Grout Cleaning DIY

If you have never done it before, learning how to grout can be a little bit confusing.  Hopefully, the information in this article will do a good job teaching you how to grout and when to use a grout sealer.

The first thing that you should do is you should remove all of the existing grout, and make sure that the surface that you are going to be putting the grout on is flat and smooth.  You can’t really put grout down on uneven surfaces, so make sure that they are even before you start.  Your next step is to lay down all the tiles.  You want to make sure that they are all aligned and that they’re all evenly spaced.  You want to use tile spacers to help you get all the spacing.  You basically just put all the tile spacers in the corner and that will help you to space your tiles properly.  Also make sure to cut tiles that will go around the edges so that they’re all in place before you start applying the grout.

Before you apply the grout, you should know whether or not to use sanded or unsanded grout.  For grout lines that are 1/8 of an inch or larger, use the sanded grout.  It won’t shrink over time.  For smaller grout lines, use either non-sanded grout or epoxy grout.  The advantage of using epoxy grout is that it is self sealing and it is waterproof, so you don’t have to use a grout sealer.  The disadvantage to using it is that it is a lot more expensive.

After the grout has had a chance to dry, then it is a great time for you to apply a grout sealer to it.  Non-sanded grout will dry in about 2 to 3 days.  Sanded grout may take up to a week to dry.  When it is dry, it  should readily absorb anything that comes into contact with it.  This is the best time to apply grout sealer.  You may want to do two or three complete applications of a grout sealer, or keep on applying until you can no longer apply more.  This way you will know that your grout is completely sealed.  Usually it is not a problem if the grout sealer gets onto the tile, just be very careful when you are sealing non-polished tiles. The usual mode of application is with a bottle brush roller or with a paintbrush.

For more information on how to grout tile, please also read our article, “How to Grout Tile“.

Learn more about grout sealing by reading this very useful post, “Grout Sealers – Sealing Grout“.

We hope you have learned some valuable information in this article. Please feel free to leave any questions you may have on the comment box below.