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I recently put up a tile backsplash with mosaic marble and glass tiles. I'm preparing to apply sealer to the stone before I start grouting. It's several hundred 1/2" x 2" to 7" mixed in a random pattern. Here's a photo:

The tiles

It's going to be nearly impossible to avoid all the glass tiles, but both the sealer and tile instructions clearly state to keep sealer away from glass - any tips on how I can apply this to the stone tiles without mucking up the glass? Alternatively, are there any stone sealer products out there that don't have the glass restriction?

Surreal Dreams
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  • What product? Glass is nonporous, never heard of this issue. – Gunner Oct 02 '12 at 01:51
  • I stated that poorly. Our sealer (Sealer's Choice Gold) says it should not be allowed in contact with "non-recommended" materials, which is anything besides stone or grout. Our tiles came with install/maintenance instructions that state that sealer should only be applied to the stone tiles, avoiding the glass. – Surreal Dreams Oct 02 '12 at 02:15
  • Ouch. Maybe you can mask off all the glass with masking tape? Or take an off cut and put the sealer on the glass and see what happens. Maybe nothing? I would give it 24hours and see if any discolouration occurs. If not then apply it and generously clean the glass after 24hours with methylated spirits. Either way. It is allot of monkey work.I doubt it will make the glass explode/implode/shrink/grow or shatter. It might just colour it at worst. – Piotr Kula Oct 02 '12 at 12:45
  • Hi I've bought the exact tiles for my kitchen. Please will you let me know if they are ok & how hard was it to put them up? Thanks –  Sep 14 '16 at 22:04
  • @Jen - it was a lot of work, but we did about 20 linear feet with a 90 degree corner and 6 outlets. It was quite an adventure for tiling newbies. When you go to cut out a section for an outlet or a switch, be smart and take advantage of the tiles being on a sheet. Separate the ones you need to cut from the rest of the sheet - but still on the backing - and cut them all at once. Then fit them back into the rest of the tiles. When you cut the glass tiles, go SLOW. Cutting glass tiles will chip them along the edge. The slower you go, the fewer and smaller the chips are. – Surreal Dreams Sep 15 '16 at 18:43

2 Answers2

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Alternative idea.

Test the sealer on a piece of left over tile.

Let the sealer get onto the glass and wipe it up shortly thereafter.

Compare the before/after -- if you see no notable damage, just put the stuff on and have someone clean up the glass right behind you.

The Evil Greebo
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    About to write up the same thing myself. A little one the job experiment with scrap is always a good thing. You gain expert knowledge of what actually happens (as opposed to what should happen). – Edwin Buck Oct 02 '12 at 14:58
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    We ended up testing the tiles (no damage, even after sitting 24 hours) *and* using artist brushes. Thanks for your suggestions. – Surreal Dreams Oct 07 '12 at 15:30
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Since you're going to be doing delicate work, it calls for delicate application.

Use artists brushes.

Flat brush for the marble:

enter image description here

Filbert brush for the grout:

enter image description here

It'll be slow but it'll be precise.

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The Evil Greebo
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