Did the contractor say why not to seal? Personally, I would absolutely seal all of the grout and also the travertine. These are porous materials and between the moisture and grime that ends up in bathrooms (even if you are a meticulous cleaner), why risk it? Sealing is very easy and will help prevent staining.

I would seal your grout, especially if it is on the floor. You asked if it will leave stains on the tiles. The sealer will not stain porcelian or ceramic tiles....and should say so on the bottle. You would need to be careful to remove excess sealer left on travertine.

if you use non-sanded for 1/8" grout lines, over a shoort period of time, there is very high likelihood that you'll see "cracks" develop between tiles and the grout. Like the next day. it IS possible to use unsanded grout for 1/8" grout joints, but it's not adviseable. You'll end up regrouting atleast once, and maybe twice because of pinholes and shrinkage cracks, as well as sunken joints due to shrinkage. The rule is actually anything LESS than 1/8" gets unsanded, and anything 1/8" or more gets sanded grout. One last comment-- if you're husband wants to set that tumbled marble with an 1/8" joint, he's GOT to be some kind of masochist!! I wouldn't even try that in my own house, much less a customer's!! The stone CAN vary by as much as 3/16", and regularly DOES vary by as much as an 1/8". You go with an 1/8" grout joint, and you'll be throwing alot of stones out because they're too big, and you'll be having many butt joints, as well as strong 1/8" joints throughout. This is why it's adviseable that you use a 1/4" joint.... ATLEAST 3/16".

Hi, BrokenBitMosaics! Up until August 2014, I was paying a kiln fee of $11 at the local stained glass store to fire my projects, but the store went out of business. I knew that a kiln was going to be an expensive piece of equipment, and I, too, keep repeating "do not need kiln!" A glass kiln was going to cost as much as my husbandâÂÂs annual golf course membership, sooooo I started pricing glass kilns, and purchased a kiln at http://www.clay-king.com/kilnslist.htm . I selected the biggest glass kiln I could, where I would not have to have an electrician install a 240V line. I bought a Skutt HotStart Pro with a viewing window, and I love it! I have to admit, IâÂÂm nervous when I use it. But, I follow the manual instructions to-the-letter, and I have had âÂÂmeltdowns,â but no disaster "meltdowns!" The little feet were so fun to make (and easy!), but I couldnâÂÂt wait to glue them onto the wood frame to keep from losing a toe or 2! The footprints are a single layer of glass, and a "full fuse" in the kiln. Susan Griebel This post was edited by segrieb on Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 11:57