Tile sealers

lmdf3rd · 04-13-2010, 09:58 PM

Need a recommendation--recently installed tumbled stone tiles for kitchen backsplash. It s my understanding that the "511" is the current more commonly used sealer. Is this the best one for the stone which is so porous?

lazzlazz · 04-14-2010, 12:47 AM

And if I could add to the question (since knowledgeable people will be replying), what's the best sealant for 12" granite tile?

racebum · 04-14-2010, 05:39 PM

511 is wonderful on slate / travertine / natural stone. granite is another story. depending on the granite the answer could change. i have absolute black in my kitchen and no sealer i have tried will penetrate it. just streaks on top. hopefully someone smarter than i will answer the granite color question. from what i gather granite and it's ability to seal changes from color to color. at least that's what i found on google. very curious if we have any granite experts to chime in on this.

lazzlazz · 04-14-2010, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racebum

511 is wonderful on slate / travertine / natural stone. granite is another story. depending on the granite the answer could change. i have absolute black in my kitchen and no sealer i have tried will penetrate it. just streaks on top. hopefully someone smarter than i will answer the granite color question. from what i gather granite and it's ability to seal changes from color to color. at least that's what i found on google. very curious if we have any granite experts to chime in on this.

Well, that's good to know. I have a granite that has greyish & black & white bits in it, so it's not the beautiful black stuff! Will be laying over the Ditra (ditra is already down) this weekend. Wish me luck.

I know they recommend sealing it before grouting it - but I better make sure I can seal it.

racebum · 04-16-2010, 03:46 AM

i'm hoping we get someone really good with granite to chime in on the sealers versus type of granite.

lazzlazz · 04-22-2010, 12:08 AM

No advice on sealers?

lazzlazz · 04-25-2010, 07:06 PM

In case it's still relevant, here's a good discussion on granite & sealers:
http://www.contractortalk.com/f18/gr...e-issues-7418/

and linking from a link on the above page:
http://www.rockymountainbathrooms.co...ng.granite.htm
So how do you know if you have a stone that falls into the 20% category or not? A simple test that is based on nature. Have you ever seen a granite stone in nature or a granite statue after a rain? Watch it carefully and see what it does. You probably will see it dry very quickly, almost instantly. What you are seeing is a granite that doesn't absorb water. This is the same principal used to test your granite. Simply putting a small amount of water on granite and letting it sit for about 15 minutes is all that is required. At the end of 15 minutes wipe the water off with a paper towel. Now examine the stone. Did is it darkened where the water was? If so your stone requires a sealer and falls into the 20% If not then you don't. In fact if you tried to seal the granite that didn't darken, the sealer would just get wiped off since the stone simply won't absorb it.

Now go on to test number two. Drop a drop of mineral oil on the slab and leave it for 10 minutes. Clean it off and see what you get. (Don't worry, any dark spot will lighten and disappear within 20-30 minutes and not hurt the stone) If you have a darkened spot then your stone is susceptible to a staining agent. You need to seal the stone. I recommend a solvent based sealer/impregnator. There are water based products on the market but solvent based is still the king, at least for now.

So the final thing to know is how often to re-apply your sealer. It's actually pretty simple, when you start to notice your stone starts to darken again and isn't repelling water like it used to, it's time for another application. How long might this be? It could be 1 year, 5 years or 15 years. As you now know all stone is different and will absorb and repel differently, but you now know that every 6 months or once a year is only a guess. Now you have the information to test and re-apply your sealer only when it is required.

racebum · 04-25-2010, 08:06 PM

that's exactly the same conclusion i came to. it's also why i couldn't seal my granite. the sealer sat on top because the stone wouldn't absorb it. i may get a drip bottle to do the grout lines and or use q tips but you more or less found the same info i did.