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Do you all seal your grout?

15 years ago

Our backsplash tile was just installed (it is very light) and our tile installer said it is a waste of time to seak the grout but I am worried about it being in the kitchen and being a light color that maybe I should...any thoughts on whether or not it is necessary?

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Comments (2)

crazyhouse6
15 years ago
I was told that our kitchen backsplash was sealed, but have a call in with both the builder and the tiler to confirm it. None of our bathroom tiles were as I found out over the weekend. I spilled a glass of red wine on the master bath floor. No problem getting it off the tiles (once I picked up all the shattered glass), but the grout was another story. It was terrible. First it was black (on a linen colored grout) then I turned it orange. I tried every grout remedy I could find online and nothing worked. I ended up using a bleach pen and it looks fine now. I will definitely be sealing it. I was told this morning that they only seal the grout if it's on a tile that needs to be sealed. Otherwise they just don't bother because it needs to sit for 7 - 10 days once the grout goes in before you seal it.

(BTW - It was after the kids got out of the tub and were dancing around, but of course it was me that knocked it over. I should have known better, but never thought about the grout staining.)

Can someone also give recommendations for sealants? Thanks.
overlyoptimistic
15 years ago
It depends on the grout. Epoxy grouts (e.g., Spectralock) don't need sealants. Cement based grouts should be sealed. There are two categories on sealants-- solvent based or water based. The former is "better" according to many, but people report it being high VOC and terribly smelly. I used a water based sealant from Stonetech. They will send you samples so that you can test it before you buy. I used the HeavyDuty sealer and recall it was about $90 a gallon. So far so good.
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