Dove White Granite needs to be pre-sealed with an invisible penetrating sealer ( usually 2 coats) to assist in the easy clean up of the stone once grouted. It should once grout has dried be sealed with another 2-3 coats of sealer to enable long term ease of maintaining.
Cleaning: Do not use Hydrochloric acid for clean up as this can cause minerals present in the stone to react. Simply wash the grout residue off thoroughly and then wash with a domestic pressure washer prior to sealing. IF and it is not common you get a very very small orange dot on a tile ( this is simply a minute steel saw blade particle that has broken off in the production process due to wear and oxidised on the tiles surface) simply brush the minutely small steel particle off and wash the area with a mix of oxalic acid and water. 1:10 to eliminate the dot.
Maintenance:Just sweep when needed. Granite responds well to high pressure cleaning. A solution of mild detergent and water, can be applied prior to pressure cleaning.
Installation Tips:
Please ensure ALL grout lines are completely dry and the tiles are completely dry prior to applying the grout. IF you don’t you may end up with shading occuring on the tiles surface due to the trapped excessive moisture still present and then ADDED to during the grouting process. (This may disappear over a full cycle of the seasons). BUT to guarantee this doesn’t occur we would recommend NOT grouting if the tiles are damp and the grout joints contain residual water. ALSO try to use a dryer grout mix. IF unsure please ring us for FREE advice. If laying in adhesive we recommend ONLY using a rapid setting white adhesive like Mapei Granirapid White.IF laying in sand and cement please ONLY use BRITE n LITE white cement to ensure no shadowing comes through the stone from using GREY cement and you must seal the back of the tile prior to installation. PLEASE ADD Efflock ( available from Bunnings) to both the sand and cement bedding mix and the grout mix when laying in sand and cement ( Call if you need further instructions). BUT we would prefer you to use UNLTRACOLOUR PLUS grout from MAPEI for grout in both sand and cement or adhesive layed tiles. And For permanently installed tiles (using Adhesive OR Sand and Cement) the only guaranteed sustainable way to protect the stone from stains caused by rust, efflorescence, water stains migrating from the installed back of the tile from the bedding mix, is sealing with special two component coating material (e.g. AKEMI AKEPOX® 2015 Anti-Stain- Available from STONEX) or if unavailable use GRANIRAPID from Mapei. Interesting INDEPENDENT article regarding improper installation techniques and the associated long term problems, most of which we have covered above https://www.pavingexpert.com/stain_reflective_01
