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Why You Want To Seal Your Tile Grout!
I am big on Epic Home Improvements Hacks, the small things we can do to improve the quality of our lives and making our homes rival anything we see in Home & Garden magazine.
Top on that list is using a grout sealer to seal my tile grout and making it look as amazing as it can for longer.
Why?
Because a simple yearly application of a quality grout sealer can cut my tile cleaning and maintenance by 50% and ensures that beautiful tiled finish looks amazing for decades, instead of months.
And what if you don’t seal your grout? Well I don’t want to scare you but it can result in it the grout getting so dirty – only hardcore chemicals or even full grout removal and replacement could bring it back to it’s former glory.
Here’s an excerpt from my previous post about grout removal:
If your grout is already dirty, it’s going to take A LOT of work to get it back to normal. Think full rubber gloves and headscarf, overalls and HOURS of scrubbing with harsh chemicals.
No thanks!
I know you are already thinking of running and buying some grout sealer and having at it!
Before you go, don’t forget to read the article – it’ll steel your resolve and make you 100% committed. I highlight the Top 4 Reasons and Benefits of a grout sealer and you might learn a thing or two you didn’t know about grout sealing.
Ready? Let’s go!
Want To Start Grout Sealing Now? Read This!
If you are already sold and want to start grout sealing immediately, I won’t stop you – just give you the tools and guides to help you along your way.
I recommend you buying some Aqua Mix Sealer’s Choice Gold as it’s one of the best grout sealer’s out there right now. I have used it across multiple types of grouts, tiles, and areas in my day-to-day work as a tile setter and love it.
Lasts a long time, is very easy to apply with less harsh smells and the best part – it allows moisture vapor to be released from beneath tiles. So if you are using this in a shower – you won’t get any smells trapped underneath the tiles.
I found a great price for the grout sealer at Amazon – Check it out.
Recommended Reading:
How To Apply Grout Sealer – My detailed guide to applying grout sealer and how to ensure a quality job. It’s how I do it.
Best Grout Sealer’s Buyer’s Guide – My in-depth review of the best grout sealers currently available and which one to choose for which task. Give it a read, I talk about stuff no one else is.
That’s it!
Read up, buy your grout sealants and enjoy your beautifully protected grout!
1 – Prevent Pesky Odors
Here’s one that will have you wrinkling up your nose and reaching for the can of air freshener.
Odors, especially yucky ones like urine can penetrate grout and sit beneath the tile. That lovely ammonia smell will then continue to radiate through the grout and be impossible to remove. Your only choice then will be to removal the grout and we all know we ain’t got time for that!
If you have a home with a lovely doggie or cat, then you definitely want to read this section. Your pet can have ‘accidents’ inside your home, on your beautiful tiles and even if you clean it up immediately, some of that love juice will enter your unsealed tile grout. It’ll then work it’s way through the pores and sit beneath the tile or in the grout.
The liquid will evaporate over time but the ammonia crystals will remain behind inside your grout and underneath the tiles. It simply loves sitting there and no amount of steam cleaning will remove all the crystals that are living beneath the surface.
And while you might not see em, you’ll definitely smell em!
Of course, our fur babies are not the only ones capable of dropping their bodily donations on the floor as our family members can do it too!
Showers and toilet floors are ground zero for this delightful smell and I’m willing to bet you have encountered this in someone’s home or even in your own home! (I hope not!)
What to do about it?
Seal The Grout Of Course!
Like mom always says: ‘Prevention is The Best Cure.’
Every problem can be tackled and overcome early on, before it has a chance to grow, gather it’s forces and attack you with your pants are down.
By sealing your grout while it’s still new, unstained and free of odors is the best way to prevent smelly grout and all other sorts of grow things happening that we don’t want.
You only need to spend a couple hours every year and you will be free of any odors spawning out of your tile grout. Your babies can make all sorts of messes and they won’t cause your tile grout to smell.
I bet you like the sound – and smell – of that!
2 – Easier Maintenance
Cleaning – we all cringe at the mention of that dreaded word but we all do it. You want your home to be clean and tidy and one you can be proud of.
Tiles are well know as being one of the easiest to clean and maintain surfaces available. They are also very desirable and greatly bump up the value of any property. They are tough and on the most part, stain resistant.
The stuff that goes around the tiles – grout – is another matter.
It’s a product made from a variety of sands, cements and magical polymers and all sorts that help it stay strong and retain a color, despite being very thin. The very structure of grout makes it prone to staining and holding moisture, odors, etc because it is porous.
That means that stuff can enter it through it’s microscopic holes and set up shop. And once they are in there, they are very hard to get out.
So when it comes to cleaning your beautiful tiles, you job is quite easy. A regular vacuum and mopping will leave them looking fresh and new again. It’s only until you come to the grout that you got a big problem.
You need to stay on top of the cleaning to ensure your grout does not get damaged beyond repair. Either from stains, or other nasties.
A common problem I find is people allow dirt to build up in grout for too long and that dirt discolors the grout permanently, trouble is, you don’t really have that much time before the grout turns different colors. Instead of cleaning your grout religiously and wreaking your knees with daily scrubbing – seal your grout and say goodbye to those problems.
Now, instead of having to clean daily, you can clean once a week with a quick vacuum and wet mop or a quick wipe of a shower.
How Does A Grout Sealer Work?
A grout sealer is your new best friend if you have tiled floors or walls.
It is a water or solvent based solution which means its a liquid. The liquid is the carrying agent that allows the special polymers and silicones to enter deep into your grout. Once it is applied, the carrying agent will evaporate naturally, leaving the protective agent behind.
This agent creates a layer on top and inside your tile grout, acting as a shield against anything that tries to enter the grout.
Think of it as the moat, guarding your castle that is the tile grout. The draw bridge is up and it ain’t letting anyone through.
3 – Prevent Staining
We touched on this before in this previous benefit – a grout sealer will prevent your grout from staining. And when your grout is stained, it ain’t coming out easy.
I mean full tear out and reapplication.
As you now know, a grout sealer is your best defense against your grout getting stained because it covers the top layer of your grout with a protective shield that does not allow stains to enter or stick to it. The layer in itself may get dirt on it but it’s much easier to clean up and it also won’t stain in any case.
Grout sealing to prevent stains is especially beneficial if you have a light colored grout, like a white, light grey or beige. Cream colors and pastels also apply here.
These grouts are lovely but like a delicate flower in bloom, they are very easy to damage and they show off stains like a proud 5 year-old with a picture they drew.
The same thing applies for black grouts, they will show shampoo and tooth paste stains without the slightest hesitation and removing those stains will be a lengthy process with a scrubbing brush or grout removal tool.
If you have tiles in your dining room or any room where you plan to relax or entertain guests, you should also consider sealing your grout.
Red Wine, the heavenly liquid that so much of us enjoy (just ask my wife) is the number one killer of grout. Grout just soaks it up like a thirsty sailor and proudly shows it off for everyone to see.
Not a good look!
Applying a grout sealant to your grout in those areas with prevent this ever happening and you can go on enjoying those tiles without worrying.
4 – Prevent Mold+Mildew Build-Up
Mushrooms – the gourmet fungi that add so much flavor and texture to a number of prized dishes the world over.
Much loved by many, they are highly popular and come in a large variety for every occasion.
Those varieties grow in a number of locations: dirt, straw, trees – and showers!
Yup, your shower can very easily sprout up it’s own fine selection of mushrooms for you to enjoy. I have seen it myself and it took me a long time to enjoy mushrooms on my pizza again because the memory of it was so haunting.
Showers are a number one place for fungi and mold to grow. Their warm, damp, have plenty of organic matter to feast on (your body oil and dried skin) and grout gives them a great foundation to grow upon.
Feeling qweazy yet?
Of course, in order for a shower to grow mushrooms it has to be very dirty and mistreated, but mildew is much easier to spout up and ruin your bathroom.
Do you know how to prevent it?
Sealing your grout of course!
As you will well know by now – a grout sealer forms a layer on top of your grout it this allows it to stop anything growing on the surface of your grout.
The chemicals in a grout sealer is the last place any mold or mildew would want to grow, meaning that your shower will be a fungi free zone!
Because mushrooms belong in our favorite dishes – not in a showers and bathrooms.S
Conclusion
There you have it!
The top 4 best reasons to use a grout sealer!.
I am sure you have been inspired and have learned a thing or two about the amazing invention that is a grout sealer.
We all want an easier life, one filled with the things we enjoy and spending it with the people that mean the most to us. No one wants to spend that time cleaning or worrying about stains.
For anyone that has tiles in their home, then using a grout sealant should be considered to ensure the long term look and structure of the grout remains original.
So what are you waiting for!?
It’s time to get sealing!
