How Long Can I Get Away with Sealing My Tile before It’s Time to Replace It?

Sealing your tile is an important step that will help you protect it from the elements that might stain or damage it. The sealant can keep out dirt, water, bacteria, and other contaminants so that the stone remains healthy and continues looking beautiful.

If you are keeping up with the recommended maintenance, you will seal your stone every year or so. You may need to seal your stone more frequently if it is outside and is exposed to harsher elements. Arizona is known for its extreme heats and its monsoons, with their heavy rains and winds, all of which can break down the sealant more quickly.

There is no limit to how much you can seal stone before it starts to reach the end of its lifespan. However, you must know that sealing can’t cover up a problem that’s already there with the stone. You need to pay attention to the signs to know when it’s time to replace your stone. Here are a couple of things that may start happening when it’s time to get new tile:

Cracked Grout

Cracked grout isn’t necessarily a sign that you need to replace your stone tile, but it is a sign that you have a problem, or that you will soon have one. The grout helps protect the tile from water damage, bacteria, mold, and other problems.

If you have cracks in the grout, call a professional to check out the tile and subfloor to make sure that no damage has spread. If all looks well, invest in re-grouting followed by a proper sealing to protect the floors.

Cracked Tile

Sometimes, a tile will get cracked or break because of pressure or because of blunt force, such as having something dropped on it. So a cracked tile is not always a sign that there are more serious problems. However, a cracked tile can also indicate that there is damage to the subfloor or that the tile is starting to age out.

Again, you need to call in a stone professional in Scottsdale to check out the situation. You might be able to just replace the cracked tile, or you might need to consider re-flooring.

Persistent Stains

A good tile cleaner can lift out even the most stubborn stains from your stone. Professionals have the right tools and materials to get out years of staining and make the tile look like new again. But they can’t work miracles, and if the stains won’t come out, you may need to consider replacing the tile.

You can prevent staining with regular sealing and cleaning, as well as periodic professional cleaning. Try to clean stains yourself with the appropriate cleaner, and if you can’t get them out, call in a professional.

Sagging Floors

Sagging floors could be a sign that your tile or grout are failing and water damage has spread to the wood below. If you leave the problem untended, the floor will continue to sag, and your tile will break.

Your tile may be perfectly sound, but if you have to fix your subfloor, you are going to have to replace your tile, too. There’s no way to remove it for the floor without breaking it. You can help prevent damage to the subfloor with proper attention to the grout and sealing.

Taking the right preventive measures, like sealing your stone tile, can help preserve its beauty and extend its lifespan. Proper maintenance can also protect the grout and the subfloor, which can be very expensive to repair if it’s damaged. Just be on the lookout for signs of a more serious problem so that you know when maintenance isn’t going to help anymore and you actually need to replace or repair the floor.

Call the professionals at Arizona Stone Care for the best care for our stone tile floors. We can lift out years of stains so that your stone tile floors or countertops look like new again. They will have a beautiful shine, and their natural color will radiate again. We also offer stone polishing and stone restoration and repair. We work with all types of stone, both inside and outside your home. Call us in Arizona today to schedule a consultation with one of our stone professionals.

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Arizona Stone Care

Phone: (559) 660-6002