HI,
I need to put stone tiles down on the balcony floor of my condo. Not a large surface area, only 36 sq ft. When it rains, it does get wet.
I saw some Marble tiles that were tumbled (not polished) . I was told that if I seal the marble with some kind of protectant that it can be used for the balcony.
Is this true? Can I really use marble tiles for a balcony if I seal them?
Yes you can.You will need to glue them in with a waterproof glue,and then grout with a waterproof grout.Be careful though,they get very slippery when wet.
First find out if your balcony is strong enough to hold stone. On a wood frame building, you might have a problem.
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Yes you can.You will need to glue them in with a waterproof glue,and then grout with a waterproof grout.Be careful though,they get very slippery when wet.
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yes, depending on where you live, works well over concrete patios but need to be covered, like with an overhang or in a sun room, if exposed to weather, especially cold weather will ruin them, make a grout crack
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yep. make sure you put the tile down with a milk(latex additive) in your thinset. try to find keralastic kit made by mapei, thats the best. The kit will probably cost about 50 bucks, but its perfect for outside applications and will hold up against just about any weather. And as for the sealing, make sure you let the grout cure for at least 72 hours and make sure its a penitrating or impregnating sealer…do it a couple times, as long as its not a gloss sealer, it shouldnt change the apperance of the tile and it shouldnt stain a bit in the future.
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Yes, you can use marble outside.
Potential issues:
1. Weight. Are they too heavy for your balcony.
2. Slip-resistance. Make sure the tiles you buy have a good slip-resistance on them…would not be fun to go flying off the balcony after a light rain.
3. The more slip-resistant a tile is, the harder it is to keep clean.
4. Marble stains rather easily. This is why you usually do not see marble in a kitchen. It will likely gain some discoloration outside even after sealing. I look at the color change as adding character. You might not.
5. If you live in a wet-cold climate…don’t put marble outside. You know that experiment everyone did as a kid…putting water in a container and then freezing it. The container would break. Marble usually has a high water absorption rate. If you live in a cold climate, the tile absorbs water, freezes, then breaks.
References :
Work in flooring industry.