haisa marble staining

[restyler]

I just put this haisa Mable herringbone shower floor in over kerdi and sealed it with porous plus. In one one week it has developed a brownish stain near the drain(pic1). The stain seems to be inside the marbe not just on the surface. We are still getting the hang of drying the thing every time it is used, so a little water may have sat there on two occasions. From what I have read it is probably from iron in the water. I soaked the area in vinegar and it improved a lot(pic2). My plan is to reseal with porous plus and make sure it is dried consistently. If it reoccurs is there a better way to clean it or seal it. Also it seems to stay wet along the drain where the pitch flattened some from the kerdi overlap.

[Stone Dude]

stains from iron in the stone is essentially surface rust. It would be orange/brown in color. I don't see anything like that here.

What you have is simple water penetration. It could be from a number of reasons, but the most likely is that it was sealed enough.

Grout needs more sealer than the stone. So if the grout isn't sealed thoroughly, water will make it's way through the grout and into the rough, saw cut edges of the tile, where it is far more porous than on the face. Also, because these pieces of marble are so thin, it is easy to penetrate and saturate the whole piece, instead of just darkening the edges of the tile like you would see on full sized pieces.

I would recommend starting this way:

1. Clean the floor thoroughly and dry it.

2. Let it air dry as long as it needs and keep track of how long it takes. If it takes several days, so be it. Use another shower.

3. Seal it well, pay special attention to the grout. Do not apply an additional coat of sealer until the grout and stone have returned to their natural color. Pay attention to how long the grout stays wet when you seal. It should soak in less and less with each application. I would say the grout will need at least 3. Re-apply until the sealer just sits on the grout for a while.

4. After your last application of sealer, wait 24 hours, then apply one last application.

5. 24 hours after your previous application of sealer, you can use the shower.


This is all slightly overkill, but you have porous, very thin strips of marble. Take the time to it right and I think it will be okay. IF this does not work, you may possibly have issues elsewhere.

[doitright]

Hi Rick

I also can't see the brownish stain near the drain. Do you have any before & after closeups of the area you worked on?

Is this marble honed?

Please don't use vinegar to clean your marble. Alpha RSR 2000 can be applied, will turn purple if rust is present, and help remove any surface rust. It may or may not etch the stone.

If you are having an issue with your stone darkening, I totally agree with Cameron's advice. The only thing I can add is if you want to dry it out quicker, you can rent a commercial dehumidifier. You normally don't want it in your shower for more than 2-3 days for the initial drying of the grout and stone.