Tile and Grout Sealers

Most people want to protect their expensive flooring investment from permanent tile and grout stains.  Grout, natural stone, and unglazed ceramic tile are especially vulnerable to stains from coffee, punch, wine, grape juice, and the like.  But, stains are not limited to drinks.  Protection is also needed from foods, grease, pet urine, mildew, dirt, oil, and more.  Sealer adds assurance that mishaps will not leave indelible marks, and sealant also makes cleaning easier.  We all know that accidents will happen.  The question is:  Will accidents happen over an unprotected floor?  Some stains require that the marred tile be extracted or the grout be dug out and replaced at the risk of having color match problems or damaging adjoining tiles in the process.  Sealer helps prevent such expensive problems. 

So, how does sealant work?  Our sealants impregnate deep into the pores of the tile or grout.  After filling the microscopic holes, the sealant dries into place thus reducing porosity.  The result is a durable shield that reduces the risk that the surface will absorb future spills.  Sealers resist moisture so mildew is less likely to grow; however, vapor is permitted to escape.  The invisible barrier added by sealant reduces clean up and the grief from discolorations.

Our deep penetrating sealants are made by leading manufacturers in the stone and ceramic industry.  Sealants protect for 2 to 20 years depending on the brand, the type of application, the hardness and texture of the surface, the foot traffic volume, the routine cleaning agents used, and the environmental conditions.  There are two major forms of applications. 

First

, there are sealants designed to seal the whole tile along with the grout.  These sealants are basically mopped onto the entire surface. 

Second

, there are sealants designed to seal only the grout.  Grout sealers are painstakingly applied inch-by-inch to all the grout lines, while wiping up any excess.  We are very careful to make complete coverage.

Sealers can be used on interior or exterior applications of 

• sanded and unsanded grout, 
• stone (e.g., marble, granite, travertine, quartz, slate, limestone, sandstone, onyx, etc.), 
• unglazed ceramic (e.g., Mexican Saltillo or quarry), 
• glazed ceramic, 
• porcelain, 
• concrete, 
• brick, and more.

Sealants are clear and are not surface coatings, but can alter the appear of the floor.  A slight gloss or sheen may be added.  The varying degree of the floor's porosity will influence the amount of sheen.  If a glossy appearance is desired, more sealant can be added.

Sometimes a sealant is a necessary part of the installation of new stone or ceramic if you are having a porous tile installed with a grout that could discolor the new tile.  Sealing is more critical if the colors of the grout and tile are very different.  This process of sealing is referred to as sealing for grout release.

Although our durable sealant may shield your floor, sealants are not a guaranteed prevention.  So, you should still clean up accidents immediately.

Preparations

• The surface must be very clean, especially of loose coatings on the grout lines.  See

  Grout and Tile Cleaning

  for how Wolfe Flooring pressure cleans grout
• The surface must be free of efflorescence
• The tile and grout must be free of moisture for three days prior to sealing.

Follow-up Activities and Initial Maintenance

• A second application of grout colorant may have to be applied depending the sheen requested (if any) and the porosity of the tile and grout.  The objective is to have fluids not soak into the surface, so testing can be easily done with a drop of water.
• Do not walk directly on grout lines until dry which usually takes about 1 hour.  Drying time varies from 45 minutes to 3 hours.
• Mopping may be needed to remove slight smudges.
• Never clean grout lines with solvents, ammonia, acids, or bleach.