after installation of backsplash slate tiles

Hi! I just installed a tumbled slate kitchen backsplash using 2" multi colored tiles. now im all confused on what to do next. some of the tiles are quite light and the grout i want to use is quite dark. do i first seal to protect from staining, then apply some sort of grout release to help in the wipe off? then a coat or two of some sort of seal over the grout and the tile?? I hate to ruin a nice job by not doing the grout right...my wife would not be happy..... thanks much!! Rod

 

Dear Rod:

Sealed or not, it is always a huge risk using grout darker than the stone. The type of dies they use to color grout is pretty nasty and penetrating stuff, and, as you should know, no impregnating sealer for stone will ever deliver you 100% sealing performance. All you can expect is ample reaction time to pick up possibly staining spills, which in the case of grout is a principle that does not apply.

That said, if your grout gaps are not too wide and irregular, I would think of using colored silicone caulk as grouting material. If everything will work out fine, you should not have any discoloration problem, nor will you ever need to use a grout-release product and to seal the grout afterwards.

How could you possibly find out if everything will work out fine?

Quite simply, test! Use a few spare tiles and make a little mockup by setting them on a piece of plywood or something.

 

Now remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! 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.

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Ciao and good luck,

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