Before applying sealant to your grout, you need to wash the floor with acid and give it at least twenty-four hours to dry up. If you rush it up before it has thoroughly dried the sealant will not adhere to the grout in the desired manner. Another thing is to satisfy yourself with the looks of the grout, for once sealant has applied then there is nothing you can do to change anything with the grout.

You don’t need many items for carrying this job and in most of the cases every household would have these items except for the sealant that you have to procure from the market. A word of caution here! Buy sealant of good quality. That will last longer than the cheaper variety. Further, it’s always better to buy slightly more that your requirements that can be estimated from the floor area. The excess can be returned to the store and your money be refunded. A quality sealant sells for fifty to a hundred dollars per gallon. Another very important precaution is to have an absolutely clean mustard bottle. Wash it a couple of times to ensure there are traces of mustard left there. You should understand that mustard reacts with grout and could leave stains on your tiles. Here’s the list:

Grout Sealer

Masking Tape

White Terry Cloths

Empty Mustard Bottle

Fill the mustard bottle nearly 3/4 full with the grout sealer. If it were filled beyond that, the sealant would come out a bit too fast for you to handle. You may also adjust the spout to get the needed flow for a comfortable handling of the fluid. You’ll get a feel of sealing after you are done with a couple of grout lines. Don’t be in a hurry, as that will cause wastage of material. Confine you activity to an area of about 30 to 50 square feet, for if you attempt a larger area, you may get dry sealant on a tile and that may be difficult to get rid of with a wet towel. You need to paint both the horizontal and vertical lines and work backwards to avoid getting in touch with the sealant that you have already applied. Practice applying a smooth steady stroke while applying the sealant to the grout and try to remain within the grout lines as far as is possible. Having thus completed the first 30 to 50 square feet, you may start wiping off the excess of sealant from the tiles.

Use a moist terry cloth and start wiping of all excess sealant from the tiles. Move your hand in a circulatory motion over the excess sealant, reaching the area a couple of times to ensure no sealant is left on the tile. Keep wringing your rag frequently before making it wet again. This helps to keep the rag clean. It will be good to keep replacing your rag after every 100 sq. feet. Continue the same way over the next 30 to 50 sq. feet till you finish the entire floor. Keep in mid that it takes three to five days for the sealant to dry up completely. So, don’t use wet mop for that period.

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The first and most important thing is to clean the floor the right way. You have to make sure that there is not dirt or mildew left in the grout, or it will make problems for you. Especially mildew, that will continue to spread around. There are different techniques and grout cleaners used, so it is up to you to pick one of them.

What you need to keep in mind is the strength of the cleaner you will be using. Some of them are too strong for your floor and may damage it, so make sure to read the instruction even before you buy one of them. They will have the instruction that will tell you on what type of flooring the chemicals can be used. Also, you will see how many minutes should you leave that grout cleaner to work. This means that you will have to let the chemicals soften the dirt and grime, and push it upwards. Then it is your turn to do some work. Use water and clean the dirt entirely, but do not scrub it with brush. It may damage the tiles and grout. Gently spray the water on it and remove the dirt there.

After you finish with this, you are ready to dry the entire place. Let the air go inside and do the business. You should check the entire floor to see are there any stains left. If there are, remove them too. Apply the cleaner again and repeat the process. Then you will have a perfect surface for cleaning.

If there is any silicone or caulk left, scrape it with a razor. You can always re-grout these parts and make them look decent again. This would usually need to be done around the toilet, in corners and around the tub. Once you scrape all the nasty parts, re-grout them and they will be ready with the rest of the tile floor that you already cleaned from all the mold, bacteria and the dirt.

This is when you are free to apply the grout sealer. You can use spray grout sealer, silicone sealer or anything that you think is best. There are different approaches to apply the sealing, but lets talk about that in some other post. For now, you know how to prepare the tile floor for successful sealing.

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The purpose of sealing grout is to make it water and mildew resistant, and to help keep out dirt. Many mosaic articles and books say you must always seal grout. I don’t always agree. In my opinion, indoor wall-hanging mosaics displayed in dry environments don’t need sealing. I simply don’t bother because my indoor wall hangings don’t get wet or dirty. However, indoor mosaics exposed to dirt and moisture (e.g., tabletops and backsplashes) should, indeed, be sealed.

Grout on all outdoor mosaics should always be sealed for maximum protection from dirt and weather.

There are two basic types of grout sealers: 1) Penetrating, and 2) Membrane forming.

Penetrating Sealers: These sealers soak into the grout and leave deposits when the base liquid evaporates. The deposits, typically latex or silicone, fill the voids in the grout, which then helps the grout resist dirt, grease, and liquid. Penetrating sealers usually don’t change the grout color, except to slightly darken it. Higher quality sealers typically result in less grout discoloration.

Membrane-forming Sealers: These sealers don’t soak into the grout; instead, they stay on the grout surface and harden, usually to a glossy finish (i.e., they form a thin membrane on the grout surface). Membrane-forming sealers are typically used in grout dyes to purposely change the grout color.

Note that sealers don’t provide 100% protection in all conditions. Read product labels carefully under the heading of “Limitations” and you’ll notice that they typically say “repel” or “resist,” which aren’t the same as “provides complete protection.” Don’t expect sealers to prevent staining in all circumstances.

I prefer a high quality penetrating grout sealer on my glass mosaics. My favorite is TileLab SurfaceGard Penetrating Sealer made by Custom Building Products. It’s water based, easy to apply, cleans easily off glass tesserae, and repels dirt, water, oil, and stains. I apply it to my mosaic tabletops and trivets using a soft paintbrush to spread it over the entire surface. Two minutes later after the sealer soaks into the grout, I use paper towels to wipe excess sealer off the glass tesserae. Then, after another two minutes, I use a clean towel to buff off any remaining residue. If you wipe the sealer off the tesserae within a few minutes after applying it, there’s usually no problem with it dulling or damaging the glass.

Although the product label recommends two coats, I tested it and found that one coat is usually enough for my indoor mosaic tabletops and trivets. When first trying the product, I let the sealer dry for two hours and then applied a drop of water to a grout line. The water beaded instead of soaking in, indicating the grout was adequately sealed. So, I use only one coat for my indoor mosaics that need stain and water resistance. However, for all outdoor mosaics, I always apply two coats.

It’s important to wipe off excess sealer from glass tesserae within a few minutes of applying it. Don’t risk the sealer dulling your glass with a residue that may be impossible to remove if left to thoroughly dry. Also, when using grout sealer, don’t forget to take proper safety precautions. Read and follow the product label.

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