3 Things You Didn’t Know about Grout Sealing

Grout may live in those tiny lines between your tile, but it plays a big role in the health of your tile and the surrounding area. Without healthy grout, your tile would be compromised, as would the subfloor, walls, and the insulation, depending on where the tile is. By keeping your grout healthy, you protect your home and your pocketbook.

Sealing your grout is one of the best things you can do to protect it, besides investing in professional Mesa tile and grout cleaning once or twice a year. Here are three things that you might not know about grout sealing:

Sealing Extends the Life of the Grout

Grout may seem solid, but it’s not. It’s actually quite a porous substance, and it is brittle. Dirt can settle into those tiny pores, and it can be impossible to get it out. The grout in your shower can soak up to a quart of water every time you bathe. Over time, mold, mildew, and other bacteria can spread and establish a colony in your shower.

By sealing the grout, you create a protective layer that keeps all that stuff on the surface. You don’t have to worry about debris or bacteria breaking down the grout from the inside. The grout will remain in tact and will hold up for much longer.

Sealing Keeps Dirt Out

No matter how often you sweep or wipe down your tile, dirt and grime will settle into the grout. The only way to keep it out is to seal the grout. Sealer fills up all those tiny holes so there’s nowhere for the dirt and water to go. It has to stick to the surface of the tile, where you can easily sweep or wipe it away.

Sealing makes your tile floor cleaning and maintenance a lot easier. It also prevents staining and makes the space more sanitary (no hiding spaces for bacteria!).

Sealing Prevents Further Damage

The grout does a lot more than accent the tile and make it look good. The grout also protects the tile, the subfloor, the underlayment, and other materials from damage. If you have a tiled counter top, the grout protects the cabinets, the walls, and the electrical work. If you have a tiled wall or backsplash, the grout protects the drywall and the insulation. The reason is that when the grout breaks down, water and debris has a free pass to travel through to the materials on the other side of the tile.

Once water damage spreads beyond the tile, you are looking at serious repair bills. You will have to have the tile removed, and you will have to get a contractor to rebuild structural components of your home. Then you’ll have to have the tile re-installed. You could be looking at thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs, depending on how far the damage has spread.

Scheduling Grout Sealing

You can certainly apply your own grout sealer. You just have to go to a home improvement store to buy the sealer and any necessary tools to apply it. Most sealers just spray on. However, tile professionals don’t recommend that you apply sealer yourself. If the tile is not properly prepared, the grout may not adhere well, and if you make any mistakes in the selection or application of the sealer, it won’t offer the protection you think it does.

Typically, the recommendation is that you get grout sealing by established professionals once a year. Ideally, you would schedule a professional tile and grout cleaning near Mesa to get out any grime before you seal. That would be followed up by sealing to protect the clean (and like-new) tile. The professionals will choose grout sealer by the type of grout and tile you have, and they will use the right tools for proper application.

Arizona Stone Care offers thorough tile and grout cleaning for your floors, counter tops, backsplashes, and more. We specialize in stone care, and we choose the right cleaning methods and tools to get the best results while also protecting the stone. Whether you need natural stone floor cleaning in Mesa, tile and grout sealing, or other tile cleaning, we can help. Call us in Arizona to make an appointment for your tile floor cleaning or other tile cleaning.

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Arizona Stone Care

Phone: (559) 660-6002