What I've heard about Laticrete is that the sand in the product is very fine and even. I have heard Bill V, who used to post here, say that it will not scratch marble. I don't think is scratched mine. I do not see a real shadow line. I did while it was drying but now it is not noticeable. But I have to say that I prefer that bit of a shadow so maybe I am over looking the bit that might bug someone else.

Getting the epoxy residue off is more critical in my opinion. I can see several smeary areas where I must have not got that totally cleaned off. You have to use a bit of vinegar in the water to wash the grout clean. It is about 1/2 cup to 2 or 3 gal of water. That mixture did not seem to dull my tile either.

The other option that you might consider is urethane grout. I have heard good things about that on the John Bridge forum. If you go with urethane I think you have to wait 7 days before water is introduced. With epoxy I think it is just a few days.

Here is my polished marble listello that I installed last spring using Laticrete Spectralock Silver Shadow. It is in all my tile grout spaces.

This post was edited by enduring on Mon, Nov 18, 13 at 20:04

Thanks for the pic and the info, enduring! Looks beautiful! Love silver shadow with that. Did you pre-seal prior to groutingl? I definitely need to do a test with the vinegar solution to see if it takes the polish off my stone. Did you do the grouting yourself? I'm tempted to try it myself since I know the guys working for me don't really want to do it.

Yes seal the tile before the grout being careful to keep the sealant from the grout lines. Be sure the thin set is nice and dry before grouting. I work at a snails pace so I never am waiting for anything. The project is always waiting for me :) I did the grouting myself. To do the grouting with the epoxy I have taken a tablespoon or 2 and placed it in a baggie right after I get it mixed and place it in the freezer. Then the next day or later the same day I can fix a void that I missed. It seems to work right on top of the installed grout without problem. This frozen grout will last a couple of days only. I use what I need within 24 hours to fix my missed places.

If I only have time to do a small portion of tile, or give it a trial on a sample board, I measure equal portions of epoxy A & B to mix up. I clip the corner of the part A and squeeze out a measured amount in a paper cup and then do the same with part B, in another paper cup. Then I carefully roll the bags back up to seal the contents and clip and rubber band the bags. They will stay until I am ready for the next batch. I mix these 2 measured amounts in a small bucket like the one it comes with or a gallon ice cream bucket. Then in goes the part C to the consistency I want. The instructions say that up to 10% of the C mix can be left out for a looser grout for narrow grout spaces. I just add a little at a time until I like the consistency. Not runny and not crumbly.

When I did the wall, I had a lot of grout fall to the floor. So I put down plastic so I could retrieve the grout and get it in the spaces as it fell off my tools. My DH was there helping me pick up the valuable grout so we could get it in place. With a floor that is not a problem.

If you have the capability to do things, then you should be fine doing the grout. just that fact that you are thinking about it, says the you probably can do this. Did you get the small mini grout sets from Lowes, or buy a gallon set from a tile dealer? If you buy one of the Lowes mini sets you could practice with a tile board first if you are nervous about the job.

I got a big batch of it online. Helpful info on the small mixing for a sample board.

I'm confused about the sealing of the marble though. I have some polished carrara that I tried to seal and it didn't seem to absorb any of it, it was kind of just a mess to buff off. I read very mixed things on whether to seal polished marble for this reason. Also, isn't the point of pre-sealing to get the edges so that it helps resist staining from the grout? Why are you supposed to avoid the grout lines when pre-sealing, if I did this it seems like it wouldn't protect from a shadowing effect?

Great question about the sealer. I don't know the answer to that, as I am a DIYer. Maybe Mongoct or StoneTech will see this and answer. With cementous grout the sealer acts as a grout release so that is why you don't want to have it on the sides of the tile. This is how I understand it anyway. With epoxy, I have know idea.

Enduring,

That tile looks so pretty. Could you post a picture of the entire bathroom? I'm curious how you used the marble tiles in relation to the ceramic tiles. Are the marble subway tiles used as a border????

Here is the whole wall in a corner.