Do marble tiles need treatment?

Limey

I here people saying that marble tiles need to be treated but a tiler I know said they don't, the tiles I have are white but I don't want them to decay in a couple of years, anyone any suggestions?

10-10-20

I used Fila MP/90 on mine.

http://www.filachim.com/page.jsp?idl=2&id=572

It works well and is easy to apply. The tiles are matt, and this sinks straight into them, no sheen.
It's expensive (€70) but I covered 19m2 in 2/3's of a 1lt tin.

Limey

Thanks for the info. It isn't the biggest area to be covered so maybe I can get a smaller container cheaper in B&Q or Homebase.

Anyone come across anything else they'd recommend?

suedestone

I import and retail marble and all natural stone tiles.

All natural stone & porcelain tiles need to be sealed immediately after fitting. Any specialist stone sealer will do, but they will only last approx 12months and you will need to re-seal.

ProtectGuard FT is guaranteed to seal your tiles for 10 YEARS!!! And its only 55euros per litre although will only cover approx 10sq metres.

Also, don't use any harsh chemicals when washing your natural stone tiles, only use it if it says its suitable for natural stone. Many professional cleaning suppliers stock stone shampoo now.

Stick to these two rules and you shouldn't have any problems.

rungmc

three steps;

1 CLEAN YOUR MARBLE!! You are about to seal it, any dirt trapped under the sealer is there to stay!

2 Now seal it; Fila mp90 mentioned above is a good product. remember to seal it LIGHTLY. Some people think that they are doing a good job by slapping on loads of sealer; it will look sloppy!

3 you can leave it at that, but a coat of liquid wax will add a lustre to your marble. Of all the products, this is the only one that will wear through time (we're talikng YEARS) and can be re-lustred by simply wash9ng your marble with a drop of liquid wax in warm water.

And as was mentioned abopve, the cleaning products you use are critical! A very, VERY mild detergent, no flash, cif, cillit bang, bleach etc!!

Nothingcompares

I had a similar discussion with a guy and he said you should seal each Slate tile as you lay it. Obviously it must be spotless. Rather than sealing them all at the end. Might be different for marble.

10-10-20

Sealing before you grout is aften recommended, but due to time constraints, my tiler sealed afterwards.
If you seal the tile first, you must then reseal the grout after.

builditwell

The tiler that gave you the advice as to not treating marble when laying is obviously not a tiler. The products mentioned MP90 is an excellent product for sealing stone (in particular marble) and should be done as follows,

1) The product layed should have the adhesive colour matched for a start (EG: You do not use a grey rapid set for crema marfil tiles)
2) once the floor is completed it is washed down in a mild detergent (should be shop recommended) with semi dry mop or cloth. This removes any residue from laying and cutting of tiles.
3)when the floor is dry a coat of sealant is applied not too thickly as to cause puddles on it in the same direction across the floor
4)when this is then dry a second coat is then applied in the opposite direction to ensure good coverage. there is no problem in applying addioional coats particularly if the tiles are soaking in the product very quickly.
5)once the sealer is dry the floor should then be grouted and allowed to dry with the residue cleaned off and mopped lightly where required. It is then a good idea to reseal the floor again to provide the grout with stain resitance.
6) finally as RungMC suggested a coat of liquid wax to add lustre to floor finish and this can be reapplied as you feel the need but bear in mind it must be thoroughly cleaned before applying wax or sealant.

Sounds like a lot of work but its not and will give you a beautiful stone floor

Regards
Builditwell

llandai

Sorry for reviving such an old thread but I'm looking for some Fila MP 90, I know they have it in BTW in sandyford but they only have 1l containers which costs 75 euro and covers about 50m2. I'm looking for a 250ml container as I only need to seal about 4m2. Anyone any idea where I might be able to get the 250ml container? Cheers.

Joey the lips

llandai wrote: »

Sorry for reviving such an old thread but I'm looking for some Fila MP 90, I know they have it in BTW in sandyford but they only have 1l containers which costs 75 euro and covers about 50m2. I'm looking for a 250ml container as I only need to seal about 4m2. Anyone any idea where I might be able to get the 250ml container? Cheers.

The smallest you can buy is 500ml i thought. I know where it can be got on the northside but not south.

llandai

Northside would do Joey, I'm back and forward across the city all the time. I know on Fila's website they do 250ml and even shelling out for 500ml is better than 1l. Cheers.