Sealing limestone, marble, granite in shower

Hi Maurizio, I just finished my new bathroom with a shower/steam bath after about a year of planning and construction. The floor of the shower/steam bath is natural stone pebbles (little rocks that come in a box and affixed to mats); steam bath bench is granite; shower door jams in marble; and the walls are all natural limestone travertine honed tiles. The rest of the main area of the bathroom is the same natural limestone honed travertine tiles and a vanity with a natural onyx countertop. Do you have any recommendations what type of sealer and cleaner I should be using for this shower/steam bath room application? I have read that only natural sealers/cleaners are recommended. Thanks!

 

Dear Kevin:

 

“ I have read that only natural sealers/cleaners are recommended. ”

 

Natural sealers and cleaners, huh… Well, it's true: even crude oil, coal and plutonium are natural, are they not?! :-)

But from there to define as “natural” (whatever that means) an impregnator (a.k.a. sealer) which is based exclusively on synthetic resins, is a little bit of a stretch in my book. And then, what difference does it make?

Heart-warming semantics aside, I don't see any need to apply any impregnator to any of your stones, unless the granite or “granite” you installed is very porous. Marble and Onyx don't absorb anything (including the impregnator), and hone-finished travertine absorbs very little. But then again, are you going to rub wet coffee ground or cooking oil to your travertine in your bathroom to be motivated to apply an impregnator into it? So, unless you have well-water rich in iron mineral and unless your “granite” is very absorbent, skip the sealing thing altogether. After all, it's never a good idea to seal stones installed in a wet environment.

That said, and assuming that the installations were done properly, what is left is the routine care. That is important – not the sealing!

By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:   http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/helpful_hints.htm , you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at:   http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm .  

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

Will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?    

By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

www.marblecleaning.org – The only Consumers' Portal to the Stone Industry Establishment!