Technical White Paper
SIX-SIDED SEALING
Protecting Tile
and Stone with
Six-Sided Sealing
By Steve Taylor
Director of Architecture
and Technical Marketing,
Custom Building Products
Prevent Moisture Migration Prior to Installation
Many porous tiles are sensitive to moisture, including natural stone
such as marble or limestone, cement agglomerate (terrazzo) and
synthetic agglomerate (resin terrazzo) tiles. Even the water in the
mortar used to install such porous tile can stain or warp it after
installation. Moisture entering the tile can enlarge minerals and
resins in the tile body, causing the tile to warp and curl. This water
can also transport salts through the tile that appear on the surface
as a stain or efflorescence.
Technical White Paper
SIX-SIDED SEALING
Preventing water from being absorbed into the tiles during curing
of the mortar and grout is critical, but other sources of moisture can
have an equally damaging effect. Moisture in a concrete slab can
migrate through capillary action into the tile assembly and cause
damage. Environmental exposure to weather conditions, interior
wet areas, accidental spills and joint fillers are other causes of
irreversible staining.
Sealing all sides of the tile prevents water from entering the tile and
moving to the surface. When the tile is sealed on all six surfaces
with an appropriate sealer, damage from moisture exposure and
capillary migration will be minimized.
Sealing all sides of the
tile prevents water from
entering the tile and
moving to the surface.
Penetrating and Impregnating Sealers
CUSTOM has a full line of sealing products to prevent moisture damage
to natural stone or agglomerate tile. We recommend six-sided sealing
of the tile with one of our Aqua Mix® brand penetrating sealers:
• Aqua Mix® Ultra-Solv® is a premium quality sealer that achieves maximum stain protection, offers expected wear up to 15 years and is solvent-based for fast drying.
• Aqua Mix® Penetrating Sealer is an economical choice with excellent stain protection, 5 years of expected wear and a low VOC, water-based formula.
Both of these products retain the natural look of the tile or stone, with
no sheen after application, and allow the transmission of moisture
vapor to maintain the breathability of the stone.
Some tile and stone will benefit from an enhancing sealer that will
darken and highlight its character. Conduct a test with one of the
penetrating sealers above and compare the results with those from
an enhancing product like Aqua Mix® Enrich ‘N’ Seal®. Remember
that an enhancing sealer cannot be applied over a penetrating
sealer, so choose a natural or darkened look before beginning the
six-sided sealing process.
Six-Sided Application of Sealer
There are several ways to apply the sealer to all six sides, such as
brushes or paint rollers, but the most effective and efficient method is
to submerge the tile in the penetrating sealer and allow the sealer to
be absorbed into the tile. The tile should be submerged for several
seconds – long enough to achieve maximum penetration to the
front, back and all four sides. After being removed from the sealer
bath, the tile must be must be wiped free of any excess sealer on
the surface.
Regardless of the sealing method used, it is important to wear
chemical-resistant gloves during the application of sealer.
Technical White Paper
SIX-SIDED SEALING
The sealed tiles should be set up on narrow supports so that air can
get to all sides, and allowed to dry thoroughly. It is important that
the sealer is completely dry before installing with cement-based
mortars. After sealing, test tile samples to ensure that water beads
on all six sides. If water does not bead on the surface, the tile needs
a second treatment of sealer.
Choosing the Right Mortar
Aqua Mix Ultra-Solv and Penetrating Sealer cure just below the
surface of the tile. Because of this, the surface remains available for
a bond to an appropriate dry-set mortar. The sealed tile is much like
a very dense stone or porcelain tile and requires mortars with high
polymer content to assure adequate bond strength for years of use.
CUSTOM’s MegaLite® and ProLite® mortars are advanced, premium
formulas with the polymer content to achieve a superior bond to the
back surface of the sealed tile. Both mortars are also ideally suited
for floor or wall installation of heavy stone or large format tile with
one or more sides longer than 15".
Note: Since all stones react differently to sealers and the moisture in
the bonding mortar, it is important to build a mockup with the tiles
and mortar to be used on the job. Proceed only if the end user or
design professional is satisfied with the results of the mockup.
If there are any questions, contact CUSTOM Technical Services at
800-282-8786 before beginning your project.
When the face of the tile
has been pre-sealed,
grouting becomes a faster
and easier process.
Additional Benefits of Sealing
When the face of the tile has been pre-sealed, grouting becomes
a faster and easier process. The sealer will prevent the grout from
potentially staining the face of an otherwise porous tile. Sealing
also makes it easier to remove grout from the face of the tile during
cleaning, similar to using a grout release product. Since all sides of the
tile have been sealed, water will not migrate into the stone and darken
it. Six-sided sealing will prevent dyes in grout and silicone sealant from
entering the tile and creating “picture framing” around the perimeter.
Because the tiles are pre-sealed, they are protected from
accidental spills during the first few days after installation. Normally
the installer or owner must wait three to five days for the grout to
cure before sealing the entire installation. During this period, the tiles
are typically unprotected, but pre-sealing eliminates this concern.
The next time you are asked to install a porous or moisture-sensitive
tile, consider six-sided sealing before the installation. The extra
time involved pre-sealing can protect against costly damage and
additional work to a tile installation by preventing damage from
moisture migration and staining.
Technical White Paper
SIX-SIDED SEALING
Note: Over time, protection from the sealer will be affected by
the hardness and texture of the material, surface wear, weather
conditions and cleaning regimens. All sealed tile and stone should
be periodically tested, at least annually, to ensure that water is still
beading on the surface. If any water penetrates, it indicates that
an additional coat of sealer should be applied to continue the
moisture and stain protection of the tile.
About the Author
Steve Taylor is Director of Architecture and Technical Marketing
for Custom Building Products and has more than 30 years of
experience developing products for the construction industry.
Steve is a member of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA)
and Materials & Methods Standards Association (MMSA). In these
roles, he helps to determine proper tile installation methods and
standards. This includes simplifying the tile installation process to
save tile professionals time and money.
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reserved. The CUSTOM­® logo and select product
logos are registered trademarks of Custom
Building Products, Inc. CUSTOM may make
product modifications at any time without notice.
Visit custombuildingproducts.com for updated
technical data sheets and SDS information.
Custom Building Products
Technical Services 800-282-8786
Architectural Services 800-272-8786
custombuildingproducts.com
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