Hey Igloo - hope this finds you well!! My tile guy sealed my crackle once before install and then again after washing off all the dried grout residue. He didn't leave me any of what he used but I am certain it was not the Porous Plus 511 that I use on my marble. Hope that helps!

Any one of the same sealers normally used for granite or grout will work fine-- the Miracle 511 Impregnator, Aquamix Sealers Choice Gold, or the Stone Tech Impregnator Pro. The few times that I've done crackle glazed tile, I'[ve installed it first, then sealed it and wiped it down, then came back the next day and grouted.

mnhockeymom-- Just a quick note to save you a whole bunch of money-- there's no need for using the 511 Porous Plus on marble. The 511 Impregnator will do exactly the same job, for about HALF the money. The Porous Plus was made for extremely porous stones and ceramics, like terra cotta, or sanded limestone-- surfaces that you can pour a little puddle of water on, and WATCH it disappear into the surface. I don't know of any marbles like that, which is why I'm confident in telling you just to use the Impregnator.

Hey igloo -- no answre to your question, but just wanted to check and see how you're feeling (and DS too) since I haven't chatted with you in a while. Left you a note over on decorating conversations, but I think you missed it.

Right there with you sarschlos - IGLOO, how are you, your belly, your DS and DH? Is the hand/wrist fully healed? Where are your progress pictures?

I've been beyond crazy busy, now that I'm spending every free second on the job site so the danged house gets done. Sorry I missed any posts! SR how's DS?

Thanks all on the help with the tiles. It's going in tomorrow :) I have soooo many people working on the house it's fabulous!

DS and DH are great. DS is being isolated from other kids so he'll stay healthy until his next doc appt in November when we'll get a treatment plan and diagnosis (hopefully) and he's growing...almost fat even :) (Ok not that bad but we're excited not to see his bones!) DH is hoping to finalize the purchase of his partners share of his business this week. After a year in negotiations, we sure do hope it pans out finally! (If not he's gonna be a grump this weekend LOL)

DD (dear dog) is going to join the family on August 8th when I pick him up in Portland. Kilroy is a Coton de Tulear who was born April 27th. He has quite a dignified petigree (unlike the rest of us in the house) and we can't wait to have him destroy everything we own....umm I mean enjoy being a puppy in our house:
{{gwi:1088652}}

We lost the baby mindimoo, but we're working on that and hope to be making progress there again soon. I guess surgery and anestesia and lots of narcotics aren't good for newly formed babes :o( We have great hope we won't be pregnant with twins soon LOL (Just one please! These fertility drugs scare me heh heh)

I'm in therapy (like I didn't need that before the wrist LOL) twice a week now for hand therapy. My cast is off but I have SO FAR to go. I am making my therapist happy though since we're seeing more movement every week, but I must admit, it's tough. This week I'm painting trim and I can only hold the small paint pail for a few mins before the pain gets to me. I spend the evenings on ice. But the great news is that I can do a lot of the things I used to, except I can't crawl around on the floor with DS which makes us both sad :( My wrist has very very little backwards motion. Hopefully I'll see a bit more, but I have a lot more therapy to go to be able to give pony rides again.

On the plus side, that means that when we go to California to pick up our car in September...I'll be meeting DH there after a gold tourney....I can only fly with DS if we go first class because I can't pull all the baggage on my own nor get him into a seat in the back of the plane...woe is me and stuff heh heh (I'm also claiming I'm still not able to change poopy diapers but no one seems to be going for that one anymore). :o(

Oh, so sorry to hear about losing the baby. :( Sending a giant hug and big ole tub of ice cream your way, and good thoughts for the fertility treatments.

We have a diagnosis of severe GERD, so we're now trying to find the correct combination of medicines to protect the esophagus, reduce the vomit reflux and stimulate appetite. We also have an appointment in August with a speech/swallow specialist to evaluate DS's eating habits.

Dear Igloochic,

I not only have crackle tile on my walls/backsplashes, but also on my countertops and I can tell you that you must insist that your tile guy has 1. clean hands at all times and 2. seals before installation. I've got dark spots in many places that were simply a result of dirty hands/thumbs or whatever. Apparently, crackle finishes continue to crackle for about 90 days--and it is even more vulnerable to staining in the early days than later. Everyone warned me not to use it on countertops, but it is so pretty--I still like it, even though I worry about it a bit. Newspapers--especially damp ones-- are a big no-no--as are any printed materials, actually. Some of that staining gets absorbed over time, so it isn't as if you have this marked up surface forever, but the tile is vulnerable to dyes/dirt.

You're coming to California in September? Where you headed?

Kilroy is gorgeous. Looks like he'll be tons of fun.

Oh Igloo - so sorry about the baby and that I had to ask you here! You have so touched us all with your stories that I just want to express how saddened I was to hear - multitudes of positive thoughts and hugs to you. Sending you a virtual fabulous bottle of wine for you to kick back with in a warm bath...

It sounds like everything else seems to be running fairly smoothly (comparitively for you) right now so that is a blessing! To hear your little guy has put on weight is wonderful, can't tell you how happy I was to hear that! There's nothing worse than watching your child suffer. Hope he can stay illness free until November and you will finally get some answers!

Kilroy is adorable! I have clients who just got a Coton last summer - her name is Gracie. She was so darn cute, it made me look into the breed more, if I were ever to go the small dog route, it would be a Coton too. Is the breeder in Portland?

Take it easy on your wrist and hand! Good luck on the business transaction and keep us posted!

PS sarschlos, hang in there, I'm rooting for your little one too!