Browse Forums Bathrooms and Laundry 1 Jul 25, 2011 6:46 pm Is it worthwhile covering tile grout with coating to protect against mould/staining? We have a large proportion of tiling throughout our house, not just the b/rooms. The tile we have chosen in the main house is a light colour. We do not wish the grout to become blackened. However, are the current grout protectors worth it. It is $400 just for the protector. We would lay it ourselves. The company cannot and will not give us no estimation on how long the seal lasts. What are others people's experiences with grouter sealer's used outside of the b/room to protect the 'whiteness' of the grout? How long should I expect it to last? Will I be needing to recaat it every 6 months? Is it really worth it and does it work to protect against stains onto grout between tiles. I do not want my high gloss light tiles framed by dark and stained grout. June 2010: Land Aug Tender + Deposit for Villina 41 Dec DA in Feb DA out Mar Construction Cert May Slab June Frame viewtopic.php?f=31&t=45643 Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 2Jul 28, 2011 11:28 am What on earth possessed you to go with light tiles in the living areas? :O j/k If all else fails just soak your grout with bleach and scrub, scrub, scrub Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant???? 3Sep 20, 2011 9:29 am I would also like some advice on sealing grout. Our ss and tiler have both said don't bother as grout is better quality these days and doesn't get as dirty. But I've seen some fairly new houses with filthy grout. What to do?! Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 5Sep 20, 2011 9:48 am I'll attempt to allay your fears step-by-step (1) Quote: What on earth possessed you to go with light tiles in the living areas? :O j/k Quote: Genkan - Is it worthwhile covering tile grout with coating to protect against mould/staining? Bite the bullet, buy the best sealer you can get and take the time out to do this activity. I used sealant that cost me $72 a litre , but was guranteed for something like 3 years from memory. Its an excercise that is designed to prevent you beautiful bathroom from resembling a mouldy dungeon in a few years. Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them. Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 6Sep 23, 2011 8:46 am a friend of mine used sealer on her white/cream floor tiles,but try to be as neat as you can, as with my friends tiles, in certain light, you can see the sealer on the tile, so most of her tiles have a bit of a border around the edge.No real problem, but you can notice it when sitting there and the light is shining on the tiles. Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 7Oct 17, 2011 8:15 pm It sure is worth sealing grout! It takes a hell of a lot of work with a narrow grout brush (Coles) and gumption to get light grout clean again. Once sealed any spills wipe off rather than staining it. You can buy a plastic bottle with a little brush on the end from Bunnings to apply the sealer which makes it really quick. Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 9Oct 18, 2011 10:06 am I have been looking at this as well, we have been in our house for 3 weeks now and already have had our white grout in the kitchen discolour due to water spills from dishes and oily splashes from cooking. I will be going tonight to get grout sealer as I spent a lot of money on our tiling. Our grout is top of the range but still discolours easilly. Grout in the bathroom has also discoloured in the shower so I will be sealing those main areas first and gradually do the whole house (85sqmt of tiling). time consuming but will be worth it. Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 10Oct 27, 2011 9:38 pm Genkan r33 gtr s2 ????? Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 12Nov 09, 2011 1:51 pm We are having light tiles through the passage/kitchen/lounge and other living area and will be sealing the tiles and grout. When i spoke to Beaumonts they said its about $300 for approx 100m2 and will need to be redone every 2-3 years but they think its worth it. We had new tiles in our old house with travertine grout and after a year you could see a change in colour from where you walked compared to under the table. We decided that we will seal the tiles and grout (use a paint roller) and if we decide that we dont like it we wont do it again but if it works and keeps them clean we will redo it (much easier then scrubbing them with bleach which is what i had to do with our old old tiles) Jasmin Hickinbotham Belmont - modified Signed: February 2011 Slab should go down before 2012 My build thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=52310&p=799483#p799483 Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant???? 14Aug 28, 2012 10:06 pm No, due to shifting out of the rental early (physco land lord who lived next door) we didn't get time as the tiler had a delay in finishing them and we just needed to get in here. The grout now looks like crap so once hubby has finished paving the pergola I will be scrubbing the grout and then sealing it. Jasmin Hickinbotham Belmont - modified Signed: February 2011 Slab should go down before 2012 My build thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=52310&p=799483#p799483 Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 15Aug 29, 2012 12:50 pm I would like to write about the three differences in Grout Sealers on the market today. 1. Grout Penetrating Sealers ABOUT: All clear penetrating grout sealers are designed to sit just below the grouts surface and will only repel liquid type stains such as red wine, tea or coffee etc but only if removed from the grout surface straight away by a damp cloth therefore stopping permanent staining in your grout. The same is true for general mopping and when the water gets dirty you need to change the water straight away and dry the floor immediately. Try not to let the dirty water just sit on top of the grout (water evaporates dirt does not) or this will make your white grout discolour in no time. In saying that this is why most tilers will tell you to use grey coloured grout as they are much easier to maintain they come in light or dark greys. The life expectancy of grout penetrating sealers is around 5 years as they do break down after general cleanings. At the end of the day the truth about grout penetrating clear sealers is that it will not stop your grout from looking dirty or discoloured they only stop deep stains appearing hence patchy grout. APPLYING: Before applying a penetrating grout sealer the grout needs to be thoroughly cleaned and dry, I would seal the next day after cleaning. When you apply a clear penetrating sealer you have to make sure you remove any excess sealer from the tile and grout immediately by using a towel to buff off. DO NOT let the sealer dry out as it can turn your grout white. If this happens you will need to apply the same sealer and agitate with a grout brush then use a towel to buff off again. After you have sealed your grout check the next day with some water dropped onto the grout it should bead on top. Remember the beading of liquids will lose it`s tension in 2-5 years depending on what cleaning chemical is used. I recommend a neutral pH 7 floor cleaner to maintain tiles and grout. 2. Grout Wet Look Sealers There is also topical coating sealers for grout and tiles that will give you a wet look (shiny grout) we call them topical coatings most people use this type of wet look sealer for natural stone like slate, sandstone. Please DO NOT use this coating wet look sealer on your grout if you have ceramic or porcelain tiles installed, it will be the worst thing you could do as it does not last and looks awful in 12 months, not to mention the cost on having to buy a stripper to remove it all and it is not easy to remove due to the grout porosity. We have seen this many times in our tile and grout cleaning service we offer in Brisbane and it cost a lot of money and labour to rectify. 3. Grout Coloured Sealers This is hard for me to explain as I sell a grout colour sealing product called Grout Perfect, so I do not want this to come across as being a sales pitch but I would like to point out the differences in grout sealing products available in Australia the need to know. Grout colour sealers last 10 times longer than the above grout clear sealers mentioned. Grout colour sealing penetrates and also sit on top of your grout (topical) and they have been designed to stick to sanded or un sanded porous grout. Grout colour sealers have been manufactured in the USA for over 15 years now and it is becoming very popular in Australia and through out the world. As mentioned above in regards to grout getting dirty you will still have to clean the right way even if colour sealed but it will be so much easier to clean (maintain) then if you had applied a grout clear sealer or nothing else. Colour sealing does not stain at all and you can even leave the staining liquid in the grout over night or even days and you will be able to remove it with a damp cloth no scrubbing is required anymore on colour sealed grout joints. If the coloured sealed grout gets dirty than all you need to do is use a stringer mop to clean the grout then towel dry immediately and it will come up brand new. You cannot do this with un sealed or clear sealed grout. This colour sealing product is not available in the shops this is why I sell it to the DIY market through my website. If you would like to know more about grout colour sealing please feel free to look at my website http://www.groutperfect.net.au I hope all this information helps you out. Craig Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 17Sep 05, 2012 7:51 am Using a steam mop will not effect grout that has been colour sealed but it will effect a grout clear sealer as you may find the water will not bead on top the grout anymore after a certain time. We do not recommend using a steam mop, yes they are alot easier to use but all a steam mop does is release the dirt from the tile and transfer it onto your grout as the steam mop pad fills up with dirt staight away. If you use a steam mop you have to dry the tiles and grout asap try not to let the dirty water just dry out on it`s own. The best and easiest way to clean your tiles and grout is to use a stringer mop you can buy these coloued one at a cleaning supply shop near you and then use a small wet and dry vac to pick up the dirty water. If you do not have a wet and dry vac you will need to use a towel to dry the floor. You can also buy a doodle bug with a pole attached to help dry the floor very easy to do just throw the towel on the floor and use the doodle bug to dry your floor. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Craig Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant???? 18Sep 05, 2012 8:51 pm Hi all, I used a penetrating sealer in my wet areas and kitchen (on white grout). I would recommend not wasting your money on a penetrating sealor. The areas I have sealed look grubby, but the rest of the house (living areas and hallways) are still just as white as when we moved in 9 months ago. I just use a micro fibre mop and keep the water clean. Eventually I'll use a coloured sealor to redo my wet areas so they're white again. I've tried to scrub the grout with bleach but it seems the dirt has stuck to the sealor. Glad I didn't do the whole house! Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 19Sep 06, 2012 8:06 am @Craig - So the trick is not to let water dry on the grout, wipe it dry asap? We have also sealed all the floors (ie. grout). It does help against wet stains penetrating and settling (but I do wipe the spills as soon as I see them). I am not sure if there would be any difference if I didn't seal all grout . But, as I was sealting them, I noticed that the second coat was barely able to penetrate at all because the first coat apparently already did so! So I guess the same happens with spills ... Another thing is the cleaning technique and its frequency. I was initially swiping the floors with soft broom, but noticed that dust gets into the grout lines (which are slightly lower than tiles), so then moved on to vacuuming. I now need to clean the grout because it's gone grey due to ??stuck-on dust?? BTW, please don't clean it with bleach! Unless you are quick and careful, it will discolour your tiles. I use cream cleanser and it works well for me (so far). Selina, what do you mean "they look grubby"?? My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Is it worth it? - covering grout with coating/sealant??? 20Sep 06, 2012 8:35 am selina2106 Hi all, I used a penetrating sealer in my wet areas and kitchen (on white grout). I would recommend not wasting your money on a penetrating sealor. The areas I have sealed look grubby, but the rest of the house (living areas and hallways) are still just as white as when we moved in 9 months ago. I just use a micro fibre mop and keep the water clean. Eventually I'll use a coloured sealor to redo my wet areas so they're white again. I've tried to scrub the grout with bleach but it seems the dirt has stuck to the sealor. Glad I didn't do the whole house! When you say the grout looks great in other areas that is because they are not wet cleaned as often then the other areas that have gone grubby also the grubby areas have higher rates of foot traffic. We see this alot and you are right penertrating sealers are really a waist of time it only stops liquid staining. I only wish the resellers would explain that to the consumer. What I do like about these clear penertrating clear sealers is they always come up great with a high alkaline tile and grout cleaner because their are no patchy stains left afterwards. Craig got it. thanks. I was looking for word ' Adobe' and added filter. all good. 12 14485 Thanks splashers, that makes sense. The waterproofing guy used this Davco product, I will raise the issue with builder and hopefully get resolved with him - if not… 2 12898 Hi everyone, Have just put a shower in the laundry and after only using it 2-3 times have noticed staining on the grout. The tiles were glued onto a concrete wall after… 0 5453 |