Good question. Bumping it

Why don't you contact whom you purchased it from and ask them. Just a thought.

Thanks did that first they had never had that type of tile in stock before

Well, they were not any help! Perhaps the manufacturer could help and hopefully they have a toll-free number. Some you can just email to contact them and maybe get the answer that way.

Where's the marble being applied? The walls or the floor?

both

That's a new one for me. Never seen this before. Most of the top glass tile manufactures have a plastic film installed over a 12"x12" sheet to hold the little tiles in place while setting them. This allows no mesh to be used on the back side.

Some tiles have a paper face which gets removed like the plastic above - before grouting.

But individually the job of removing them sounds like a chore. I suspect it is like you first thought - to prevent scratches.

Have you prepared a grout sample board? Perhaps this is the smartest approach. Try one with the plastic and one without.

How hard is it to remove the plastic from the tile?

If it is a "marble-like" tile, as in a porcelain or ceramic, you should be perfectly safe removing the protective film. It may get in the way of grouting/grout cleaning, especially at the edges of the film.

I have the same issue with my tile having a plastic wrap. Did you remove it before or after installation?

We took it off after the installation and it took some time but definitely the way to go protecting the tile.

My contractor is installing 2x2 tile sheets without mesh backing but it has a plastic sheet on the front to hold them in place. Well the tiles are now in the garbage! He states he could smooth them level. Any install advice

Could not smooth them level

The plastic stays on facing out & after the thin set dries you remove plastic. It kinda sucks because it takes some small glass pieces of tile with it even though thin set is dry?How do you get the plastic to come off easier?

How do you get it to come off? Mine was really tight before they set it this evening. Iam concerned about getting it off without messing anything up. Thanks!

Ours was a pain to take off too. The glass tile fell off and broke. At $25 a sq ft we had to use some of the chipped tile & manually place them. Tile contractor said never again! Too stressful!

Just as an FYI. We are putting in pebble tile on the bathroom floor. Each 12" x 12" sheet had clear, crackly film on the back (I assume to protect the tile). After much agony in trying to remove it, we found the best way was to put 3-4" of hot water in a sink, then dip each tile sheet in the water and immediately start peeling the plastic off. Works well most of the time. If you leave them to soak, it doesn't come off as easily.; For the few remaining bits which didn't peel, I used a pointed tweezers to remove the bits.

Cathy, thank you for this post. I also had pebble tile with plastic sheeting glued to the mesh. You pointed me in the right direction. I soaked mine in warm sopay water for 4 minutes and the plastic came right off. I emailed the seller and told them directions would be helpful for the next homeowner!

Second time doing marble or gloss floors. They always come with a plastic wrap sheeting on them to protect each tile. Were doing 24x24 tile, and over 2000 Sq Ft of it. Remove the plastic on each tile before laying. It will interfere with install etc... Also FYI cleaning them is a real pain!

How can i remove this plastic film on my tiles.... its so hard to remove it.... please help .... thanks

I found soaking them briefly in hot water and then immediately removing the plastic works

I’m going to try hot steam by using a shark mop. Maybe that will work

Hi, I have a thin film over a metal, mini tile, as part of a mixed mosaic of glass, stone, pearl mini bricks. Do you recommend removing after grouting to protect the shiny metal? Thanks