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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Painting, Decorating & Tiling Questions >> Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen? https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1154092766 Message started by londonman on Jul 28^th, 2006, 2:19pm

Title: Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen?
Post by londonman on Jul 28^th, 2006, 2:19pm

Or do they collect dirt and stains too easily?

Many thanks

Title: Re: Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen?
Post by CWatters on Jul 28^th, 2006, 4:38pm

Lots of kitchens have limestone tiles. Will be fitting them in our house soon.

They must be sealed to prevent stains before installation, after or both, depending on the finish on the stone (tumbled, honed or unfilled etc) Oh and who you ask!. Then it needs to be resealed at regular intervals. Some say every 6 months some say every year. I've no direct experience yet.

We sealed a sample tile with Lithofin (http://www.lithofin.de/frames.asp) leaving a corner unsealed. When you wet the tile it's very clear which bit has been sealed and which hasn't. When dry you can't really see any difference. If the tiles you choose look a bit paler than you expected use something like a colour enhancer to bring out the grain before sealing.

We've just been to look at http://www.mandarinstone.com/
Their Augusta Antique Tumbled looks very nice but it depends what you like. There are lots of places selling Limestone.

Title: Re: Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen?
Post by mudster on Jul 30^th, 2006, 5:19pm

There's limestone and there's limestone, we sell quite a variety for different installations, some is so dense it's suitable for shopping centres and factories, other types aren't so hardwearing and are suitable for low traffic domestic installations only.

We recommend Lithofin Stain Stop MN as a sealing impregnator, it's far more expensive than similar products and you'll use a lot of it on the initial fit, but the main advantage it has over other products it it's longevity. After installation in domestic circumstances it's good for 5-6 years and we only generally recommend resealing shower areas once a year.

Maintainance should be with Lithofin Easy Care, this then doesn't attack the stone or the chemicals used to seal it and makes everything last a lot longer.

The bottom line is, if it's installed and sealed correctly and you pick a suitabale stone for your circumstances it will be a long lasting a beautiful floor.

Specifically for CWatters -

The finish of the stone has little or no effect on the porosity, the same stone with a honed, polished or brushed finish will still have the same porosity and requre the same treatment.

If a stone is described as honed and filled, it's highly unlikely to be limestone - but rather travertine, which is generally a cheaper product, (although fundamentally still calcium carbonate it's formed sligthly differently).

The denisty of the product is directly related to how much sealant is required, so there's no hard and fast number of coats of sealant that need to be applied, you simply keep applying until the stone stops soaking it up, at this point, there's no room left for anything else to soak into the stone and that is fundamentally how an impregnating sealer works.

It also has the added advantage of not changing the appearance of the stone in any way.

Title: Re: Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen?
Post by CWatters on Jul 31^st, 2006, 12:02am

wrote on Jul 30^th, 2006, 5:19pm:

Specifically for CWatters -

The finish of the stone has little or no effect on the porosity, the same stone with a honed, polished or brushed finish will still have the same porosity and requre the same treatment.

Thanks Mudster. I knew it would all need sealing, what I meant was...

I read somewhere that filled stone should be given one coat of sealer before fitting to help stop the grout staining the stone... whereas unfilled stone shouldn't be sealed before fitting because the sealer stops the grout won't stick in the pits.

Title: Re: Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen?
Post by mudster on Jul 31^st, 2006, 1:58am

You should seal all stone before you grout. Otherwise it makes an utter mess trying to clean it off. But fit the stone raw - you'll find it dries out a lot quciker, if you seal the stone before it's even fitted the sealer traps a lot of the moisture in the stone and it will take a lot longer to dry out thoroughly (as much as three times longer).

If you're referring to unfilled travertine then the very ireegular shape of the holes in the stone should be enough for the grout to bond to, However an impregnating sealer will have no effect on how a grout bonds to a joint or hole but will make it much easier to clean the surface.

Of course if you been advised to use a topical polish (that's a chemical that sits on top of the stone to provide a barrier) then that's a different story altogether and probably explains why you have an idea it requires 6 monthly or annual maintance.

Personally I advise against this kind of product, it's difficult to keep it looking good, it does require regular maintainance and also required regular reapplication.

Title: Re: Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen?
Post by CWatters on Jul 31^st, 2006, 8:31pm

Thanks for the good info Mudster.

Title: Re: Are limestone tiles suitable for a kitchen?
Post by londonman on Aug 8^th, 2006, 10:07pm

Thanks all for the excellent advice.

LM