Well, thanks. Shows you how little I know, I'm not sure what a latex grout sealer is. On the porch job, I used some waterbased stuff that's supposed to be a good outdoor sealer.

Haven't sealed the two fireplace surrounds yet -- just finished it a week ago. Got a half-way decent piece of change for it. I did it for a lady contractor -- a first for me. She's pretty solid -- a sorta good carpenter, primarily an architect/contractor, she looks pretty tough, almost certainly gay. She was very easy to work with. I told her I didn't feel confident enough yet to bid a tile job, she was up against a deadline and agreed to go time and materials. Good thing. I'd a probably bid low. Hate it when that happens.

For mortar, I used MasterBlend thinset with the milky admixture instead of water. Finished with sanded grout. I learned the hard way about the warnings they give on mixing the grout, letting it sit for about 15 minutes, then more mixing for consistant color. We ran out of grout towards the end (Dohhh!!!) and the new bag, same brand and flavor of course, was a tad darker. It's noticeable but around to the side so it doesn't stand out. Not sure why the color changed, but I'm going to have enough next time to do it one batch.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K