when best to seal travertine tiles

[Lucas 2]

Hello experts.....

Just like confirmation that it's O.K to seal travertine floor/wall tiles AFTER fixing?
Is it O.K to cut them with the wet-cutter with water in it....done this before and the water drips seem to stain a bit...can cut them without water in the we-cutter because tile so soft but u get a lot of dust!

Replies welcome...

Thanx

[Dave]

Never had water stain them if you clean excees crap off the surface...

I always seal after tiled and grouted...with travertine..

[Lucas 2]

Thanks for that....
I s'pose if a bit of water gets into the tiles when you cut them, not sealing them lets the water evaporate out again....then seal.

[Dave]

Exactly.the tiles need to be dry before you can seal...100% dry..

[gaz man]

i always seal them with stain stop before grouting and then reseal them with sealer when grout is completely cured

[wall2floortilin]

i have been fixing large format stone for many years now and have always fixed the tile before any sealer is applied, just be aware that if you use impregnator by hg it can leave a thicker film than if you use higher grade products like fila or ltp. ltp i find leave a natural finish and is a far better grade than hg. Happy tiling

[Lucas 2]

Thanks for that - maybe stain stop before grouting good idea - less risk grout staining the tile.
Ltp is a sealer make ?

[wall2floortilin]

yes ltp is a brand, because of the extreme potency of products such as impregnators and the like the first question should be ,does anyone in the house suffer from asthma or a bad chest as the scent can linger for several hrs and if applied late on in the day can linger through the night, as part of a risk assesment many years ago this was an issue, plenty of ventillation above and beyond the recommendations of the manufacturer is my advicde. happy tiling

[macten]

I would do as Dave suggests, there's no reason water should stain them unless the trav is filthy and you don't wipe them dry after cutting.]
I personally wouldn't use any kind of sealer prior to grouting as this will reduce the grouts ability to bond in the holes.
Only other advice is to also back butter the trav tiles prior to fixing the normal way.

[Lucas 2]

What about gaz man's advice to use some stain-stop around grout gaps to stop any staining from the grout ? OTT or worth it ?

[wall2floortilin]

just remember that certain prducts requiree buffing after 20mins before it is completely absorbed, between each coat .happy tiling and yes back buttering is a must!!!

[wall2floortilin]

if you are using grouts of similar colour you will NOT get (bleeding) it will only occur if using colurs that dont compliment trav, try granfix maxi lime stone, its the closest you will get, better match than mapei jasmine. happy tiling

[Dave]

Rarely will travertine picture frame with moisture.....

Just to add it is not always the grout colour that bleeds into a stone it is moisture from slower setting grouts seeping under the surface after sealing before grouting and preventing the moisture escaping.

[wall2floortilin]

Rarely will travertine picture frame with moisture.....

Just to add it is not always the grout colour that bleeds into a stone it is moisture from slower setting grouts seeping under the surface after sealing before grouting and preventing the moisture escaping.

so using polimer modified grouts such as maxi from granfix will prevent this from happening giving you a finish to be proud of. happy tiling

[Dave]

so using polimer modified grouts such as maxi from granfix will prevent this from happening giving you a finish to be proud of. happy tiling

I don't use granfix....you tell me..????????

Is it fast setting..

[wall2floortilin]

quicker than mapei, top grouts though they seem to have an urgent problem with there bucket adhesive, (multi fix) its to dry in the bucket, we are finding that its just not wet enough, we are having it tested, we have also switched to keraquick as there seems to be an issue with there marblfix also.think it needs taking back to formula. many adistions to original seems to be affecting the product.

[Lucas 2]

Love Ardex adhesives but talk about slower-setting grouts....don't use anymore too slow.
As Dave says if use a mapei and make sure all moisture out of tile before sealing shouldn't stain, eh? Mind you maybe the mapei jasmine not the best colour match...