sealing "unknown" tile

[catatonya]

Hi,

I am so happy to have found this site! I am buying a home that has recently been remodeled and tiled. My realtor said that she's afraid that after installing the tile she doesn't think they came back and sealed it because the grout feels rough. I've been googling lots of product sites and I'm glad to have found a site with 'real people'!!

I've been reading posts and learned a little about tile in a short period of time. lol. I guess the first problem is that I don't know what kind of tile I have, what kind of grout, and whether or not it has already been sealed.

The kitchen countertops and walls have been tiled (I think) with ceramic glazed tiles. Either the tiles are all supposed to be squares and there's a mix of shapes due to fitting in the tiles, or there's a pattern of different shapes. The tile is a sandy/beige color and feels smooth/slick to the touch. The bathroom countertops have been tiled with the same material, and the bathroom floors have been tiled with the same material, just larger tiles.

The grout is white and feels rough to the touch. That means it's a sanded grout?

I've read on the forum that glazed tiles do not need sealing and that grout does. However I read (on a product site before finding this one) that you should "always use the same sealing product and not apply one brand on top of another."

I don't know if the grout has been sealed at all, and I certainly don't know what brand it was sealed with.

Should I go ahead and re-seal the grout? If I do, should I seal the countertops and floor the same way? I read on an armstrong site that I should put a layer of sealant of some kind across the entire floor including the tiles.... Should I pay a professional to come and look at the tile and tell me if it needs to be sealed?

I'm trying to attach a picture.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

tonya

[Sponsored Links]

[doitright]

Hi Tonya, Welcome! :)

First order of business, drip some water on the grout joints. If it beads up, you're good to go. If not, drop us a note.

[catatonya]

Thank you!

I will do that tomorrow. Today I visited the house with the realtor and realized it's not that 'slick'.... The realtor said he thought it was some sort of 'tumbled marble'?

I am going to try to find out from the homeowner who did the job and what it is for sure.

I will post back when I have some more info.

Thank you again!
t

[cx]

I've been googling lots of product sites and I'm glad to have found a site with 'real people'!! She talkin' about you, Koessler? :D

[doitright]

:rofl:

If they only knew! :yeah:

[catatonya]

Hi,

Me again, talking to a 'real person' or anyone else who might have any advice to offer!

I put some water on the countertop and the water soaked into the tile and the grout both.

I also am 99.9% sure that the tile is a 'tumbled marble' type tile.

I rummaged in the basement and found a bag of grout. The bag said "polyblend sanded grout".

Lowe's said to seal the entire surface of the countertops.

I found a box of floor tile from the bathroom floors. It is a glazed ceramic floor tile called 'sandy ridge american olean'.

Lowe's said seal grout only on the floors.

They had the aqua??? type sealant I've seen mentioned on the forum as 'good' as well as a couple of others.

Does it sound like I would be doing the right thing to buy that sealant and go by what I was told by Lowe's.

Do we just put 1 coat of the sealant?

Thanks once again!

tonya

[Davestone]

Glazed ceramic wouldn't have soaked in, and they wouldn't have made that radius with it...it looks like tumbled to me.DON"T TAKE ADVICE FROM LOWES...sorry to be blunt.Is the backsplash the same material,or a close ceramic lookalike? I can't tell,but the tumbled should be sealed by sponging the sealer on in coats just enough to suck in and not puddle.Let dry and recoat until sealer isn't soaked in anymore.I definitely WOULD seal the countertop..i can't imagine why lowes would tell you not to seal it. :bow: :)

[catatonya]

Thank you!

The countertops are what are unglazed tumbled marble (I think). That's where I tested the water.

The floors are glazed and I didn't test the water on them. I found the box of the tiles and went by that.

Lowe's said to seal everything on the counters and grout only on the floors.

With that clarification does it sound right?

They also said to only use one coat, but what you said about applying until it doesn't soak in any longer makes a lot more sense! I don't know that one coat is going to do that.

Thank you!
tonya

[catatonya]

Another thing. I just 'assumed' the backsplash was the same. But to give you an idea of how much I know I also thought the countertops and floors were the same.

I'll examine it more closely today to be sure the backsplash is the same as the countertop.

Thanks again!
t

[Rd Tile]

If you are talking about Aquamix Gold 15, it will work fine, I use it all the time on tumbled stone, I place it in a spray bottle for the stone, give it all a good spraying, wait 5 minutes, then with a paper towel, wipe them off and dry what didn't get absorbed, then wait 30 minutes and do this again with a 2nd coat, after the 2nd coat, wait 2 to hrs., then drop some water on the stone, if it beads up, your fine.:)

For just the grout on the floors, pour the sealer in an applicator bottle made for this, it either has a small wheel or brush on the tip of the bottle, wipe off any excess sealer on the tile as you go, sealing the grout only.:)

[claycarson]

Tumbled marble can be a beautiful stone, but it is can also be 'thirsty' for sealer. RD mentioned multiple coats - go with that advice. Multiple coats are much better than a single coat. Just plain works better.

And don't kill yourself worrying about sealer getting on the surface of the tile - just wipe it off before it dries. It won't hurt the tile.

Before you begin, set aside a big pile of soft absorbent cotton towels/cloths to wipe with. You'll need them.

Also, if you have marble on countertops, understand that sealer will NOT protect them from acid. You hafta not spill acid on them. Tomato juice, vinegar, salad dressing, Coca Cola, orange juice and such are all acidic.

Aqua Mix is good sealer.

[catatonya]

Thanks for all the tips!

We're going to seal the tile tomorrow. I have everything I need except the grout dispenser type bottle. (Lowe's was out, and told me just to use a paintbrush.) I think it will be easier to just go by Home Depot and pick up the applicator bottle.

I'm going to need it because I decided today to tile most of the rest of the house. lol. So I should have bought that 'commercial' size bottle of sealer.

Thanks again!

tonya (soon to be sealer queen!) <--- Ha! Only if I can't coerce someone else into doing it.

[Davestone]

I agree with the others...and yes on ceramic you'll just seal the joints, and not let it puddle. :)