Flooring Tile - GROUT SEALER
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09-06-00, 05:11 PM
WHAT IS THE TOP OF THE LINE GROUT SEALER?
09-08-00, 09:13 PM
Enkoser:
I don't know of any ratings system for grout sealers, so I don't know if there is any knowledge base as to which companies are good, better and best.
I own a small apartment block and my livlihood depends on my bathrooms being mildew free. I could still rent my suites if there was mildew all over them, but I couldn't charge the rent I do and I wouldn't have my choice of tenants, so I like to keep them mildew free. 12 years after doing my first of 23 bathrooms, all my bathrooms are still mildew free, and it's not because my tenants take better care of my property than home owners do of theirs.
I use Ceramaseal grout sealers. Ceramaseal is a division of the european Bostik corporation, which I expect you have heard of. Ceramaseal specializes in grout and masonary sealers for the construction industry. One thing I like about them is that they have a 1-800-523-6530 phone number printed on their products instead of just an "Imported by" sticker, so you can actually phone someone knowledgeable to ask a question instead of relying on the wisdom and experience of the 19 year old at the home center.
For bathroom wall grout, there are three kinds of grout sealing technology. The oldest technology is the old silicone based sealers. I think these should be taken off the market because once you use them you can't remove them and you can't use a better sealer. They're supposed to last about 3 or 4 years.
Ceramaseal's Acrylic Grout Sealers is one step up from the old silicone based sealers. They work the same. That is, you paint them on the grout lines and they form a waterproof barrier between the shower water and the grout. You can remove acrylic grout sealer from the grout to reapply a new coat of it, but I've tried to remove it to apply a penetrating sealer, but wasn't able to get the new sealer to penetrate because the residue from the acrylic sealer was still plugging up the grout pores (I think). Acrylic sealer costs about $12 per pint and I typically replace it in my 22 bathrooms every 6 or 7 years. It erodes from having showers, so if you have baths, it'll last forever, but you don't have to worry too much about mildew if you only have baths either.
THE BEST grout sealers you can get are the penetrating grout sealers. These work by changing the wettability of the grout so that water just beads up on the grout and drips off. Because the sealer penetrates a small fraction of an inch into the grout, it is protected from the eroding effect of the shower and an application of a penetrating type sealer typically will last 10+ years. The way you test to see if the sealer is still effective is by dripping some water on a grout line. If the water seeps in at all, then the sealer is no longer effective. The benefit of using a penetrating sealer is that you don't have to remove the old sealer before applying new sealer. You just keep adding new sealer.
Ceramaseal's Silox 8 protects against both water and oil penetration. Oils, such as sun block and sun tan lotion can stain grout. Silox 8 costs about $52 (Cdn) per pint, so it's as expensive as cognac, but it doesn't taste nearly as good. Silox 220 protects only against water penetration, and costs less as well.
HOWEVER, if you are wanting to seal the grout on a counter top or counter backsplash, I would use the acrylic grout sealer. The reason why is that penetrating sealers don't change the surface roughness of the grout, whereas acrylic sealers leave a smooth easy to clean surface on the grout. Thus, if you schmear cheeze or jello into a counter top that has been sealed with a penetrating sealer, the cheeze is going to get into the porosity of the grout and start to rot there. Whereas, you can clean it off the smooth surface of grout sealed with an acrylic grout sealer.
Hope this helps.
I don't know of any ratings system for grout sealers, so I don't know if there is any knowledge base as to which companies are good, better and best.
I own a small apartment block and my livlihood depends on my bathrooms being mildew free. I could still rent my suites if there was mildew all over them, but I couldn't charge the rent I do and I wouldn't have my choice of tenants, so I like to keep them mildew free. 12 years after doing my first of 23 bathrooms, all my bathrooms are still mildew free, and it's not because my tenants take better care of my property than home owners do of theirs.
I use Ceramaseal grout sealers. Ceramaseal is a division of the european Bostik corporation, which I expect you have heard of. Ceramaseal specializes in grout and masonary sealers for the construction industry. One thing I like about them is that they have a 1-800-523-6530 phone number printed on their products instead of just an "Imported by" sticker, so you can actually phone someone knowledgeable to ask a question instead of relying on the wisdom and experience of the 19 year old at the home center.
For bathroom wall grout, there are three kinds of grout sealing technology. The oldest technology is the old silicone based sealers. I think these should be taken off the market because once you use them you can't remove them and you can't use a better sealer. They're supposed to last about 3 or 4 years.
Ceramaseal's Acrylic Grout Sealers is one step up from the old silicone based sealers. They work the same. That is, you paint them on the grout lines and they form a waterproof barrier between the shower water and the grout. You can remove acrylic grout sealer from the grout to reapply a new coat of it, but I've tried to remove it to apply a penetrating sealer, but wasn't able to get the new sealer to penetrate because the residue from the acrylic sealer was still plugging up the grout pores (I think). Acrylic sealer costs about $12 per pint and I typically replace it in my 22 bathrooms every 6 or 7 years. It erodes from having showers, so if you have baths, it'll last forever, but you don't have to worry too much about mildew if you only have baths either.
THE BEST grout sealers you can get are the penetrating grout sealers. These work by changing the wettability of the grout so that water just beads up on the grout and drips off. Because the sealer penetrates a small fraction of an inch into the grout, it is protected from the eroding effect of the shower and an application of a penetrating type sealer typically will last 10+ years. The way you test to see if the sealer is still effective is by dripping some water on a grout line. If the water seeps in at all, then the sealer is no longer effective. The benefit of using a penetrating sealer is that you don't have to remove the old sealer before applying new sealer. You just keep adding new sealer.
Ceramaseal's Silox 8 protects against both water and oil penetration. Oils, such as sun block and sun tan lotion can stain grout. Silox 8 costs about $52 (Cdn) per pint, so it's as expensive as cognac, but it doesn't taste nearly as good. Silox 220 protects only against water penetration, and costs less as well.
HOWEVER, if you are wanting to seal the grout on a counter top or counter backsplash, I would use the acrylic grout sealer. The reason why is that penetrating sealers don't change the surface roughness of the grout, whereas acrylic sealers leave a smooth easy to clean surface on the grout. Thus, if you schmear cheeze or jello into a counter top that has been sealed with a penetrating sealer, the cheeze is going to get into the porosity of the grout and start to rot there. Whereas, you can clean it off the smooth surface of grout sealed with an acrylic grout sealer.
Hope this helps.