TileLab Sealer

15 years ago

Hi,

Please be very careful (buyer beware!) or smarter then I was if you use or intend to use TileLab Sealer (sold at HD). My tile installer used it on my calcutta marble bathroom at the end of November. I just moved in this May so I have only been using the bathroom for a little over 2 months.

The bathroom floors and shower floor needs to be resealed already! I started to see dark gray spots on the floor and then did the water test. Sure enough there where dark gray spots where I had put the water. When I called TileLab technical Assistance because on the front of the product it says "20 year Guaranty" and that was why I recommended the product to the installer, I couldn't believe the person's response.

The TileLab technical assistance person said that the guaranty is for how good the product will be if kept in the container. It has nothing to do with the time between sealing. In fact he said, they recommend sealing every 6 months. Talk about misleading advertising! I never would have bought the product if I knew that then.

This is why I'm passing my poor experience with TileLab along. Don't make the same mistake I did with a bathroom that need to be resealed after only 2 and a half months. Use a better product or at least a product without deceptive advertising!

Karen

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Comments (6)

touchofstone
15 years ago
I own a natural stone fabrication and installation company. I would highly recommend Dry Treat Stain Proof Sealer (www.drytreat.com). We've been using it for 4 years and I swear by it. It is not sold in retail stores. Check their website and they will list distributors in your area.
it has a 15 year warranty if you have an authorized applicator apply it.
monicakm_gw
15 years ago
I started out with "the best"...Aquamix Gold but it doesn't hold a candle to what the granite company used on the new addition to the kitchen and the new master bath. I don't believe it can be bought in retail stores either. It's Tenax Ager (for an enhancing sealer) or plain Tenax if you don't want your stone darkened. Even on my lightish granite in the bathroom, water doesn't darken it and baby oil hasn't darkened it either. Six years with Aqua Mix and water would temp. darken my kitchen stone. One application of Tenax and NOTHING penetrates it :)
Monica
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UMMMM.. as i was re-reading my post I realized how silly that sounded.. Ok.. so I just need to get a hold of the better sealer co. to ask if it is ok to use with that one.. I know you said before but what was the name of the company and product you recommended? I will look them up on-line to get a number before I buy the products just in case!! Thanks again for easing my nerves! May be reaching out to you sooner than later for someone in my area to do my backsplash.. Not 100% thrilled with the tiler thus far...
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The sealer should have only been applied to the grout, not glazed tiles. Call Tile Lab and ask them. After all, it is there crapola/waste of money, they make. Aquamix Gold next time you want to seal the grout.
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soil_soldier Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 15:26 I have always liked clay flower pots and I buy them at junk stores, yard sales, estate sales and yes I have even gotten a few from curbside trash. Needless to say, I have all sizes and would love to start doing mosaics. How clean do I need to get them before I begin my work? Is it necessary to scrub them with a brush and hot soapy water or is rinsing all they need? I would like to have several completed so that when we finish constructing our greenhouse this spring, it will be alive with color! thanks the dirt digger (soon to be 'the colorful dirt digger') barbara52 Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 16:43 Hello Soil Soldier, To prepare your clay pots for mosaicking, try to get them as clean as possible, free from any dirt or moss, etc. A stiff brush is a good tool for this. It is very important also to make sure that they are completely DRY before you start adhering your mosaic pieces. If you are in a hurry, you can dry them in a very slow oven. Or, just let them sit and dry naturally over the course of a few days. Pots are good projects for your first mosaics... they're relatively small and quick to do. One caveat: IMO, it's best to put plastic inserts into your mosaicked pots, rather than to plant directly into them. This will avoid moisture from the soil penetrating into your clay and potentially compromising your grout. Good luck and be sure to share pics of your work(s) in progress! craftybb Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 17:25 I seal the inside of my pots with diluted Weldbond(4 parts water, 1 part weldbond). I believe their website says 5:1 for sealing but I figure 4x might work even better. Good Luck, b.b. KimmyStar Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 20:30 I seal the pots with concrete/masonry/terra cotta sealer, twice. Then apply the glass, shards, tile with silicone. I think that Annsb says that if you cut up plates/china, that the shards need to be sealed before you apply them to pot. After grouting, I seal with TileLab Sealer.
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carol08
15 years ago
I second karenfromknoxville's warnings about TileLab sealer. A couple of years ago, I used it on a marble countertop in the bathroom and in a marble shower. It seemed to work fine on the countertop (which doesn't see a lot of water) but it didn't hold up at all in the shower. It was also very slippery in the shower after the sealer was applied, which made me worry that someone would fall and injure him/herself while showering. It got less slippery over time, but I suppose that's just because the sealer was wearing off!
karenfromknoxville
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi Carol08,

What did you do? Did you change sealers? Did you need to strip off the TileLab before you could add a different sealer? Sounds like you were in a similar situation.

Karen
vic.s
15 years ago
Karen,

Is the material polished or honed? I, like touchofstone, have applied the same product, it is from Australia, but I have gotten great results on honed Calcutta, I'm pretty sure it would work on a polished surface too.

Usually we don't use the HD sealers, so I would lie if give my input on them, but could it be possible that it was not applied correctly? or not applied at all? As far as customer service, they really need a lot of help.

Vic
bill_vincent
15 years ago
This thread might answer some of the questions asked above:

Here is a link that might be useful: ????? for Bill, Kevin, or other stone person

TileLab Sealer

Comments (6)

touchofstone

monicakm_gw

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TileLab Sealer

Comments (6)

touchofstone

monicakm_gw

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carol08

karenfromknoxvilleOriginal Author

vic.s

bill_vincent

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karenfromknoxville
Original Author