sealing before or after (again)

[Mike]

I know we've had this topic before but i'd just like to ask your opinions again. last week i was laying a 15m2 jerusalem travertine floor and as i thought best (as recomended on here) i sealed after grouting so grout will adhere to unfilled holes/dents. guy from tile shop came with grout and recomended sealing first but i told him my reasons for not doing so. the floor looked stunning when finished with no discolouring of the tiles (was mapei limestone 299 btw) and the customer was made up but when i popped in the tile shop today the people there said that their sealant rep (they only sell lithofin) said they should always be sealed first as the grout will go into the pores of the tile. what do you think guys? is he talking tosh or does it not matter which way you do it? cheers

 

[Stewart]

If I were using a contrasting colour then I would seal first, but if similar colour to the tile and you work clean then you should have no issue. If I'm wrong, then I'm in big trouble after grouting 80 metres of trav without sealing it today.....


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[DHTiling]

It does depend upon the stone and it does not hurt to seal first with any stone, but experience will learn you which ones that you can grout first, this in turn saves labour costs as you can grout without having to let sealer cure enough to act as a pre-seal..

You sure it wasn't limestone with the name being Jerusalem.? i know some comps name stones differently to others but that name is usually tagged to warm coloured limestones..

 

[doug boardley]

unfilled trav I always seal after, honed I seal first, if he, the rep, disagrees he's talking tosh imo.

 

[Ian]

I always seal before grouting as I find it helps when washing off, I use HG and LTP sealers/impregnators and have never had an issue with grout not sticking to the pitts in tumbled travertine.

 

[DHTiling]

I have a New! Tumbled and unfilled Travertine from PHG to install next week and it sucks moisture like a good'n and needs sealing before grouting..

So the best bet is take each stone as they come,,

 

[PHG Dave]

Impregnating sealers, which are the main ones used on stone, do NOT stop grout (or adhesive come to that) from sticking to the stone.
They do reduce the absorbency of the stone giving you a chance to apply the grout and wipe off the excess from the surface before it dries on

Whether you have to seal before grouting depends on the stone being used and can vary considerably even within each type of stone, so make sure you try on a small area first if you are going to try grouting before sealing

The safest route is to seal first

 

[Qwerty]

Same as Bri for me..... seal prior to and after grouting

 

[Daz]

As per Dave's advice, I take each stone as it comes. I did, however, seal a honed sandstone the other day with LTP colour enhancer prior to grouting and the grout just popped out of the very few cavities that there were when I grouted, so there is never a right way or wrong way IMO.

Daz

 

[PHG Dave]

As per Dave's advice, I take each stone as it comes. I did, however, seal a honed sandstone the other day with LTP colour enhancer prior to grouting and the grout just popped out of the very few cavities that there were when I grouted, so there is never a right way or wrong way IMO.

Daz

did you just put on a light coat as colour intensifier can dry on the surface almost like a topical sealer if it doesn't soak in

 

[Daz]

Hi Dave,

It was a thin coat and buffed off as per the instructions on the tin (after 15 - 30 mins IIRC), but that was enough to cause me grief. This is probably the first time I've experienced this issue but I thought it worth mentioning, given the balance of information on TF.

Daz

 

[PHG Dave]

Hi Dave,

It was a thin coat and buffed off as per the instructions on the tin (after 15 - 30 mins IIRC), but that was enough to cause me grief. This is probably the first time I've experienced this issue but I thought it worth mentioning, given the balance of information on TF.

Daz

Cheers Daz, always good to hear everyone's experiences. Big believer that no-one knows everything and you are always learning

 

[Mike]

thanks everyone, i'll take all the advice aboard for next time, i'll seal each stone as required and try the grout in an inconspicuous area first. i can't afford to mess up a £1000 plus floor. cheers again

 

[Mike]

you're right dave, after checking, the floor is a limestone (jerusalem) customer told me it was trav, i have a small (i hope ) problem, whilst clearing my tools away 2 weeks ago i noticed 2 small areas with froth on them off the sealer, i obviously missed those 2 whilst drying off, they're about the size of a 50p. i wiped them off but they have stayed on the tile. will a limestone cleaner remove them then reseal? cheers

 

[RealEarth]

sealant rep says seal first = more sealant used = more sales. simples. But every stone is different, so take each on their own merits.

with regard to the sealant residue, i'd use LTP Solvex to remove residues and re-seal the small area.

 

[PHG Dave]

sealant rep says seal first = more sealant used = more sales. simples. But every stone is different, so take each on their own merits.

with regard to the sealant residue, i'd use LTP Solvex to remove residues and re-seal the small area.

Sometimes reps might be telling the truth (I know, difficult thing to believe :smilewinkgrin

That first coat before grouting is not a wasted coat, it is just the start of the sealing process
Whether you use it before or after grouting the amount of sealant required to fully seal a particular stone will not alter, it just makes your job of grouting easier if you put on a first coat before grouting.