stratum

[hassana09]

Hi,
I've just brought stratum tiles from topps tiles. I've read some of the post and just wanted to get advise.
I've been told by topps to get a bal protective sealer which will help protect the tiles when tilling. Is this true? If so how much help can it be?
The tiler that did topps show bathroom said he grouted and the as soon as he grouted he cleaned it with wet sponge. What do you think to that?
What's the best colour grout and sealent to use for the anthracite stratum tiles?
Is there anything you would do through experience to make sure these are grouted and fitted right?

 

[Stef]

What I would do is take them back!!
Only joking, welcome along to the forum,
As you have found out these tiles are a nightmare to grout, they tell you to finger the grout in & use a minimum joint, they say butt joint them but you can't as they are out here & there a mm or 2.
I'm not sure what grout colour I used, think it was Mapei 112 or 113.

 

[Ian]

The protective sealer should be applied before grouting not before the installation of the tiles, this is to help with the washing off process as these tiles are a pain to clean due to the rough texture. Grout colour, in my opinion, should be as close to the colour of the tile as you can get, so the tiles appear as seamless as possible. Where are you plnning on installing these tiles? Welcome to the forum.

 

[White Room]

There the work of the devil those tiles:reddevil:

 

[dave l and l]

i used bal protective sealer on them. two coats, it made cleaning the grout of alot easier,, also try not to get the grout everywhere as little as possible on the face of the tile

 

[nybor62]

topps will always recommend bal products, it dont have to be bal sealer , there are better products out there imo

good luck

 

[dave l and l]

the washable sealer stops the grout sticking as easy, i tried it both with and without and i noticed the difference. i used butek grout from porcelanosa it was a light grey,, siliconing the internal corners was a total misery

 

[Andy Allen]

Those tiles are a nightmare to work with....only used them once......that was enough....imo there nigh on impossible to grout and make a decent job of it..

 

[hassana09]

Ah maaan you guys are great .
I taught you apply bal protective sealer a day before grouting..
I'm planning to use it in my bathroom. It's extremely small. Only 13m of stratum will cover the bathroom
what's an alternative washable sealer I can use?
what do you reckon should I butt them or space them and then grout
I've got petri de koppe black tiles to go on the floor.

 

[White Room]

If the tiles are going in a shower area they need to be grouted but tanking is recommended as well....

 

[m3fitter]

yes, tiles are a nightmare ! there are many types of these tiles around, careful with some to fix them the right way up ! as some are directional, ie: water falls off them, not pooling... some hold grout residue badly, use a small grout joint 1-2mm max, seal the tiles with a pre sealer, colour co ordinate the tile-grout, and Mapei / Bal have colour co ordinated silicones to match aswell.. fitted well, they can look good

 

[CJ]

These tiles are not really meant to be grouted.......feature wall and all that.

Saying that, I have done them once, and they where a nightmare to grout & silicon.

Once to many.

 

[dave l and l]

that washable sealer from bal worked perfectly well. and there light grey / or smoke coloured grout would probably work well applied the sealer the day before i grouted just followed the instructions on the back