Our tile guy said to not use anything but water to clean the tiled areas until the grout was sealed, because chemicals in various cleaners can permanently discolor the grout. Is there any truth to this? I'd swear I answered this, but I guess not! It sucks getting old! Your installer is right in that many CAN hurt the grout color. He's also right in that water should be all you NEED to clean it. But if you DO need something more than water, mix up some Oxyclean. It'll do just as good a job as chlorine bleach without hurting the grout the way bleach will. Does tumbled marble tile need to be sealed? We have tumbled marble 3x6 subways for a border and accent tiles in the master shower and tub deck, and 1x2 mesh on the shower floor. Our kitchen backsplash is also tumbled marble. If we should seal that, what is a good brand and what method is best to apply it? Although I don't believe in sealing grout, I DO believe in sealing stone. Two good recommendations would be Miracle 511 Impregnator, and Stone Tech Impregnator Pro. Both would be applied in the same manor-- take an old terrycloth towel, and rip it in half. Use one as the applicator, and the other, to wipe off the excess. Take the applicator, and wipe a liberal amount of sealer on, let it set for about 5 minutes or so, and then take the dry half and buff off the excess. Done. I just had my new bathroom tiled and my contractor (NYC area) did not recommend it. His bathroom and kitchen are not sealed. I think (but am not positive) that he also said that sealing was another way to make money and that once sealing is done it has to be done again in the future. With respect to sealing the grout, I agree with him 100%, including the part about it being a racket.

The quote turned out at $45 per square foot. I'm doing 2 pieces, one 40'x24', the other 30'x25' (sink and cooktop respectively). It would be about $150 less if I used US Color Glass standard colors. And if I want iron-free glass (for a truer color) it would be $150 more. The glass will be 1/4' thick. MUCH cheaper than GlassKote. I found US Color Glass and then clicked on the local contacts, and found the place nearest to me. I'm near Boston MA in case geography plays a part in prices. Here is a link that might be useful: US Color Glass

Can you recommend a good sealer? Should we clean it first with the Acetone as you told Gina? Gina thanks for the question. Either Miracle 511 Impregnator or Stone Tech Impregnator Pro. Both are good quality products, and unless you're getting a problem from old sealer on the stone, no, you don't need the acetone. A quick question about travertine. Is it a good choice for kitchen/bath floors and if so, what would you use to clean and seal? If not, what would you suggest? This one's a loaded question in this forum. If you want a floor that's going to stay pristine, travertine isn't the kitchen floor for you, although there are literally LEGIONS of people in here who seem to disagree with me on that. If you ARE going to use travertine, though, go with one that's honed, instead of polished. As for sealer use the same ones I just recommended, and as for cleaning, it MUST be ph neutral, and preferrably one made specifically for cleaning sealed stone. If you want something that's not quite so "sensitive", look into rectified porcelain. There are many around that mimick travertine, and do it very well, and with the rectified porcelain, you can even set it tight like real stone. The difference is hot water should be all that's needed to keep it clean, and it won't stain, etch, or scratch like real stone. You could dump a bottle of orange juice on it and not be worried about seeing that spot on the floor for the rest of your life. Would it hurt for me to reseal over the TileLab "garbage"? If so, what should I use? Use the acetone that Stonegirl recommended to remove the Tile Lab sealer, and then use one of the ones I recommended above.

Oh man. Was this his first time using glass tile?? He should have sealed the grout only (glass is non-porous) with an appropriate applicator. It's time consuming to do it properly, but this is why you (or the people you hire) don't (shouldn't) cut corners. There is one non-toxic product that might help. He can (and I mean he, not you) try this stuff, made to scrub off sealer from tile. I don't know whether it will work, but I hope so. Removing glass tile is not easy (ask me how I know - better yet, ask me about the surgery I had on my right hand to remove a shard of glass that lodged in my tendon). If it does work, he will then have to seal the grout correctly. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: AquaMix