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Backsplash sealed - is it too late to enhance?

15 years ago

When my backsplash was installed there was confusion about the enhancing aspect and the installer used Impregnator 511 by Miracle because he thought it was a sealer/ enhancer. Now I see the bottle says sealer ( I was not there when this was done). Now when I wet the tiles they darken to a point that I love. Can they be enhanced now although they are sealed? If so - any recommended enhancers? I have 4x4 tumbled marble pieces.

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Comments (7)

sedeno77
15 years ago
I think once sealed you can not enhance. Bill, is this right?
Unless it can be stripped and resealed.
sweeby
15 years ago
I was going to say the same thing as Yvette -- That once you've sealed, you generally can't enhance.

BUT - You say when you wet the tiles, that they change color, which makes it sound like they really aren't effectively sealed. If they were well sealed, they wouldn't change color with water.

My concern would be for a 'blotchy' result -- where some areas take the enhancer and some don't. Do you have the kind of tile where this wouldn't be fatal? IMO, that would be something like a travertine, where the stone's natural coloration would mask which colors are darker due enhancer and some stay lighter?

I'd try a Miracle 511-brand enhancer on an inconspicuous part to see what happens.
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kathy50
Original Author
15 years ago
I actually only want to enhance the decas and 2 rows of listellos that go along the counters. Color variation would be fine. The tiles definitely get darker when wet and then dry back to a lighter shade.
Does anyone have any idea what Miracle 511 costs? I'd hate to invest a lot of money and find the tiles do not enhance. Thanks for the help!
Jodi_SoCal
15 years ago
I'll be very interested in hearing the answer to this question as I was told by a KD that backsplash tiles always get sealed first and then enhanced. I had a hard time believing that.

Jodi-
gozalyn
15 years ago
I picked up a quart of the Miracle Seal and Enhance at Home Depot for about $42. I have yet to use it though...
bill_vincent
15 years ago
Being it was the 511, (they're all breatheable sealers, and as such, will allow liquid thru as seen by what happens when you splash water on the tile) the vehicle (liquid part of the sealer) will be the same in all 511 products, so I'm pretty sure you can use the 511 Enrich and Seal over the 511 Impregnator. What I would suggest is take your bottle of Impregnator and check the side of it. There should be an 800 number for technical services. You might give them a call just to make sure. If you do, please come back here and let us know what they said.
mtnfever (9b AZ/HZ 11)
15 years ago
Yes, you can still enhance. I enhanced (Miracle Enhance and Seal) my tumbled onyx tiles after they were sealed with Miracle 511. I hadn't thought I wanted the "wet look" but when I saw the tiles while the sealer dried, I liked it so I tested on a couple "bad" tiles (ie that had inclusions) that I didn't want to use. It looked great and it even worked on the bees-wax sealed tiles that I had tried a la femmelady :)

it sounds like you have natural stone tile, so I would think it would act the same as on the onyx, but of course YMMV. for me, the look was way worth the ~$40 at HD for the Enhancer.

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