Help!: Sealing Limestone Floor and Wall Tiles

[lobes]

Newbe here, so hi to you all!

I am just about to start tiling my bathroom walls, floor and shower cubical with honed limestone tiles. (Shower Tray is also limestone)

Can anyone recommend a quality sealant to use. I see a couple of names around. "Lithofin Stain Stop" and "FilaFob". Any major differences between them?

Also, am i right i thinking i should seal them once after they are fixed and then a couple more times after i have grouted them in.

Any other do's and dont's with the job are very welcome!!

Cheers!

[wetdec]

Hi

I would use lithofin stain stop after grouting as they are honed but seal the base before you tile say twice


tiler

..

[lobes]

Thanks for your reply WetDec,

When you say seal the deck before tiling are you meaning the floor. I am having electric underfloor heating installed with a self leving screed over the top.

Do i need to seal this before laying the floor tiles? If so with what?

Thanks in advance!

[grumpygrouter]

If you are having UFH with limestone, you may want to seriously consider having a decoupling mat underneath the tiles. This helps keep lateral expansion differences away from your tiles and will help to stop them cracking with thermal changes.

[bigneil]

i would seal the stone tiles before fitting them on, then again after grouting and cleaning. I would use the lithofin.

[lobes]

Originally Posted by grumpygrouter

If you are having UFH with limestone, you may want to seriously consider having a decoupling mat underneath the tiles. This helps keep lateral expansion differences away from your tiles and will help to stop them cracking with thermal changes.

Thanks Bigneil and GrumpyGrouter

[lobes]

Originally Posted by grumpygrouter

If you are having UFH with limestone, you may want to seriously consider having a decoupling mat underneath the tiles. This helps keep lateral expansion differences away from your tiles and will help to stop them cracking with thermal changes.

Thanks Bigneil and GrumpyGrouter

Grumpygrouter, you advise using an decouping mat with the UFH. Any advice on where i can find some more info and installation instructions/guidelines?

Cheers

[lobes]

Originally Posted by bigneil

i would seal the stone tiles before fitting them on, then again after grouting and cleaning. I would use the lithofin.

Bigneil, you say seal the tiles before installation, just the tops or edges too?

Application by brush, roller ?

cheers

[grumpygrouter]

Wetdecs has supplies of this stuff. Check out his website www.wetdecs.co.uk. He supplies Durabase membrane. Schluter Ditra is also a similar thing. There are also vidoes on the forums somewhere for Ditra. Do a search in the box at the top for Ditra and look around at the results.

They were posted by Dave so that should help narrow the search a bit.

[bigneil]

It is not imperative to seal them before hand, but i usally do, just incase i get adhesive on the surface, or dirty marks, or water stains from my saw, or even coffee stains LOL.
I lay them out flat and aply the lithofin with a wee sponge roller or a lint free cloth, then stack them against the wall to dry and move on tho the next lot. it is more time consuming but it gives me peace of mind.
If time is a factor, then fit them first.
lets hear what some of the experts reckon ??

[bigneil]

oh, and make sure that the screed over the wires is a flexible latex one that will take the movement of expansion and contraction from the heat, i sometimes use an ardex one that comes as a 2 part kit powder/liquid. ..

[grumpygrouter]

......that'll be Arditex then Bigneil!