Best Material to Wipe Excess Sealer Off Tile,Grout?

16 years ago

I will be sealing my porcelain tile floor later today or tomorrow. I'm not very neat, so I'm looking for any tips to help this go well!

I have an applicator bottle to put the sealer on. I know I have to wipe excess sealer off the tile as I go and then (1 hour) later wipe off the sealer. What is the best material to use for each of these stages: paper towel, terry towel, (dry?) sponge, rag (i.e. old t-shirt)? Something else?

Thanks and any other tips to help this go well are welcome, too!

My new floor :)

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HU-697160178

3 years ago

Does the rag I use to wipe off excess need to be dry or damp from water?

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Comments (8)

annzgw
16 years ago
I use a paint brush to apply it and old towel/rags to wipe up excess sealer. Be prepared to toss them.........they can't be cleaned!

Most sealers I've used say to wipe off within 20 min, then let dry. If I left any excess for an hour I would end up with a thick grunge that would require a cleaner to get off.
glad
Original Author
16 years ago
thank you, annz. yes, you are right, it is only 10-15 minutes; i got confused with the time between sealer applications, which is at least an hour.
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oldfashionedgirl
16 years ago
I'm with annz--I just sealed my backsplash last week. Used old tshirts cut up to wipe off excess. Make sure you have a good stack of them ready. Once the rag gets too wet, it could spread more instead of wiping up. I went through quite a few (I cut them to a small size to make them easy to handle and to ease my guilt about tossing all of it into the trash.) It was easier than I thought it would be. Good luck!
glad
Original Author
16 years ago
well, i did the first coat and it was not bad at all. but i think it was partially easy because i didn't "apply liberally" enough!so the there wasn't much to "overflow". i guess a floor is easier than backsplash, too, because of gravity!

i will try to go heavier on the 2nd coat. good idea about cutting up the rags - i used an old hand towel and it "whipped around" a bit -- plus i couldn't remember which part i used already! round two in about an hour. thank you both - you gave me more confidence. :)
glad
Original Author
16 years ago
okay, i'm done! i think... i went over the whole floor with towels at the end, but the pattern is so busy it is really hard to tell if there are smears. (i guess that's good.)
kitchen faces east, so the morning sun should show me anything i missed. i assume that is not to late to clean sealer off the tiles if needed? (label says just to apply a little fresh sealer to remove)
annzgw
16 years ago
If your tiles had a glazed finish to start with, you're really just sealing the grout.
Later today or tomorrow, you can take a clean towel and buff it.

It's easy to determine when you've done enough coats of sealer because it'll just sit on the surface and not soak in.

Glad to hear you had no problems!
glad
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, my tiles are glazed; they look just fine today! BUT, boy, can I feel my inner thighs after all of the benging over and squatting I did yesterday while I was sealing. An unexpected side effect. :)

Best Material to Wipe Excess Sealer Off Tile,Grout?

HU-697160178

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Best Material to Wipe Excess Sealer Off Tile,Grout?

HU-697160178

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annzgw

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