Moisture Free Installation of Natural Stones

Natural stone like Granite, marble, sand stone has long enjoyed use as an exterior and interior
cladding, flooring material because of its inherent strength, abrasion resistance and superior
weathering durability, which are likely to keep it as one of the pre-eminent material selections
available to today's architects. Available in a striking array of colors, natural stone's durability,
longevity, and economy make it ideal for kitchen countertops and other heavily used surfaces,
including
table
tops
and
stair
cases.
Natural stone can be classified into two general categories according to its composition: siliceous stone
or calcareous stone. Siliceous stone (Granite, slate, sandstone, quartzite, brownstone and bluestone)
is composed mainly of silica or quartz-like particles and relatively easy to clean with mild acidic
cleaning solutions. Calcareous stone (marble, travertine, limestone and onyx) is composed mainly of
calcium carbonate. It is sensitive to acidic cleaning products and requires different cleaning procedures
than
siliceous
stone.
All natural stones are porous, made up of countless interconnected capillary pores through which
liquids and gases can move. This is the most critical aspect of all the natural stones. It is understood
that these natural beauties can get ugly patch marks on them due to their high absorption property.
As a thumb rule, the experts say that the dark colored natural stones have low absorption and the
light colored natural stones have high absorption. The reason why we prefer and use black/ dark
green granite as the kitchen top or table top is that it has very low absorption and hence does not look
ugly
when
in
use.
On the contrary, all the light colored and white natural stones absorb liquid materials quickly and so
the color of the liquid gets into the pours of the stone making it look ugly with patches on the surface
of the stones. This phenomenon is called picture framing when the stone gets ugly on the borders due
to absorption from stone edges as shown in the picture 1.1 and 1.2.

Picture 1.1 (Picture Framing)

Picture 1.2 (Picture Framing)

The absorption of stones also results in the following problems surfacing over a period of time:

Rusting

Moss and Fungus formation

Chemical reaction with minerals in the

Natural stones and hence change in color of
stones

Discoloring or staining of
stones

Soil accumulation (Stones like

Travertine)

Besides the above problems in Floorings, there are other problems which occur on the Natural stone
installations on walls. Some of them are:

Efflorescence

Permanent wet patches

It is imperative that we take care of these natural stones to keep the natural look and yet sealing
them from absorption of liquids. Let's look at the possible liquid attacks on these stones.
1.

Excess Water in the Traditional Cement Sand mortar mix installation method

2.

Water raising from the sub-layers of the flooring due to capillary action,

3.

Cutting of stones using wet cutting technology

4.

Curing water absorbed by the natural stone

5.

Water from the washing of the installed surfaces

6.

Spillage of food materials and beverages

7.

Spillage of paints, warnish and other coating liquids

8.

Excessive humidity in the environment

9.

Absorption of liquid from various adhesives used for various applications on the project site.

10.

Acid washing of the stones for keeping them clean and tidy.

How do we address this problem of absorption of Natural Stones?

By creating a moisture free sub - base or underlayment below the stone so that there is no
excessive free moisture to moving into the stone.

By using a Polymer modified and Polymer fortified adhesive materials for installation of natural
stones. They have a characteristic to absorb and utilize (for hydration) all the excess water used
during the installation and also acts a water resistant layer between the substrate and the stone.

By sealing the stones from absorbing the liquid materials. While doing so, we should not do
this by coating of the surface with leak proof materials as they can form a water proof barrier on
top or bottom surface of the stone and can spoil BREATHABILITY of the natural stone. This
breathability is very essential for the stones as this phenomenon allows vapour to move freely
through the stone, thereby releasing any stress that may have developed by restricting the vapour
movement.

Besides this, the very purpose of having the natural stone installation TO BE ONE WITH
NATURE is defeated by external coating on the stone.

Keeping the above requirements in perspective, MYK LATICRETE tile and stone installation system
provides a unique solution called Moisture Barrier System (MBS) to prevent any moisture or stain
transporting to marble or granite stone surface. MYK LATICRETE "MBS" package helps to preserve the
granite stone to its original beauty and natural look. The following few paragraphs explain how this
MBS helps to install a moisture free natural stone system. The pictorial description of this "MBS" is
given in the Picture 2.

Picture 2
Latascreed 100 as a Surface Preparation Material
Latascreed 100, Engineered cement powder, is best recommended for granite stone installation screed
system where prevention of moisture ingression to the surface is of utmost importance. Latascreed
100 is chemically designed to incorporate self cure and self contain technology (SCT). The self cure
technology (SCT) enables the Latascreed 100 to cure itself without need for any external addition of
cure water. The self contain technology (SCT) prevents any excess water evaporation from the screed
material during and after hydration. The other advantages of Latascreed 100, Engineered Cement,
are:

Water retaining and self-curing

Interior and Exterior applications -12 mm to 60 mm thickness

Flexibility to use local aggregates

Flexibility to use with "wet on wet" or "wet on dry" adhesive systems

Dimensionally stable-shrinkage free

Meets or exceeds traditional screed system on compressive strength (3000 psi (21 Mpa)) for
4: 1 mix after 28 days

Economical yet high performing

Polymer Modified Adhesive as a Bonding Material

MYK LATICRETE's one part system polymer modified adhesives or a two part polymer fortified
adhesive is highly recommended for marble/granite stone installation. These products are formulated
to provide superior bonding and high flexibility to protect the stones from movement and stress. These
formulations were chemically designed to have a very high water retention property. High water
retention property helps the adhesive to cure uniformly and ensure the adhesive to retain all the
excess hydration water from evaporating to the stone matrix. The various polymer fortified systems of
MYK LATICRETE are listed in Table 1.

Table 1: Product Guide for Moisture Free Stone Installation

System
Description
Specification
Screed Systems
L 226 + L 3642 Two Part system
M 30 Grade
Latascreed LS
One Part System
M 25 Grade
100
Polymer Modified Adhesives
L 252
One Part System
ANSI A 118.4
ANSI A118.4 and
L254
One Part System
A118.11
ANSI 118.4 and A
L111+73
Two Part System
118.11
ANSI 118.4 and A
L111+4237
Two Part System
118.11
ANSI 118.4 and
L290+333
Two Part System
A118.11
Grout System
Latapoxy SP 100 Three Part System
ANSI 118.3
Powder to be mixed with L1776
Aquashield
ANSI 118.6
grout admix
Stone and Tile Sealer
Laticrete 190
Water Based Stone and Grout
Sealer
Protector
Solvent Based High porous to Dense
Maxiseal Plus
Stone Sealer
LATICRETE 190 Sealer and MAXISEAL Plus as a Moisture Barrier
Despite the screed and adhesive's superior moisture retention mechanisms, the heat generated during
the adhesive hydration will result in some water evaporation and condensation of moisture on the
stone surface. To prevent any such moisture transporting to the stone, we highly recommend to pre
coat the stones on the bonding side as well all the four edges of the stone with LATICRETE 190 Sealer.
LATICRETE 190 Sealer is an invisible, penetrating sealer which forms an invisible water repellant
surface. It will not change the color of the stone. This sealer has an excellent compatibility with
cement based adhesives and grouts. Once the stone is installed, the top surface should be sealed with
MAXISEAL Plus. MAXISEAL Plus is a nano -technology based impregnating sealer designed for the
protection of all highly porous tile/ stones and grout surfaces. This product imparts oleo phobic
properties, highly resistance to oil, water, alkalis, acids staining and freeze thaw damages. It
penetrates into the surface and forms an invisible barrier by allowing vapor to escape (breathability).
It keeps the natural colour of tile & stone intact. All surfaces treated with MAXISEAL Plus are harder

and less slippery. It is ideal for interior as well as exterior application and recommended for granite,
marble, sand stone, porous slate, brick and sanded grout.
LATAPOXY SP 100 or Aquashield as a Grout Material
It is very critical that all the stone joints howsoever small have to be sealed with appropriate joint or
grout material in order to prevent any water or harsh cleaning material penetrate in to the stone joints
and
subsequently
to
the
stone
matrix.
MYK LATICRETE offers two great grout systems for the sensitive stone installation systems. LATAPOXY
SP 100 is a stainfree, color-fast, chemical resistant 100% Solid Epoxy Grout for tile or stone
installation. This product provides 100% water and stain resistance and excellent abrasion resistance
in heavy traffic areas like airport and shopping malls. MYK LATICRETE also offers hydrophobic cement
based grout called "Aqua Shield" for the same purpose. This product has been specially formulated to
have a high water resistance characteristics. When mixed with LATICRETE 1776 Latex admixture Aqua
shield offers the same superior water resistance and stain resistance property as LATAPOXY SP 100.
However for best results, it is highly recommended to perform field test of minimum 10 sft to
understand the absorption nature of the stone. Please refer to technical data sheet for installation
instructions.
Dr. P Arjunan, V.P - R&D & Mr. N. Radhakanth, Sr. Manager - Technical Services - MYK LATICRETE,
Hyderabad