[Kev Martin]

You have the answer just about between all of you but no one has a complete answer I am looking for!  If you think about it all you will get it!  I am away on the weekend but I will give a prize for the best most complete answer.  Read the initial post again all the key points are there!

Kev Martin
Tiling Logistics Ltd

[Kev Martin]

He had the paint pad upside down so instead of applying sealer it was taking it off.

No this guy is Welsh not Scottish

Kev Martin
Tiling Logistics Ltd

[sherco]

An impregnating sealers seal just below the stone surface and lets the stone breath so water wont bead on the stone surface. A topical sealer puts a protective coat onto the surface so applied correctly water will bead.

[Matt Gibson]

An impregnating sealers seal just below the stone surface and lets the stone breath so water wont bead on the stone surface. A topical sealer puts a protective coat onto the surface so applied correctly water will bead.

We used Aquamix impregnating sealers on limestone and they all beaded.

[Barry W]

He put the seal on too thick with a paint pad and did'nt rub the seal into the stone after application.
Was the floor sticky aswell.

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

He grouted too soon after 1st seal so grout absorbed alot of seal then when cleaned and 2nd coat applied should of left a longer dwell between coats or maybe the stone was that porous the grout haze etc soaked into the stone and wasn't cleaned enough before 2nd coat I DONT KNOW JUST TELL US!!!!!!!!! 

[B Bailey]

The first coat before grouting wasn't enough to seal it, then the moisture from the grout didn't dry out enough for the next coat, so for each coat after it was not drying.

[cleantech]

not enough drying time between coats?

[Neil Jones]

Are we getting the answer to this sometime this year Kev?

[Floor_Tony]

Kev has been ill all this week but I'm sure he will come back to you when he is back

[Rob Hall]

Pantomime season has started early I see

[Kev Martin]

OK guys apologies but I have been ill this week!

I still haven't seen a complete answer but a lot of you have spotted the main cause in that he didn't wait long enough between coats of sealer consequently by applying more coats so quickly all he was doing was rewetting the sealer he had already applied. We all know most sealer manufacturers say you can reapply a second coat within a few hours but the fact is this is marketing bullpoop the sealer manufacturers put this because the others do. However it is a fact that 99% of impregnating sealers take at least 24 hours to cure and in most cases 48-72 hours is even better. But all this aside what was the additional contributing factor that stopped the solvent from evaporating and therefore slowed the cure process down even more apart from the speed of application.

Kev Martin
Tiling Logistics Ltd

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

He didn't leave the floor to dry out long enough before grouting so when 1st seal was put on moisture was trapped making the seal not cure and maybe being in a conservatory were direct sunlight, Condensation etc or being cold meant he needed to leave for more like 3days after grouting before applying 1st coat.

[chris scott]

I thought that all impregnating sealers were applied "wet on wet" until the point of saturation.

What is the solvent used in this particular sealer in this case ?

How long had the floor being down ...is it still green?  If so the substrate will just "suck in" gallons of anything you pour on it. ...it will just go through the flooring and into the concrete,It would never get the chance to cure.

[Rob Hall]

I thought that all impregnating sealers were applied "wet on wet" until the point of saturation.

What is the solvent used in this particular sealer in this case ?

A course I once went on told me exactly the same Chris...like I have said many times before...never to old too learn though.

[chris scott]

I'm always learning...mainly from the mistakes i make.

[SteveAllan]

I dont get why all manufacturers say you can apply additional coats after X amount of time if this is not the case. In the case of Aquamix they say 30mins on some of their sealers. Hows is it  marketing BS.
I understand the 24hrs to full cure but once you have treated the said floor you dont want to be hanging about all day to get another coat down.

[chris scott]

I dont get why all manufacturers say you can apply additional coats after X amount of time if this is not the case. In the case of Aquamix they say 30mins on some of their sealers. Hows is it  marketing BS.
I understand the 24hrs to full cure but once you have treated the said floor you dont want to be hanging about all day to get another coat down.

Impregnators should be applied till they repel themselves. That means all the holes are filled in , no room left for the stains...wet on wet hence "30 mins between coats" (eg) just enough to soak in but not cure.

[Rob Hall]

As some of you know, I bring in Lantania from Italy. On the sealers I use, such as AVO, it says, "On highly absorbent surfaces, apply a second coat." Another sealer, TWINS.TW, it says "Apply using a cloth, performing circular movements, once completely dry, remove the eventual excess using a pad or cloth." This suggests to me that, the sealer...seals...enough for there to be an excess...in one application. Then again, it does go on to say "on highly absorbent surfaces, apply a second coat" a little misleading  perhaps if the first coat leaves an excess???
On my other sealer of choice, HIDROSEBIN, again from Lantania, it says ..."on highly absorbent surfaces, apply a second coat". So, in my honest opinion, these sealers do their job in a maximum of 2 coats. Not the cheapest sealers in the world, but I am yet to find a better one. 

[Kev Martin]

The make of the sealer has no relevance on the reply I am looking for.  Neither does the fact of whether it is a water based or solvent based impregnating sealer. I am also not questioning performance of different makes of sealers so performance and individuals preferences are also irrelevant. In fact I havebeen careful not to mention the sealer he used.

Kev Martin
Tiling Logistics Ltd