What's gone wrong here? -update

[ChrisR]

I've asked about this before, but the situation is becoming a difficulty. The bathroom shop hasn't doen anything about it yet.
Dune Krakatoa tiles.

Litokol grout, Starlight additive.


Glitter in the grout so it had to be epoxy, apparently. I got the grout from a shop recommended by the bathroom company who did it.
Tiles were sealed with Lithofin stain-stop smelly stuff designed for the purpose.
The unused ones shown here are also sealed. It didn't change their colour.

There's a variation in the tiles on the sheets of course but ..
the grout seems to heve been smeared over and not got off - you can see that from the excess glittery bits.

Some of the individual tiles seem to have absorbed something making them dark on their edges, looking at this pic.
The overall effect is of them being blotchy, following the areas where the "tiler" did his grouting. Apparently he used white spirit to clean as he went, and it didn't work very well.
Some Lithofin Litonet the tile supplier provided with the tiles, wasn't used until he did a small skirting area sometime later, which looks a lot better. "Oh", he said, as he did it. "Is much better". Pity he didn't use it in the first place.

I've tried soaking/scrubbing with a stain remover designed for epoxy grout, and it does help, but not entirely.

What I can't decide is whether the discolouration is normal, or because of the way they did it.
In the wider pic, the light (more "correct") area goes across mat junctions, so I don't think it's the variation in the stones.

Suggestions on what to do ??! Does it look beyond cleaning? If so , we could either accept it, or sue the shop.......

 

[ChrisR]

No answers!!

What I'm now thinking is that they didn't use enough sealer, so when the tiles were grouted it soaked in and darkened them following the lines of the under-application of the sealing solution.

The situation we have now is that the bathroom shop want the remainder of the money, about £1000. They've been saying that the tiles "don't look too bad". They tried putting sealer on a new sheet and said and noted that there is some darkening. Yeah but nowhere near as much...

They say that IF we pay then they'll call in a specialist stone cleaning company to look at them. I suspect that company would be mates of theirs and say the same.

If the problem does relate to lack of sealer, then I doubt anything can be done. To takes the tiles up and replace them would cost of the order of £1000. (Materials about £750 and there's a heating wire under there...)

So I think the best approach would now be to call someone independent to assess.
Could anyone suggest where I should go for that?
Is there a worthy nstitute of Tilers, or something?
The manufacturer of the tiles?
Sealer manufacturer?

 

[lancenotalot]

Were they sealed before being laid?
I seal any natural stone before fixing,before grouting and twice after grouting.

http://www.tiles.org.uk/

 

[ChrisR]

They were supposed to have been, with Lithofin MN non gloss stain stop.
One coat though, total .
You seem to be suggesting they might need/have-needed more!
Does it look to you as the only part of the tiles in the pic above, which had enough sealer, is the lighter vertical stripe, right of centre?

Thanks for the link

 

[lancenotalot]

If they have only had one coat then they definatley needed more.
By coating before fixing it makes removing adhesive off the face easier.
Coating again before grout once again will make the grout clean off easier.

Then a final coat (I always do 2) to seal the grout.

Difficult to see in the pic if any areas are sealed well or not.

 

[roughcaster]

Either way, the finished job, (going by the pics) doesn't look good, and has in my opinion, been spoiled by the grouting.

 

[Bahco]

The worse thing a diyer can do is fit Mosaic tiles!

I shall be posting soon about my experience with 1 inch on a sheet mosaic tiles which have really gt my goat!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ChrisR]

The bathroom company who did the tiling are now saying that a water based sealant should have been used and not a solvent based one, which was Lithofin Stain-Stop MN, non gloss.

Very little was used compared with the instructions - there's not much missing from the can.

Some new tiles have been soaked in the stuff and though they do darken a little, it's pretty minor compared to the laid tiles.

The sealant was in fact supplied by the customer, but used by the bathroom company. (It was sold to the customer when he bought the grout, by a shop suggested by the bathroom company.)

Comments please!
If it IS the case that a water based solvent should have been used, whose fault does that make it?

Is there any product which might improve things??