Tips keep grout clean, safe

Last week, I received a call from a very nice lady by the name of Betty. She said they were building a new home and just finished installing new tile. She said the tile installer insisted the grout did not need to be sealed and wanted to know what I thought. I thought I would share with you, the reading audience, my comments.

This is a big issue in the tile industry despite the large amount of information available. The Tile Council of North America and the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation plus most tile manufacturers highly recommend sealing grout after its application.

Light-color latex-modified grout should be sealed twice because its light color is more susceptible to stain or becoming dirty. As far as sealing the tile, all natural stone should be sealed. To my knowledge, the only time that sealer can hurt tile is when excessive puddling occurs and is left to dry.

Sealer can be applied with a brush or sprayer, then toweled off the tile to remove excess residue.

Using the correct sealer is very important. In most cases, the sealer should be an impregnator sealer. This type of sealer is used to seal the pores of the tile or stone by penetrating the pores and then blocking them fromm the inside to the outside. These sealers stop moisture from penetrating the surface of the tile; however, it allows the moisture vapor to escape from the tile. When the sealer dries, it goes back to the natural looking state. If you want the tile to look shiny, an enhancer can be applied.

Copy written by Edmond E. Madan, certified forensic, fire, flood, mold inspection and remediation contractor. Ed is the chief executive officer of Northwest Executive and Environmental Services, LLC.