clemsonashley
03-21-2007, 11:05 AM
2 weeks ago I tiled over my existing 6ft by 10ft patio with slate tile.
Day 1- used pre-made Thinset to lay tile. -12hr drying time required
Day 2- sealed slate with stone enhancer & sealer 4-6 hr drying time required
Day 3-grouted -pre-made sandy grout - 48hrs drying time required
Day 5-sealed grout lines
Day 7-it rained.....the problem begins!!!!
So everything was looking great...until it rains. After a big rain, I go out to the patio(which is not covered) to see how the sealer has worked, and I notice that the grout is all puffy. It is very spongelike and looks like crap.
Day 8- i go to look again, and it still is puffy, spongelike, and and beginning to seperate from the slate tiles. Day 9, I am looking again at the tile, and notice that the thinset(I know it is the Thinset b/c it was white while the grout was a dark gray) is now leaking up throuh the sides at the grout line(very little, but is leaking none-the-less). But the slate tiles are stationary and not moving. I thought that once the thinset dries, that it is basically formed like concrete, and would not go back to a liquid???
So what is happening??? How do I fix this??? What is the problem? Did the grout sealer not work? Was there some time of chemical reaction?
A friend gave me the grout sealer and it seems to be some cheap brand..could that have caused the problem. The grout sealer did say it was safe to use on exteriors. it was not specifically for grout, but listed grout as one item.
Day 1- used pre-made Thinset to lay tile. -12hr drying time required
Day 2- sealed slate with stone enhancer & sealer 4-6 hr drying time required
Day 3-grouted -pre-made sandy grout - 48hrs drying time required
Day 5-sealed grout lines
Day 7-it rained.....the problem begins!!!!
So everything was looking great...until it rains. After a big rain, I go out to the patio(which is not covered) to see how the sealer has worked, and I notice that the grout is all puffy. It is very spongelike and looks like crap.
Day 8- i go to look again, and it still is puffy, spongelike, and and beginning to seperate from the slate tiles. Day 9, I am looking again at the tile, and notice that the thinset(I know it is the Thinset b/c it was white while the grout was a dark gray) is now leaking up throuh the sides at the grout line(very little, but is leaking none-the-less). But the slate tiles are stationary and not moving. I thought that once the thinset dries, that it is basically formed like concrete, and would not go back to a liquid???
So what is happening??? How do I fix this??? What is the problem? Did the grout sealer not work? Was there some time of chemical reaction?
A friend gave me the grout sealer and it seems to be some cheap brand..could that have caused the problem. The grout sealer did say it was safe to use on exteriors. it was not specifically for grout, but listed grout as one item.