This weekend I juse set and grouted filled honed travertine floor tile. I sleaed most of it about 12 hours before I grouted. However, about the last 20 tiles were laid in the mornging of the day I grouted. Frankly I did not see any difference in cleaning the grout off the sealed vs. unsealed tiles. I will seal, grout and all, in a few days.

We sealed ours when it was installed. We used water-based Aqua Gold(?) sealer; sold to us by Artistic Tile when we got our backsplash tile from them. It's what they recommended, so we wanted to use their preferred sealer. We used a solvent based sealer elsewhere (bathrooms, FR floor...). Probably could have used that on our backsplash as well, but didn't get/use it until a few years after the kitchen reno.

I'm not sure how I came across this post, I think it was displayed on the right side and I clicked on it being intrigued by the tile making. I was at one time interested in working with papercrete and hypertufa. But after enlisting my brother, who wasn't as enthusiastic, and my niece, who poured cement down my laundry room sink, which original to the house had lasted 70 years, and ruining three blenders, my interest waned. True to form, if I come upon difficulty in a project, I think of it as a sign for me not to continue. And really, after all these years of trying various crafts that result in crap, I should know better. I also should have known better than to ask my brother, who always says it can't be done to any of my unique design ideas. And I should have known better than to ask my niece, who once stayed up all night before having to drive to LA for an art show, cutting mat after mat after measuring once, twice, sometimes ten times, but always coming out with the wrong size. I think we both have math dyslexia. I should video us trying anything crafty to see where we go wrong. I think both of us having ADHD might have something to do with it. Sorry for the backstory and run on sentences. So, I just wanted to see if you continued with your venture. And to say sorry for whatever tragedy occurred to cause you to have to move to Florida. Not that there is anything wrong with Florida, but it isn't Panama. Which is one of my favorite places in the western hemisphere. I hope no one is upset that I brought up a seven year old post.

Ditto. My contractor did what chispa’s did. Especially with marble tiles, you want to protect them, before grouting. Then, seal again, including the grout, afterwards. Marble is very porous. It stains and etches, and grouting is messy business.