Browse Forums Bathrooms and Laundry 1 Nov 16, 2009 10:40 am We have 3 separate tiled areas in our house, floor tiles in bathrooms, wall tiles in bathrooms (in shower, around bath etc) and floor tiles in Kitchen, Dining etc. My question is, can we, and should we, put some sort of clear sealer over the tiles and grout to help repel stains and mould etc. or does it not make any difference? I assume that if we seal all these areas then cleaning will be much easier, or does it not make any difference for cleaning either. Current status: Busy making the house our home Built PD Francis 29 on our 576m2 block at Reflections in Tarneit Reflections Estate Thread Our Build Thread Re: Should tiles be sealed? 2Nov 16, 2009 11:06 am this depends on your tiles. Porcelain - you do not need to seal. progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: Should tiles be sealed? 3Nov 16, 2009 11:10 am Hi Wizard I can offer an opinion but I am *no* tile expert...having said that I would think it would depend upon what your tiles are. Ceramic tiles shouldn't need a sealer and some pre-sealed porcelain tiles also don't need additional sealer. If your tiles are unsealed porcelain it would be a good idea to seal them. Marble, such as Travertine, often does require sealer because of its porous nature. As far as sealing grout, I have a friend who has done this and been *very* disappointed with the result. Having seen it I would have to agree with her. She and her husband did it themselves and have found its made very little if any difference in keeping the grout on their ceramic floor tiles clean. I think Southies have some experience on this from what I remember reading on their thread. Pix Built a (highly) modified Allcastle Maxworth 38.7 in Sydney. Re: Should tiles be sealed? 4Nov 16, 2009 11:31 am So if I don't need to seal the tiles, is there something we should do to the grout then, maybe add something to it to stop mould etc. the reason I am wondering about all this is, we are renting a house that is only a year old and the grout in the showers and around the bath has discolored and it looks like some kind of mould or something in the grout, and it doesn’t matter how hard we try to clean it, it doesn’t come out. I’m just worried that when we build, its not going to take long for this to happen Current status: Busy making the house our home Built PD Francis 29 on our 576m2 block at Reflections in Tarneit Reflections Estate Thread Our Build Thread Re: Should tiles be sealed? 5Nov 16, 2009 11:45 am Try to search this site a bit - there is heaps of info on grouting etc, have you tried Sugar Soap on the grout? progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: Should tiles be sealed? 6Nov 16, 2009 11:57 am Yeah we have, it comes off, but it just takes some work, and it comes back after a few days Current status: Busy making the house our home Built PD Francis 29 on our 576m2 block at Reflections in Tarneit Reflections Estate Thread Our Build Thread Re: Should tiles be sealed? 7Nov 16, 2009 12:03 pm I'm no expert, but can tell you what I would do. 1) Try to buy tiles that do not require sealing. If you already have the tiles, mark the tile (not sure what is best to use), leave five minutes then wipe off. If no mark is left, no need to seal. 2) Sealing grout sounds like a good idea. 3) I would only use a penetrating sealer - not a surface coat. Do the tiling experts agree? Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Should tiles be sealed? 8Nov 16, 2009 12:13 pm yeah, i agree Casa2, thats what i was thinking of doing, and no we have not selected our tiles yet. For those who know, how do you seal the grout when the tiles don't need sealing, do you just paint it on then wipe it off the tiles? how do you do it? Current status: Busy making the house our home Built PD Francis 29 on our 576m2 block at Reflections in Tarneit Reflections Estate Thread Our Build Thread Re: Should tiles be sealed? 9Nov 17, 2009 6:29 am I'm not sure where you're located, but if your bathrooms are well ventilated and you always use the fan when the shower's running, then mouldy grout shouldn't be a drama. A weekly clean will keep it at bay. If you aren't the most conscientious house-cleaner in the world, and you do get some mould developing, a bleach-based product applied and left on for 10 minute sor so before cleaning should take care of it. I find that the kids' shower tends to get a bit mouldy (they're pigs, what can I say? ), possibly from all the shower and hair products they splash around(?), but it comes up clean with a bit of Domestos or Selley's Rapid Mould Killer. If I was at all domestically inclined and cleaned it properly every week, I doubt there'd ever be a speck of mould visible. Oh - and I did seal our grout. I just got a can of something from Bunnings and painted three coats on before we moved in. Re: Should tiles be sealed? 10Nov 17, 2009 9:22 am kek, A question for you and mould. How many peopel use your bathroom and how many people use the kids bathroom. My theory is that the more people that use a bathroom, the longer it is wet and therefore the sonner mould grows. Single user bathrooms probably only need to be cleaned for mould once a year. Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Should tiles be sealed? 11Nov 17, 2009 10:57 am Hey Casa I'm with you on your theory about the number of bathroom users being proportional to the amount of mould and the rapidity of growth. I sense a PhD topic!!! But back to sealing tiles -- my comments re sealing grout relate *only* to ceramic floor tiles NOT in wet areas. This is where my gf, who has a large open plan living/dining area tiled, used the professional product that has failed to make any noticeable difference in keeping the grout clean. Pix Built a (highly) modified Allcastle Maxworth 38.7 in Sydney. Re: Should tiles be sealed? 12Nov 17, 2009 11:17 am Pixelated Hey Casa I'm with you on your theory about the number of bathroom users being proportional to the amount of mould and the rapidity of growth. I sense a PhD topic!!! I think it's worse than proportional. I think it's more like a square (or cube) relationship. That is, for every user you add, you halve (or quarter) the time between big mould cleanups. The sweet spot is one user = 1 year between cleanups, rather than 3 users = 3 months (or less than one month). Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Should tiles be sealed? 13Nov 17, 2009 11:32 am Not many are any good unless the grout is a fine grade... If there is a large area I would think that the tile (groutline) gap is large too... There is a fair probability that the grout is coarse. If you know someone with a chlor pool, grab some Sodium hypo of them... Put it in a roller tray and use like a paint (roll coat). The reaction should be almost instant. Keep the air moving with the windows open etc. The bleach will clean the dirt rather than remove it. PS try a small bit first onc Pixelated Hey Casa I'm with you on your theory about the number of bathroom users being proportional to the amount of mould and the rapidity of growth. I sense a PhD topic!!! But back to sealing tiles -- my comments re sealing grout relate *only* to ceramic floor tiles NOT in wet areas. This is where my gf, who has a large open plan living/dining area tiled, used the professional product that has failed to make any noticeable difference in keeping the grout clean. Pix Where you are coming from is where you are going to... There is nothing in the various codes and standards that puts this requirement on the builder to do. I think that is what you are asking. Don't waste time trying to get… 5 2434 i imagine you also have another contract with an architect? and yeah, whatever other's said about special conditions and appendices 16 16072 hey there! 😊 so, it’s kinda common for standard drawer depths to be around 500mm since most cabinets use this size to fit the usual runners… 3 20971 |