Limestone tiles....is this really necessary?

[organic_donna]

Hi everyone,
I am getting ready to install honed dark grey limestone 12x12's in the bathroom. I will be using either Stonetech enhancer pro or impregnator pro to seal/enhance the tiles. I spoke to stonetech's technical dept. and this is what they told me.

1. The limestone must be completely dry before sealing/enhancing, I must wait at least 3 days. This step is to prevent haze from forming.
2. After the sealer goes on I must wait another 3 days for that to dry.
3. After that step I grout and the grout manufacturer, Mapei says to wait 21 days to seal the grout!

One more question, I use white modified thinset correct. And it has to be spread evenly across the back to avoid splotches.

My contractor has done 3 limestone bathrooms and he said he didn't wait for all these steps.

Donna

[Brian in San Diego]

Donna,

Don't know exactly what the people at StoneTech were referring to when they talked about waiting for three days after application of the sealer. I do know you do NOT want to put the sealer on and let it dry. I think the bottle states apply the sealer and let it stand for 15 minutes and then you are supposed to wipe it dry. Leaving the sealer on the tile leads to milky areas and blotching. When I sealed my travertine with Enhancer Pro,I think I waited a day or so to let it dry prior to grouting. I believe the grout part. Grout is a cementious based product and they want it to be completely cured prior to applying sealer. Unfortunately, there are many contractors/DIYers who might say "I always do it this way." but haven't done it right once. I was the same way when it came to mixing thinset. I never measured product, but after attending the Schluter class in S.C. I'm changing my ways. If the limestone has not been set, you could seal them prior to setting and let them stand the 3 days to let them dry prior to installation, then they could be grouted as soon as the thinset sets up (usually 24 hrs.).

Brian

[organic_donna]

I can't pre seal because I don't have the space to lay out the tile. I am going to have my contractor install the limestone and wait until I know for sure that it's dry. Then I'll seal it myself. How long do I have to wait for the sealer to dry before grouting? I was told about 3 days. This project is in Chicago in Oct. so heat and humidity won't be a problem.

My limestone is going up the entire wall. After grouting if I have to wait 21 days to seal the limestone I won't be able to install my vanity because there is limestone behind it. I guess I could just not seal the part that's behind the vanity.

Using the shower is not a problem, but I will have to take a bath sometime. This is my one and only bathroom.

Donna

[Scottish Tile and Stone]

Just install them, seal them, (probably a few coats), grout, clean up, and seal again..

[Davestone]

I will say this, some limestones contain iron oxide and tend to darken when moisture is present, and won't relighten to their original shade, also some limestone, mostly lighter ones will absorb darn near anything and even dirty tile hands can stain them,leading to tricky cleaning or even rehoning,so i generally preseal a lighter softer limestone when installing them in wet areas,it tends to keep it from absorbing stains and moisture.

[cx]

Welcome, Donna.

I'll move this to the Cleaning & Sealing forum where it may get more response.

It really should be combined with your original thread on the same subject so people can see what's already been asked and answered, but we'll leave it here for a while.