tumbled travertine backsplash

I'm in the process of installing a kitchen backsplash. In trying to find the proper way to seal this stone I found your site,but now I'm confused about whether I should seal or not and how to seal a vertical surface,and whether to seal before grouting and which sealer to use. Also are your products available in the north georgia area or only over the internet. thanks for any help, deborah

 

Dear Deborah:

For better results, the tumbled travertine tiles should have the holes filled with sand-less latex-modified grout mixed with latex instead of water. This is in consideration of important sanitary issues that could arise if you leave those holes opened. I would fill all tiles individually, making sure to remove all residue grout from the surface of the stone before it has chance to cure. After a couple of day of curing, you will apply a good-quality stone impregnator color enhancer like MB-6 to the still loose tiles laying on a flat surface. Try not to seal the edges of the tiles where the grout will go in to allow for proper bonding. Make also sure to follow the directions printed on the bottle that say to remove every residue of the product from the surface of the stone before it has a chance to dry. In fact, due to the fact that tumbled travertine is not very absorbent, the best way to apply it is to brush some product on with a brush, and then immediately start rubbing and rubbing it on the stone with a clean white rag until every bit of the product is gone from its surface. You may have to discard the rag every few tiles. One application should do. Let it cure for a couple of days and then install, and, after yet another couple of days, grout making sure that the grout is well cleaned off from the surface of the tiles. A week or so later, seal the grout still with MB-6 and your ready to go!

 

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Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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