Best Sealer Survey

[TJoeC]

I spent a lot of time and effort looking for the best stone and grout sealer, and I thought I would pass that info along, and ask for comments from those on this board, since it gets a lot more traffic than the sealer forum.

Stone Tech Sealers & Cleaners (http://tileyourworld.com/catalog) help pay for this site. I've seen very few complaints, and the Bulletproof seems to be as good or better than everything else.... and the price is cheaper here than anywhere else I could find. BUt DIy'ers sometimes want instant gratification, and may not want to wait for shipment!

Surfacegard by Tile Labs (Not surface guard or surfaceguard) is at our local Home Depot $~95 gallon. It has DuPont Teflon and a 20 year written guarantee on the bottle, FWIW. Gets mixed reviews here:Surfacegard (http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=34303&highlight=surfacegard)


AquaMix Sealer's Choice gets rave reviews all over these forums, DonB's Sealer thread (http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=34763&highlight=ultraseal)

and seems to be the favorite premium long-term sealer, perhaps after Bulltproof.

Doing a search on AquaMix reveals pros have a very high opinion of the company's products, like Sealers Choice, which is water based, and the Prosolv and Ultrasolv lines, solvent based?

But Lowe's carries Aquamix's Ultraseal (not Ultra Seal) Penetrating ~$85/gallon. No clear warranty and several warnings on this website about the limited life (confirmed by the bottle instructions somewhat, which imply a lifetime warranty (but don't use the "w" word) only if you use their line of spray cleaners forever!)

The Aqua mix customer support folks were great, and directed me to my local Tile Shop, which sells Sealer's Choice Gold 15 rebranded as Superior Premium Gold (different labelled bottles for Granite, Marble, travertine, etc., but he said only difference might be the instructions) in grey quart bottles pricey at $45-$50.

Custom Building Products (CBP) has StoneSpecific which gets good reviews here but I couldn't find at the local Lowes, HD, or other tile shops.

Miracle 511 line gets great reviews here... 511 Impregnator, 511 H2O or 511 Porous Plus are mentioned on this board. Anyone know locations and prices?

Feel free to add your comments.... I don't claim to have done perfect research.

As for the thread, I hope it doesn't get kicked till folks have had a chance to give their input.

Frankly, i think there should be a sticky on the sealer board on this, but it may be the board don't wanna get those companies ire up!

BTW, I think pros and DIYers should both respond. If a pro has worked with something for many years and no complaints, that says something. On the other hand, most DIYers spend a lot more time actually living with the fruit of their labor. Not all customers would complain if they spilled grape juice and it stained... many would just assume it's their fault, not the guy who put in such purdy stones. (They might be afraid to let you know what they did to your work of art :D )

[Sponsored Links]

[macbillybob]

We use Miricle Sealants 511 Impregnator for granite. It is actually recommended by the granite supplier. (says it can be used for grout also) I will be using it on both my granite and grout in my new shower

I get it here

http://www.miraclesealants.com/

[Oldrem]

As I'm a bit away from grouting yet, I'm curious if anyone has used TEC's Grout Guard or Grout Guard Plus ? Yeahs or nays ??

[DonB]

But Lowe's carries Aquamix's Ultraseal (not Ultra Seal) Penetrating ~$85/gallon. No clear warranty and several warnings on this website about the limited life (confirmed by the bottle instructions somewhat, which imply a lifetime warranty (but don't use the "w" word) only if you use their line of spray cleaners forever!)

Lowe's and Aqua Mix will tell you this is the best thing since cold beer and hot you-know-what. Indeed, it does have some fine qualities but what they won't tell you is the stuff has a half-life shorter than refrigerated dairy products. Want to maintain sealer protection under your appliances? No problem, just move them out and wash that floor with UltraClean every week. To be fair, Aqua Mix will tell you this if you directly ask them the specific question. Lowe's doesn't have a clue. I hope if anyone is still interested in UltraSeal, they read my threads in the Sealing forum.


he Aqua mix customer support folks were great, and directed me to my local Tile Shop, which sells Sealer's Choice Gold 15 rebranded as Superior Premium Gold (different labelled bottles for Granite, Marble, travertine, etc., but he said only difference might be the instructions) in grey quart bottles pricey at $45-$50.


I'd be careful with that. Everything I've seen has the "15" dropped from the label but is still called Sealer's Choice Gold. It is in a gray bottle and marked "Professional".

PS for Joe: The low priced Sealer's Choice gallons are at a little discount store in Lower Alabama called Hood's.

Don

[TJoeC]

Any other thoughts on premium stone sealers?

[Davy]

Sealer's Choice is also made in Solvent based. I like it much better than water based, just harder to find.

I like the bulletproof but it seems to leave a white residue on darker grout.

I use alot of Miracle these days, both Enhancer and Porus Plus. About 200 bucks a gallon at Walker Zanger, Dallas. :)

[TJoeC]

Been here long enough? Time to slide it over to the sealer forum??

[Andrew21]

If StoneTech is an excellent sealer for grout, i'm all for it.. ordering it soon then..

any comments on this product?

[claycarson]

Only issue we've had with solvent based sealers like Miracle is the difficulty in application. They evaporate much faster than water based products and are a pain if you allow sealer to dry on surface of tile. But we have anecdotal evidence from clients and the eyeballs of yours truly that the product does work.

Never had a problem with Custom Stonegard. Have had one customer complain that the smell lingered for too long.

Anyone have any experience with Dry Treat? Lemme know!

[TJoeC]

Moderator! This thread can be moved over to where it belongs now.
Thanks!

[TJoeC]

Contrary to the title, I think this can be moved to the sealer forum now.

Is there a moderator in the house? :stick:

[John Bridge]

Do I qualify as a moderator? :)

I think the thread is fine right here. :)

Most of the products mentioned are good if directions are followed. We are a Custom advertiser, but I know Tile Lab products don't recieve high reviews. They are cheaper than the others, so that should tell you something. ;)

I've recommended Aquamix for years. Most of their products are excellent. Like everyone else, they make some not so excellent, cheaper, products for penny pinchers. You get what you pay for in sealers.

Pros are used to seeing Stone Tech and Aquamix products side-by-side on the shelf when they enter a tile wholesale house. Stone Tech is without doubt a good brand.

Miracle is another good outfit. No question.

Basically, decide what you need the product to do, and then choose the product that does it best. Don't skimp on cost. Good sealers are expensive. It's even worse than buying a gallon of gas. :D

[bmwpower]

Anyone have more info on Dry Treat's Stain Proof sealer?

http://www.drytreat.com/p_sp.html

[bmwpower]

Maybe a sealer "shootout" would be best? All of the testimonials from people can be subjective. Setup a test plan and test all of the sealers under the same conditions, same tile, same grout, etc. Then put some test stains on the tile/grout to see how they perform.

[ChadCapeland]

Such a test would require several different types of tiles and grouts. A good sealer for limestone might not be so good for saltillo tiles and such.

Also, there's differences in ease of use and costs. A sealer that costs 2x as much but only requires half the coats would be the same price and would save time.

I just used Miracle 511 Porous Plus on my master bath. Horribly expensive and worth every penny.

- Chad

[jlohrenz]

HD here has the Miracle brand, but it is missing the '511'. Anyone use their 'Enhancer and Sealer'. It goes for a pretty penny ($159/gal). Planning on using this on our travertine shower and tub surrounds.

[Hector Macias]

We have a solvent based sealer made specifically for Saltillo made for us by an architecural coatings company here in Texas. It comes so concentrated that it has to be thinned almost 50% so it goes a long way. We use it on all our our installations and outbound Saltillo orders unless a customer specifies otherwise. Tough as nails and lasts outdoors.

[dcaiazza]

Has anyone else gotten 'gassed' out from using this stuff? I had the vent fan on, the windows open in all the rooms in the basement where the bathroom is located while I was sealing the travertine in our 60 x 32 shower. I literally had to run outside for air because I felt my mouth was going numb and I was putting it on very sparingly. :sick:
I'm not sure I want to subject m,y lungs to that again after I grout. Any suggestions on what to use instead?

[Davy]

Hi Dee, I use that sealer all the time but I also keep a fan in my truck. Open the windows and get a fan or two going. Not sure where I got this twitch. :twitch:

[dcaiazza]

Yeah and I see that your words jump every once in a while also :loaded: . I tried the HD sells [green bottle yellow writing...guess that sealer killed more brain cells than I thought because I just blanked on the name.] on some quarry tile and couldn't smell a thing. Even last night when I was doing some additional work in that shower, I could catch a faint whiff of that odor and my smeller doesn't work none too good in the first place.

So...here's the question, can I use a different sealer when it comes time to put another coat on the tile or am I destined to loose more brain cells even with a fan in place?

[blitzpb]

Will the miracle stuff work on tumbled marble as well as granite tile? I am doing my kitchen this weekend and the sealer is one of the last pick up items for me.

As far as odors go, I was painting a small bathroom with the door closed (I was painting behind the door) I was using Kilz primer and the smell was strong at first and then I didnt notice it at all. My wife walked in and nearly passed out. I guess it was worse than I thought it was.

[dcaiazza]

It says it is for all stones but I would test it on a piece before I got into it. Maybe the tiling gurus can give you more advice...I'm just a rookie.
evryone says it is good stuff and it sure did make the tiles look pretty...guess I'll just don the gas mask to seal it again.

[Trask]

I believe there are a number of great sealers out there..most have been mentioned here..but like thinset and other products and tools we use regularly they are becoming more specialized and specific.

I like Enhancer pro solvent based(Stone Tech) for most honed, tumbled, or thermal finished stones I want to enhance. I like 511 porus plus(Miracle) in other areas..Like on thermal finished bluestone and rough clefted quartzites. Or on some limestones that enhancers would otherwise turn sticky(lagos blue :o )We've been using Tenax Ager in the shop a great deal to help blend lighter lots of limestone and soapstone mouldings into "one" more uniform color. I like solvent impregnators for most grout sealing and find that aside from Stone Tech's "wetter than water" technology they are far easier to work with than water based.The white haze can be "re-activated" with solvent based sealers and easily fixed...water based on the other hand requires more attention in my opinion. Still I believe water based is the direction we're headed...cant' get around the paternalistic powers that be for much longer and soon they will take all the good and fun chemicals away from us children :D

[akram]

I used a Dupont product from Lowes to seal my grout, their Advanced Stone and Tile Sealer ($30/qt.), and am less than satisfied with the results. When it dried it left a whiteish residue in the grout pors, this was especially noticeable on my brown grout. I followed the instructions but would not recomend it.

[Mike2]

Most likely you did not wipe the tiles completely dry after allowing the sealer to dwell on the surface for 10 minutes or so. If any remains in liquid form, it will dry out cloudy. That's true with nearly all brands, good and bad.

Try reapplying the sealer and wiping that off after 5 minutes. Maybe you can re-emulsify what remained from the first coat and remove the haze.

[Davy]

Like I mentioned in post 6, I've had problems with Bulletproof leaving a white residue on haystack and darker colored grouts. It says to let soak for 20-30 minutes yet do not let it dry on the surface. I never let it soak that long yet the white residue shows up. I stay away from the Bulletproof because of this. :)

[akram]

If re-emulsifying doesn't work is there a product I can use to remove the sealer?

[smschulz]

I have used Aqua Mix Sealers Choice Gold and it seals well but leaves no enhancement. I switched to Aqua Mix's Enrich 'n Seal enhancer/sealer and it works and looks wonderful. I have used it on tumbled stone and travertine.

[akram]

Trying to re-imulsify with the sealer and scrubbing it with a toothbrush only make a very slight difference in my test spot but not good enough to make me want to scrub the whole thing. Do you think any of the tile/grout cleaners will work to re-imulsify the sealer? They have the acidic ones which I'm guessing would be too harsh and then the grout haze removers that seem like they would be too mild although ready the directions it says to mix it like 10:1, maybe I could mix it stonger and it would work? Any opinions?

[Davestone]

Check with the sealer to see what will remove it,we have no idea what you're using. :bow:

[akram]

I used Duponts waterbased advanced tile and stone sealer.