marble shower tile issue - not sealed?
R
3 years ago
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millworkman
3 years agoDave Jones
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Marble Shower sealing?
Comments (2)Your best bet would be one of two-- either Miracle's 511 Impregnator, or Stone Tech's Impregnator Pro. I would not use one from either of the Box stores, because they're cheap wannabe's, that could actually be bad for the stone, in that they're not breatheable sealers-- they won't let moisture transmit back and forth. It looks great when water beads up, and won't darken up the stone, and so forth. The problem comes when even a minute bit of moisture becomes trapped inside the stone, and then mold can start.... INSIDE the stone. The only recourse then is to get rid of the stone. With breatheable sealers, they'll allow the transmission of moisture, but they won't allow any minute solids to get into the pores of the stone. The two I mentioned are both breatheable sealers....See Moremarble shower caulking issue
Comments (5)It was sealed with Aqua Mix Professional Sealer's Choice Gold, recommended/provided by the slab dealer. It says provides up to 15years stain resistance. It says for all natural stone, does allow some vapor transmission. The old white "rotting" caulk is on all sides, under the showerhead/pipe wall, the side, and rear pony wall; they all get different amounts of water, and we squeegee the walls & tile floor clean each shower. The shower pan was custom built, with concrete sloped base per code, thick plastic liner (which passed leak test), mortar bed, marble tiles on top; the walls are solid slab pieces, over Hardibacker wallboard, with tar paper overlapping w/ the plastic liner, etc Another contractor removed most all of the old grout, sealed it with new pure transparent silicon caulk, last week.. and over the last week of use, one spot has started swelling/"rotting" again....See MoreMarble shower floor: To seal or not to seal?
Comments (3)Yes...marble in a wet room needs sealing. There are many marble experts (stone experts are different from tile experts) who will tell you the marble needed to be sealed several times BEFORE it was installed, and then several times AFTER it is installed. And then sealants are used at regular intervals for a few years until the marble has been saturated with sealant and doesn't "need" it any more. Obviously the "before" install is no longer an option. No worries. You simply have to find the RIGHT stone sealer and apply it as many times as required. Then allow it to cure (could be a while before you use the shower) - and off you go. Keep reapplying as scheduled (by the sealant manufacturer) and enjoy your very pretty stone. Because this has been sourced/suggested by others (who deal with tile and not stone), I recommend you find some stone/granite professionals and start asking questions about your stone. After speaking with multiple professionals in your area, you should get a handle on what is needed and what is FORBIDDEN. Yes...there are plenty of things that are forbidden with marble. That knowledge is SUPER important. Hopefully Joseph or the Tile experts will pop in and offer some strong recommendations for sealant....See MoreMarble tile issue?
Comments (13)Sorry, but yes. A proper shower is built from the studs out and requires specific materials and prep to function properly. I would definitely be consulting a real estate attorney (or start with your realtor). Might consider hiring a professional tile contractor to provide a written assessment. He will likely remove some tile to properly diagnose the problems (but you are going to have to tear it out anyway). Check the NTCA (National Tile Contractors Association) website for members in your area if you do not know of a highly qualified contractor. Do some research. So sorry....See Moremillworkman
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