Replies

1. 
   Geoffrey | Feb 05, 2007 03:17am | #1

   Kevin, 

    I think I'd lean toward caulking first, the sealer may contain silicone which may inhibit the caulk from sealing against any surface that gets the sealer on it first, i.e.  a proper seal between tile and caulk. If you use a small applicator/brush to apply the sealer you should be O.K. with just wiping any excess off the tile face as quickly as possible. I think the same would apply for the caulking, wipe it off as quickly as possible, don't let it dry on either surface(tile or caulk).

                                                                                          Geoff

1. 
   andybuildz | Feb 05, 2007 04:35am | #2

   Gee...I'd think to seal first..then caulk..thinking the sealer on the cauld could peel peel if I were a real paronoid person. Hmmmm..chicken before the egg? Nahhh, I'd have figured the egg 4 the chicken so don't go by me...lol.

   Greek poet Archilochus said: "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing"!  From The Hedgehog & The Fox ~~~~ An essay on Tolstoy's view of history ~~   by Isaiah Berlin

    

   http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM                                   

    

1. 
   DonCanDo | Feb 05, 2007 04:49am | #4

   off topic, but I've often considered the "which came first, the chicken or the egg" debate and here's what I've come up with:

   The egg!  Why?  Because once an egg is laid, it develops into whatever it is genetically programmed to become, but an animal that is almost, but not quite technically a chicken could, at least theoretically, lay a chicken egg.  And that then would be the first chicken.  End of debate.

   Oh, sorry...  the chicken vs egg is actually rhetorical.

   Anyway, I can't imagine that the order of sealer and caulk really matters, but if I had to choose, I would seal first and then caulk.  That's just so I could be sure that the sealer wouldn't negatively affect the caulk.

    

1. 
   andybuildz | Feb 05, 2007 05:03am | #5

   I'll tell you one of the reasons I said to seal first. From expericance I sealed very white limestone 18x18 tiles. They get dirty just looking at them. Don't ask how I found that out..ugh. So the rest of the limestone I sealed before I did anything with them..right out of the box...then I installed,grouted and caulked where necessay with zero problems.
   Actually you can almost see them in my foyer in my website below in the house before this where I'm working on my chop box picture.(Fox Hunt La project)
   Lotta traffic went through there.
   edit: actually its the pic below the one of me working on the chopbox..just looked..sorry..in "Andy on the job" I think.Greek poet Archilochus said: "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing"! From The Hedgehog & The Fox ~~~~ An essay on Tolstoy's view of history ~~ by Isaiah Berlinhttp://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM

   Edited 2/4/2007 9:06 pm ET by andybuildz

1. 
   dockelly | Feb 05, 2007 06:21am | #6

   thanks everyone.

2. 
   davidmeiland | Feb 05, 2007 04:45am | #3

   Grout-caulk-seal.

   Keep a bunch of clean white rags with you while sealing and wipe up any excess sealer from the face of the tiles. I generally use Impregnator 511 and if you buff the tiles lightly there will be zero sealer on them to cause spots or issues with sheen.

1. 
   SBerruezo | Feb 05, 2007 09:39am | #7

   Are you pretty careful when wiping down to not touch the grout lines, or can you just use a broad motion?

   By the way, thanks for the bits.

   Edited 2/5/2007 1:41 am by SBerruezo

1. 
   davidmeiland | Feb 05, 2007 09:52am | #8

   I use a small disposable brush to apply the sealer to the grout, and then later go back and buff... approx. 3 minutes of sealing, then 30 sec. of buffing? I try not to hit the grout with my rag but it really doesn't matter as the sealer has already soaked in.

3. 
   pebble | Feb 05, 2007 04:45pm | #9

   Don't forget to use silicone caulk because the acrylic caulk tends to crack after a while. I just read about this over at the John Bridge tile forum.

   Handyman, painter, wood floor refinisher, property maintenance in Tulsa, OK