit of a pain to keep clean (ie we never put anything on it) My tile guy recommended Aqua mix sealer which we used for the rocks in the shower, which is a mineral oil. I have it on a piece of flagstone and also a river rock next to the door of the fire box so they get pretty hot. So far they don’t show any changes (yellowing or odor or bubbling?) So I’m tempted to seal the bench but am wondering how that will look if I leave the rest unsealed.?

We are sooooooo happy with our stove, the way it regulates the temperature in the room all night and even the next day. So far we have only had to build one fire at night, we do get quite a bit of solar gain during the day from an attached greenhouse, the two work well together and completely heat the house. The plumber has not attached the heat ex-changer up to the in-floor heat yet, and so far we haven’t really needed it. There are a few rooms on the north side of the house not close to the stove that will use the in-floor heat. This year we just hang out in the center of the house with the stove as it is so cozy, warm and beautiful.

Hi Claire! It’s great to hear from you!
Another client recently recommended Soapstone Sealer from The Real Milk Co.:

They used it to treat all of the soapstone slabs on their heater and they are very happy with it.

Oh, and… any chance you could post an updated photo of your heater in action in your (more) finished home and with a fire in it!? The construction photo you sent makes it truly one of the most spectacular heaters I have ever seen.

Thanks Max, I’ll explore it for flagstone and rock, as they are not finished surfaces.
You’ll have to remind me how to upload a photo, I tried last time I was on and couldn’t figure it out?

Hi @dclaire, it’s the hard drive with the up arrow icon in the middle of the tool bar that allows you to upload photos.