John and Anthony,

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the tips.

Homeowner says moisture stays in the shower as the door is always shut. Grout removal and replacement may be a good idea regardless.

 

I can see the advantage to having a moisture meter on hand.

 

Thnks,

 

Jason

 

 

Anthony,

 

Great additional comments,

Comments,

 

Agree that epoxy grouts are sanded and not the best to use with stone, however epoxy grout when it cure it extremely hard and the sand usually lock into the materials and is harder to pull out pieces of sand that might scratch the floor during the honing and polishing process.

I agree everyone should have a moisture meter.  

 

What I recommend is once the grout is cured prior to honing that the floor I would use a soft brush and scrub the floor, this usually breaks loose any sand, then wet vac up and start honing.

The person honing will need to pay attention and if there hear a harsh grinding sound , stop vac the slurry up , usually this will pick up that loose piece of sand.

 

Hope this makes my answer clearer.

 

John Freitag

The Stone and Tile School

 

 

Great explanation John, very well said and perfectly detailed.

 

Few questions

 

Here in Montreal all epoxy grouts are filled with sand, not unsanded epoxy grout is available.  Is it different where you’re from or is it just expected to finish the tile to a honed finish?

 

Moisture readers- everyone should have one!  Especially since they are now available at less than 100$ now.

 

When you check the walls, a good indication that there is moisture is found at the first 3-4 inches off the floor, you will notice that it is darker than the rest of the area, same for the floor.

 

I would also check the other washrooms, you may simply have a hard water situation

 

But I did notice in the corner of your picture what looks like a steam shower, outlet. If that’s the case it means that this shower is sealed more tightly than other showers and it could just be a humidity situation.  Be sure to tell the customer to open his fan and his shower door when he completes his shower.

 

John , again, wow I’m impressed, I’ll make sure to find you when I go to one of the stone shows!

 

 

Anthony

Marble Maestro

 

Jason,

 

Great picture, this always helps to indentify the problems one faces and make it easier to give recommendations.

 

There are several issues going on with this shower floor. The biggest problem is that water and moister is getting under the stone. This is probably being caused by missing grout or a leak around the drain allowing the water to get under the stone. There are several thing you will need to do.

 

1.       You first will need to remove the deposits that are built up on the grout line, this can be done using a mild acid cleaner, keep in mind this will etch the stone and will require restoration to remove the etching.

2.       Once all the deposit are removed you need to examine all the grout to see if there is any missing grout and or cracked grout.

3.       If any of the grout is compromised I would recommend removing all the grout and re- grout the tiles.

4.       During my examination of the floor you also need to check the walls to make sure the water in no running down the wall and under the floors between the shower pan and the stone.

5.       You should take moisture reading to determine how wet the floor is. If you clean up the deposits and remove the grout you may want to leave the grout out for several day with a fan on the floor to dry out the stone and remove as much moisture as possible prior to re- grouting.

6.       Also be sure to check the drain to make sure the moisture is not coming from a leaking drain.

7.       Once you have the area as dry as possible then re- grout.

8.       Once the grout has cured then go in restore the stone re- polish and seal the entire shower walls and floors.

9.       You may want to us an epoxy grout on the floor , this would be more water resistant than a non sanded grout. If you use a non sanded grout I would recommend adding some latex to the grout, approximately 30 to 40 % latex to the grout.

10.   Re grout any areas on the walls

11.   Where the walls meet the floor do not grout, use a caulking material in these areas. If you grout these areas over time the grout will crack and could cause a leak.

 

Hope this helps , if I can be of any other assistance pleas contact me

 

Regards

 

John Freitag

The Stone and Tile School

      

 

 

Hi Gentleman,
 
First Onyx job for me. Custy has calcium buildup I suppose on the grout areas as shown in picture.  Should I resurface tile and replace grout? A hot powder? Your thoughts are appreciated.
 
Jason
 

Protocol
Jason Francis
Stone Restoration Pro
jfrancis@protocolfloorcare.com
333 Norton Road
Red Hook, NY 12571
tel: 845-758-6262
fax: 845-622-4886 

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