|
|
OK, I can almost hear you asking "Rob, how would I know? That's why I came to this site - to find answers!" Fair enough, here is a simple test will provide the simple answer. If you pour a little water on one of your grout joints and the water soaks in... you need grout sealing. Now that that's settled once and for all, (no need to call a grout pro to your house now!... isn't the web great?...) let's go over some basics about grout. Grout is made of cement and is porous and subject to taking on the colors and odors of grime, dirt, and other kitchen and bath residue. Why?, because it has little holes that can be filled with either what is spilled or the grout sealer of your choice.
(Technical Stuff)
How will sealing the grout in my tile floor help me?
I would always recommend water-based sealers over silicone sealers.
To me, it's an easy choice, go with penetrating water-based grout sealer. If you have a new tile floor and your grout looks great -
Now, let's talk about that floor with the grout that is too far gone or blotchy.Once your floor is properly prepared you can choose to color your grout with a grout dye! There are several colors available and they are as easy to work with as clear water-based grout sealer. Imagine not knowing about these colored grout sealers (also known as colorant or grout dye)? You would waste hours trying to restore your grout to it's original beauty. Do you think you will be using a grout colorant when you seal your grout? Remember, you don't have to completely clean the grout, just prepare properly for the colorant to take hold of it. This could save you hours and give your grout a consistent evenly distributed grout color, your friends will think you put in a new floor! And, your grout will be sealed, so you receive all the benefits we already talked about such as less work, less time, and a cleaner floor! Imagine how wonderful it will feel to be done sealing grout and looking at that clean, professional looking floor!
Remember that I said, "grout is made of cement"?Well, understanding cement will give you an unfair advantage to preparing your floor or wall tile's grout. Cement is made from burned lime and clay. The important fact to glean from that little tidbit is that lime is alkaline. You can use that knowledge to create a little chemical reaction and get your grout clean and ready for grout sealing! How? With an acid! You can clean and prepare your grout with good old fashioned acetic acid! (I'm sorry, I meant vinegar, it's the same thing!) If you would like to use something a little stronger with less vinegar odor you can go to your local home store (i.e. Home Depot) and purchase some sulfamic acid in crystal form. (It is always a good idea to test your tile's glaze for acid resistance in an inconspicuous area by placing some to sit overnight on the tile surface.) Now you may be tempted to use acid as regular maintenance but this is a really bad idea... So to properly prepare your grout...
I'm about to turn you loose to prepare your grout for sealing, but first it's time to choose an applicator for grout sealing.Were you wondering what you should use to seal the grout with? I thought so.. Did you think, "paint brush"? I have seen people use everything from a small trim brush to a model car paint brush used for sealing grout! One word here, s l o w, this method is slow and can tend to create an uneven application of sealer. If I pictured myself using a paint brush that I would paint model parts with - I would run from sealing my grout! That picture scares me, I think, "this could take weeks, I don't have the time for this!". I have a lot of respect for the patience of those using this method. Let's pause just for a moment in reverence to these patient souls. *pause*. I have seen an improvement to paint brushes. Some ingenious person has put a model brush on the head of an applicator bottle. Hey, at least now you aren't dipping your brush over and over again. I have used this system myself. But still there is a better way. First let me ask you, would you rather paint your wall with a brush or a roller? Take a look at a wall in the room you're in, picture yourself using a paint brush to paint it. Feels like work, huh?... Now picture yourself using a roller for the paint. No contest right? You have to really appreciate the individual who invented a roller for painting (Thank you!). Then like the evolution of the paint brush system, someone put the roller on an applicator bottle. Let me tell you about the first one I saw. It was exciting to see it and I couldn't wait to use it. The problem I had was the roller - it was stiff and hard! The effect was that the sealer wouldn't evenly cover the grout. So my search continued... The good news is that I found an excellent grout sealing applicator with a soft foam wheel roller. In fact it has one wheel for wall grout and one for floor grout (narrow wheel and a wide one). Simple, quick, and evenly distributing grout sealer.
Did you ever wonder what you are saving to do the grout sealing yourself?The price of a pro is between $.50 - $.75 per square foot. That calculates out to about $200 for your kitchen and bathroom. With the information on this page and a few tools and supplies, you can do it yourself and pocket about $150! Not bad for a morning or afternoon of improving your house! What are others saying...
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your grout sealing project! If you are one of the hundreds of viewers wanting to purchase one of these fantastic bottles, now is your opportunity! Thank you.
Date Last updated: 09/20/2008 10:56 AM |
First,
picture yourself sealing your grout one joint at a time with a brush. Now, you are holding a grout sealing applicator bottle with a soft
foam wheel and you tip it up, give a little squeeze, and roll it across the
grout joint, it's that easy! The soft foam wheel is very
important-- with a stiff wheel the sealer doesn't
cover your grout evenly. With a brush it just takes so long.