DIYer, marble questions for small bathroom

[SSK]

Back after a week off for Easter Break.
I went ahead and picked sanded grout (Custom Polyblend in snow white) for the shower. About 50% made it to the wall and 50% fell to the floor. So having a good poly drop cloth was important. Not sure how you keep it from falling off the wall. But everything went well and no scratching on the marble border.
Now I wished I would have picked sanded for the marble mosaic floor. I went with unsanded (custom Polyblend platinum). I think I could have gone a shade darker. I was not real happy with how it turned out. Either bad technique or that is what you get with unsanded. I mixed it stiff and tried to be very frugle on my sponging. Wrung it dry. However, it ended up what I thought was washed out. From far away it looks ok, but up close does not look smooth and I would have liked it not as deep.
I went ahead and choose Aqua Mix solvent based sealer before grouting. Not sure if it made any difference because I did not use it on the shower marble border and had no issues. But an extra security blanket.
The floors looked fine with no haze

I was not happy with the grouting, but assumed Mrs Pete would not even notice. But Mrs Pete said "hey these are not filled in all the way. That is going to make it hard to clean." Now Mr. Pete is a smart man and has been married long enough not to question this. He knows that Mrs Pete has cleaned very few bathrooms in this long marriage, because the nice lady from El Salvador who come every other Wednesday and gets her check does that. So he instead smartly said, that he would find out if you can go over the existing grout with another layer. It has been 2 days, and I am pretty sure it cannot be done, but I figured I would ask to appease Mrs. Pete.
Here is a close up

1. Could I skim another layer of grout at this time? I figure no, but had to ask
2. Is this bad technique on my part or is this normal shrinkage from unsanded? The shower marble border came out looking better in my opinion.

Thanks again for all the help.

[Davy]

It's usually not a good idea unless the joints are about half way down. You might have rushed it a little with the washing. That type marble will usually set up the grout nicely and firm up. On that type marble, I mix it real stiff and force it in well.

[SSK]

First of all I want to thank you for all the help on my bathroom. I finished it in the Spring, but never came back with final update and thank you. I caulked around the tub to tile tranistion using a Laticrete Premium Tub and Tile Sanded Caulk. The transition is about 1/8 inch and does not exceed 1/4 inch. The caulk dried for about three weeks before I started to use the shower. The shower is not in heavy used only once a day. Over time the caulk has basically oozed out of the joint. This has happened slowly over time. It as if the water softens it up and then stiffens up when it dries. I am guessing that this was a defective tube because noone would ever by this product. Or is this stuff just crap and not meant for wet areas as advertised?

The image in the upper left shows what it looked like after install. The photo is a little misleading it looks like there is a bright white line, that is just light. But if you see where the tile meets the tub you can see a clean caulk line that matches the grout. The next two images show how it is "oozing". Again it is a little misleading. It looks dark, but the color has not changed it still matches. Also what looks like brown specks are actually dimples in the caulk. Final image is the caulk.

Any thoughts? I cannot imagine anyone would buy this product if this is normal.

[SSK]

Here are some finished photos of my small bathroom. Floor is carrerra marble and tub is 4x6 subway tiles with a marble border. I repainted the vanity and put in a marble sink. Thanks again.

[cx]

I sure wish manufacturers wouldn't indicate those siliconized latex caulks for use in wet areas, Pete, but lots of'em do. And Laticrete has 100 percent silicone caulks available, I do believe, which would be far more practical for your application.

I'll see if we can get a Laticrete comment here.

[Sharon @ LATICRETE]

I finished it in the Spring, but never came back with final update and thank you. I caulked around the tub to tile tranistion using a Laticrete Premium Tub and Tile Sanded Caulk. The transition is about 1/8 inch and does not exceed 1/4 inch. The caulk dried for about three weeks before I started to use the shower. The shower is not in heavy used only once a day. Over time the caulk has basically oozed out of the joint. This has happened slowly over time. It as if the water softens it up and then stiffens up when it dries. I am guessing that this was a defective tube because noone would ever by this product. Or is this stuff just crap and not meant for wet areas as advertised?

The image in the upper left shows what it looked like after install. The photo is a little misleading it looks like there is a bright white line, that is just light. But if you see where the tile meets the tub you can see a clean caulk line that matches the grout. The next two images show how it is "oozing". Again it is a little misleading. It looks dark, but the color has not changed it still matches. Also what looks like brown specks are actually dimples in the caulk. Final image is the caulk.

Hi Pete,
Thank you for posting the information and pictures about your installation and we are sorry that you are having issues with the installation of LATICRETE Premium Tub and Tile Sanded Caulk. Please note that this is not a common occurrence and LATICRETE has 100% confidence in all of the products which we provide. Can you please give LATICRETE Technical Services a call to discuss the situation and to see how we can be of assistance in helping you to correct the issue? You can call us at 1.800.243.4788 x2 and then press 2 again, and one of our Technical Service Representatives will answer the phone and provide assistance. LAICRETE Technical Services is available from 8:00am – 5:00pm (ET) every weekday.

[SSK]

Thanks Sharon. I will give them a call. My assumption was this is not normal and more likely something such as a bad batch, exposed to temperature extremes in shipping, or excessive time on shelf. If this was normal then the product would not be viable for its suggested use. I would be satisfied if they just sent me a tube of the pure silicon product.

[Kman]

A good number of years ago, I had the same issue with a different brand of the same type of caulk in a shower. I've found it's not best to use them in that application. I still use them, just not inside a shower.

[cx]

Do tell us the outcome, Pete, so your thread can be informative to other visitors for years to come, eh?

[SSK]

I apologize for taking so long to get back because I really wanted to thank the people from Laticrete for great customer service. I have just been so busy doing a complete home renovation. They contacted me immediately to discuss my issue and had a replacement (100% silicon) shipped to me. Everything worked out great.

[Sharon @ LATICRETE]

I apologize for taking so long to get back because I really wanted to thank the people from Laticrete for great customer service. I have just been so busy doing a complete home renovation. They contacted me immediately to discuss my issue and had a replacement (100% silicon) shipped to me. Everything worked out great.

Pete - glad to hear it! Good luck with the rest of your project!