What does tile sealer do

After the grout has fully cured, which is about 3 days, a second coat of sealer should be applied. This will seal the grout as well as re-seal any areas that the sealer wore off during the grouting process. If there is any excess grout or grout haze that needs to be removed, you can do so with Miracle Heavy Duty Cleaner Acid Substitute.

Tile sealant should be reapplied as needed. The easy way to tell is to put some water on it. If the water forms a droplet and rolls around then the surface is sealed. The rule of thumb is about every year but this depends on the surface. How much traffic does the area see? Higher traffic areas like floors may need to be sealed sooner where as a tiled wall may only need to be sealed every other year. The best way to know is the water test.

They get sick of cleaning it and start looking for an easy fix. Usually, they're told they should have sealed the grout the first time but that they can apply a sealer now. Or they can apply a surface grout colour to mask the dirt. Who wouldn't be confused? Go to any hardware store and you'll find all kinds of products marketed to protect and seal grout. Check your Yellow Pages and you'll find all kinds of guys listing grout-sealing or grout-colouring as one of their services.

A lot of the time, your own contractor doesn't know the right answer. Grout is porous and will absorb liquids that are spilled on it. Light-coloured grout on the floor will show dirt. You can't get around that.

So a lot of people think a clear sealer will make grout more resistant to moisture and make it easier to clean. Sealer soaks into the grout and supposedly makes your tile and grout waterproof.

People who want to sell you grout sealer will tell you it keeps it easier to clean, and helps prevent mildew from growing. In my opinion, grout needs to be able to breathe, so that any moisture that gets in behind your tile is able to escape. When using a non-slip floor sealer you need to expect that reapplication may be required often and a new cleaning problem can be created.

Thirdly, the ultimate solution is to re-tile with a suitable tile or surface for the application. Genuine ceramic floor tiles do not stain, so sealing will not improve stain protection. Sealing of grout however may be a good decision that will help you reduce floor maintenance. Using a product like Pro Seal Ultra is ideal for grout. Ceramic floor tiles are very durable and difficult to damage. All ceramic floor sealers are softer than the actual ceramic tile.

That means a sealed ceramic tile surface will damage faster in comparison to the bare tile. It will also need more maintenance to achieve a consistent look.

Protective coatings are also referred to as sacrificial coatings. They are there to do a job and be reasonably easy to repair and replace while protecting the original surface. Sealers or coatings do not adhere or stick well to ceramic floor tiles.

Even if you can find a sealer to adhere to the surface, it will most likely peel or wear very quickly, usually in months. A sealed ceramic floor tile requires more work and cost to maintain and clean than the bare tile itself.

This is because the sacrificial floor sealer coatings are softer and will be more affected by traffic, spills and day to day wear and tear. This means regular repair and replacement of the sealer will be required.

While many people try, very few people succeed in sealing ceramic floors and getting the results they want. Even when in the few cases a floor sealer is successfully laid it almost never lasts and expectations are disappointed. Everyone who tries to seal ceramic floor tiles has very good reasons for doing so, but whether they do it themselves or have a professional complete the work, the same problems come up time and time again. Floor sealers that act as a protective, easier to maintain coating over a floor have their place.

In fact, XO2 has been responsible for supplying floor sealers that have covered over 1 million square metres of floor surfaces. We believe in floor sealers used in the right application for the right reasons.

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