Best way to seal marble + travertine shower

[AlexK]

Hi,

I am new to this forum - was recommended it on 3rd party threads while googling my question - which is this:

I'd like to properly seal the natural-stone in my newly self-installed shower.

The shower upper portion is a polished Violetta marble, and lower portion is antiqued travertine (tile and chair rail).

Priorities are longevity , low maintenance, and maintaining the intended appearance (glossy marble top, antiqueq non-wet-look travertine bottom). I'm willing to use different sealers on top and bottom if needed.

Based on my initial looking around, it sounds like I'd do well to use a non-water-based impregnating sealer. I am also wary of the many companies I see selling their stuff claiming it's the best in the business and no 3rd party online tests done on a comprehensive array of sealers and materials.

Therefore I would like a recommednation on this forum, on a specific high quality sealer and a source where I could get my hands on it as an individual, and that would work well for me and not need to be frequently reapplied.

Products I was considering:
marble-cleaning-products[dot]com/Marble-Sealer-SB/
aldonchem[dot]com/mt-limestone-marble-polished.htm
de fusco[dot]com/tiger-ager-liter-p-1438.html[/url]
de fusco[dot]com/tenax-impregnator-and-sealer-liter-p-1436.html

------------------
Polishing:

I also would like to buff/polish the marble to a high gloss. The factory finish is glossy, but the grout is not installed yet (what little is needed for the very narrow gaps), and I fear there may be some small unavoidable gaze or other damage to factory gloss. If I can make it glossier with something like

marblelife[dot]com/kit.htm
-or-
3m[dot]com/cms/US/en/2-176/kiurFFT/view.jhtml
de fusco[dot]com/wet-polishing-pad-white-buff-p-1925.html
... that's something I'd like to get your insight on. I have a 5" Makita adjustable speed random orbital sander w/velcro base - let me know if the above pads would not work with it.

Many thanks in advance for your advice and insight
Alex

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[Davestone]

The Tenax impregnator is a good sealer.Stay away from the ager,it's good, but it won't do much good on polished marble.If tha Violetta is what i think it is it looks like clouds.You can use the same sealer on both stones,and the ager on honed stone.The pores of stone need to be open to absorb an enhancing sealer for it to work properly.Even for an impregnating one,but some stone has different fissures, and substances that may absorb the sealer.I WOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO POLISH IT YOURSELF.It is a very difficult process.Don't worry about the grouting, just be careful and clean it well.You could add something later,but it takes a lot of experience to polish stone, and honestly that stone may not be the type that will achieve a mirror polish on it....unless you know what you're doing,even then it may not,the finish that's on it now may be the best it will get.

[AlexK]

Thanks Dave. Are there any other sealer alternatives that I should consider?

The shower walls are made of "wonderboard" cement board, attached to 2x4's with appropriate screws, then covered with two layers of RedGard coating (by Custom Home Products). The 12x12x3/8" tiles are installed with very thin spaces using Custom Home Products' Marble and Granite thinset.

I am hoping this is sound construction - however this shower (expected to be used 2-6 times a month) is in a basement and I wanted to choose the optimal sealing product to maximize stone protection and long-term appearance and minimize maintenance.

The Violetta marble is from stonetiledepot[dot]com - however their sample picture is not representative. It has background that varies from very light gray to yellow and pink, with thin but bold red and gray veining. We've made an effort to match up most of the veins across the tile so it looks fairly nice.

The marble does seem to take polishing well - to smooth edges and such, I've used my random orbital sander with finest automotive sandpaper I had, and it readily takes on a silky satin texture that's actually almost shiny - however I do not have the buffing pad to take it to the next level. I see some 5" diamond impregnated rubber disks and pads that are velcro-backed like my sanding disks - while I realize there are dedicated tools for the polishing I was wondering, for buffing up the polish on edges and select spots, if these disks would work on my random orbital sander (plus a hand sprayer bottle to wet things up from time to time)

Thanks

Alex

[Monicakm]

Davestone, in this thread you mentioned to the OP to stay away from Tenax AGER. You said it was good but wouldn't do much for the marble. Is it good for polished granite? This is the enhancing sealer my fabricator uses. I want my Baltic Brown granite enhanced and asked what sealer they use. The Giallo Ornamenal is NOT to be sealed. They use Tenax (3rd generation). The slabs are to be installed on Tues. If you think I need to ask for a different sealer (or wait and do it myself) I probably still have time. I used AquaMix Stone Enhancer on my kitchen counters.
Thanks,
Monica

[Dave U.K.]

over in the UK i use a product called LITHOFIN STAINSTOP have you guys got any thing similar to this product....thanks in advance......dave..

[GeorgeT]

Hi Alex -
You mentioned three things that when brought together can represent a lot of trouble that can be minimized or eliminated before it happens. Those three things are - "polished marble", "Low maintenance" and "shower". Looking for the best possible sealer is truly important (and some good ones have already been mentioned) but none of them prevent stuff from drying on the surface. Soap residue and mineral deposits are part of shower water evaporation and they can cause a beautiful polished stone to look bad quickly. You will need a squeegee to become part of your shower and a soft bristle brush to wash the stones with on a regular basis. A neutral pH cleaner will help remove soap residues and the use of the brush will help minimize mineral deposits.
While your shopping for sealers don't forget to consider the cleaners that go along with stone surface care.....
The shower is one of the harsher environments we put stone in and it can wear out surface finishes and expensive sealers faster than just about anywhere else. The lowest maintenance is accurate and thorough proper maintenance.