do i seal before or after?

[Brad]

hi guys....me again...

one more question regarding the travertine floor i'm doing.....

when is the best time to seal? before or after installation? the thought has crossed my mind that it may be wise to seal the back of the tile as well to prevent addy seeping thru. good idea?.....or am a just being dumb??

anyway....just want to say thanks to everyone that has responded to my questions. i'm very gratefull for all the help and advice i have received since joining the forum. i hope to one day be in the position to confidently do the same. keep up the good work guys!!!......and thanks again!

[brian c]

personally i wouldnt seal them on the back as the seal can act as a barrier against the adhesive.I am sure am right on this one.

sealing can be done before and after grouting or before installing and after grouting.

[uptonboy]

I'd do as 'Brian C' say but use white addy, never sealed a back of a tile before

[tile55]

If the weather is fine and you have a large garden then try and seal the tiles before you lay them, this will prevent them from staining from the addy that you use, this is especially helpful if you are quite messy, or you are not an experienced tilier.
Ulternatively you can lay the tiles, clean off all the residue of tile adhesive and dirt, seal them and wait till it goes off, grout and then seal again 1-2 times.
Good tip from Uptonboy white addy is less likely to show through the tile and grout line if you are using colour matching grout

[whitebeam]

I don't seal until I've grouted but keep it clean

[foxman]

I would lay the tiles like the lads say with whit flexi adhesive then seal, grout, then seal again when grout is dry, if you seal the tiles before you lay just seal the top and the sides, only problem then is if you have cuts to do then obiously thats leaving exposed tile without sealer on.

[wetdec]

I would lay the tiles like the lads say with whit flexi adhesive then seal, grout, then seal again when grout is dry, if you seal the tiles before you lay just seal the top and the sides, only problem then is if you have cuts to do then obiously thats leaving exposed tile without sealer on.

You never seal the sides or backs of any stone........period


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[BDS]

I`m with wetdec. i`ve always been told not to seal the sides of tiles,just seal face of tile sparingly trying not to get it on the sides

[brian c]

I`m with wetdec. i`ve always been told not to seal the sides of tiles,just seal face of tile sparingly trying not to get it on the sides

So that the grout adheres to tile.

[david campbell]

always seal travertine before and after laying but never the backs!

[BDS]

sorry forgot to tell him why not to get it on the sides,cheers bri

[macten]

I've always sealed Trav after grouting.
If you seal before does this not stop the grout adhering in the holes?

[Dave]

same here.......

[groucho]

I always seal before. Yes takes longer but tiles are in good nick then. If your working in busy area you get dust, ady, dirt then you have to wash it all off. then wait until its bone dry again before you seal. I have noticed wash marks on the tiles after I sealed when the sun was shining over tiles Now I always seal if hallway or kitchen being tiled. Might be different in less busy area

[hillhead]

I seal travertine after grouting,seems to work better,the grout gets into the holes well.I work very clean too so this helps.

[enduro]

I was talking to a guy the other day he told me when they grout travertine they use a colured resin to fill the holes as it dosent get dirty so quick, but has to be polished afterwards too clean it up...Any one tried this?

[doug boardley]

seal up after grouting, never seal back or edges, but give the backs a skim over with adhesive as I' laying them

[wetdec]

I seal travertine after grouting,seems to work better,the grout gets into the holes well.I work very clean too so this helps.

This is the correct way................

I was talking to a guy the other day he told me when they grout travertine they use a colured resin to fill the holes as it dosent get dirty so quick, but has to be polished afterwards too clean it up...Any one tried this?

After travertine is cut from the block into slabs the surface is pourus much like the backs of the tiles you use. These surfaces are then filled either by rotating brushes or by hand, and are either filled with a resin based filler or cement based filler. Much of the commercial trav tiles have big holes in the back when you see and the resin is visible but from the front looks ok. Obviously the fillers are colour matched and in some cases you wont know whats tile and whats filler. A lot of tiles are high percentage filler nowadays.

The jury is out on which method is best its thought that they started using resins as the stone quality dropped and surfaces started popping which is still quite common.

When fillers are applied whether brushed or by hand everything is soaking from the saws so a good majority of the pores and smaller holes dont actually get filled because they are still full of water and the back pressure does not allow the fillers in. These holes remain empty through the honing process and are still there when it arrives on the job.

If you lay travertine correctly you will use a wall grout I find the Mapei ultra colours the best for this............why wall grout, its simple its fine enough to fill the holes left from the factory and seals the surface.

Seal tiles before grouting............me never it gets in the pores and the grout does not stick so after a time they will fill up with dirt..

Easy really


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