Hi, found a diy message board and followed to your site. I live in Australia and I need installation and maintenance advice desperately. aw shoot! tile seller never mentioned poor choice for shower stall and behind the SINKS directly (about 12 inch by 6 inch size). Builder will be installing in our new home, we are now contracted to use our tile choices. shiny white builders choice ceramic on walls and shower, with trim(in what looks like multi stone ) travertine mosaic decorative vertical strip in shower (about 6 inch wide x full height of shower)on adjoing wall where the shower head is positioned. My own post purchase reflection thoughts were, how were we to maintain it all - all those tiny holes? (a bit late i know but builders pre-start meeetings go fast!). anyhow, question is - Do we fill holes? how will they look when filled as aposed to the look i fell in love with, what product? do we also seal the flat surface - or the holes with a product and what maintenance if we fill holes - do we seal or fill before we use the shower (like before we move in) or can we use it and wait a bit? and what do we clean it with on a daily and periodic basis. I have seen your products but the big BUT, is I live in australia and need to source pro or quality products and don't know who or what to ask for especially in the tile 'sealing and possibly hole filling' area of finding a good professional. (I don't think we can import without a license) its not large areas we a dealing with. I have a few photos of the mosaic tile being used taken at the tile shop. they are mosaic mounted on mesh. Installation question. what method of mounting the tiles is preferred, grout behind the mesh or should they be stripped off the mesh and or grout only between the mini tiles or can grout go behind the mesh and inbetween as normal tiling. this is a regular tiler by the builder remember. any tips i can leave for the tiler when he is due. So hope you can alay some fears. Desperately worried, Lorraine. and thank you so much in advance for your attention and time to give us practical advice and knowledge. :-)

 

Dear Lorraine:

First off, MB products are available in the land Down Under.

That said and coming to your query, the holes in the travertine tiles must be filled. It is not an option.

However, if you like the look of the holes, you can fill them (very patiently) with clear silicone. (See if clear latex-based silicone is available in Australia. It would be easier to handle and to clean off. If not, use the regular oil-based one.) As for the sealing, a filler like silicone does not certainly need any sealing. And neither does your stone. Besides, it's never a good idea to seal stone in a wet environment.

As for the best method of installation, our associate in Australia, Reg Pinto is much more qualified than I am. Not only was he an excellent tiler before he switched to stone restoration, but he's also fully familiar with the setting materials available in Australia. You can contact he at: thestonedoctor@uptusnet.com.au He will be only glad to assist you.

Finally, about the all essential routine maintenance, 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!

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Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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