Tile, Grout, Granite, Marble Sealer (new home, costs, installers)

brianwi · 03-19-2009, 06:20 PM

Hi,

We recently purchased a new home and have quite a bit of tile / grout we need to seal. We'd also like to get our marble and granite sealed by the same company. If you've done business with one and loved them, please let me know!!!

Also, if you've done it yourself, what products did you use?

Thanks!
Brian

RedRockAAAA · 03-20-2009, 03:37 PM

I did it myself in NC. The people at Home Depot guided me on products and instructions. It was a very simple project.

azdr0710 · 03-20-2009, 10:37 PM

can't advise on marble, but I used a product called Plaza sealant on my brick (and grouted) floor, as recommended by a tile guy I know....the brick is real brick material but much thinner (paver)...rustic, sort of....

extremely easy to do it myself....pour a bit in a bucket and dip a clean mop into it and spread it around....then do it again a couple more times after it dries....very shiny result, if that's what you want.....

may find it at a household chemical supply place....

jjameson922 · 10-26-2010, 08:42 AM

For the past week, I have been having new tile put down throughout my house. The tiler ran out of sealer and sent me to Home Depot or Lowe's to pick more up. He said it is ALL the same. Came in matte or high luster finish. Costs $10.99 a quart and he put it down by using a roller extension stick with a tiny thin roller.

SportyandMisty · 10-26-2010, 10:14 AM

Most certainly all products are NOT the same - unless the vendor puts two different labels on the same chemical formulation.

There are many chemical manufacturers who each offer product lines - and within each product line you'll find value products for the price conscious, premium products for those who want superior performance, products that are more DIY-friendly and products that focus on the pro-installer for whom labor is the highest cost of a bid and the product helps minimize labor hours required.

Try using Google & Bing to search for forums for pro installers & do a little reading & you 'll be a well educated consumer.

jjameson922 · 10-26-2010, 02:39 PM

I'll have to forward your post about not all tile sealers having the same ingredients to my tile pro. Here he has been doing this work for years and he thought Lowe's $10.99 sealer had the same ingredients as Home Depot's $10.99 sealer.

SportyandMisty · 10-26-2010, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjameson922

I'll have to forward your post about not all tile sealers having the same ingredients to my tile pro. Here he has been doing this work for years and he thought Lowe's $10.99 sealer had the same ingredients as Home Depot's $10.99 sealer.

It is certainly possible - but only if they are supplied by the same chemical vendor. My point was that there are many chemical vendors, each of whom create varying chemical compositions.

In general the stuff at Lowe's and Home Depot are both DIY-friendly products. I'm surprised a pro installer would make them his product of choice.

See for example http://www.miraclesealants.com/index.html among other websites you'll find using a search engine. They have a wide variety of products for sealing.

yellowsnow · 10-26-2010, 04:44 PM

This is an easy but time consuming DIY project.

First make sure your surface is clean and grit free. This is a project in itself. Then apply the sealer to a small area, maybe 3 to 5 sf. Let it mostly dry and then buff with a clean soft cloth. This will give you the best possible finish.

For small areas, I apply the sealer to the grout with an artist's paintbrush and then buff. This makes sure the sealer really gets into the grout.

If you have areas where the grout dried too much and left a film on the tile/stone, magic eraser works well for the final cleaning.