Most grout that is in your bathroom, shower, toilets, and kitchen are cement based and porous. Most builders and contractors don’t bother actually sealing your grout, which means that the grout will actually be absorbing any liquid that gets on it. The types of moisture that it will absorbing will be:
- Water
- Soap
- Body Oils
Of these, the body oils are by far the most common caused of discolouration of your grout lines.
There are a few ways that you can help to prevent staining or discolouration of your grout lines. Your first option, recommended by Mike Holmes, is to tint your grout so that it matches the tiles, and thus hides any discolouration. The other option is to seal your grout …
There are two types of grout sealers that you can use:
- Surface Barrier Sealant
- Penetrating or Impregnator Sealant
Your surface barrier sealant does just what it says, it create a barrier that sits on top of your grout. This type of grout sealers is generally easier to work with than a penetrating barrier, but it is not as effective, and requires regular reapplication.
A penetrating sealant soaks into the pores of the grout to form a barrier against any moisture getting into, and behind the grout. Although it requires more work to apply, and generally costs more than a barrier seal, it is generally considered to be the best option for most uses. This is why we are using a penetrating sealer in our bathrooms.
Having a look at the Bunnings web-site shows us five different types of penetrating grout sealer. They are:
- DTS Heavy Duty Grout Sealer
- Diggers Sealant Showercoat
- CPC Shower Plug Sealant
- Davco Tile & Grout Sealer
- Bondall Tile & Grout Sealer
There are a few different types of grout sealer that you can get, including water based and solvent based sealers. Of those options, the solvent based sealers seem to be your best option. Right away this eliminates two of the five sealers that Bunnings offers …
Of the three products that are left I really can not find any difference between them, other than the price. They vary from:
- $12.00 for 500ml of the Davco Sanitized Tile @ Grout Sealer
- $18.00 for 500ml of the Diggers Showercoat
- $46.50 for 220ml of the CPC Sealant Shower Plug
No matter how much I read, I can not justify the extra cost of the CPC Sealant Shower Plug product. It looks like it’s a penetrating solvent /silicone based sealer, just like the other Davco and Diggers products.
With all of that in mind, I recommend the Davco Sanitized Tile & Grout Sealer, and will most likely be using that one to seal the shower stalls in our bathrooms…
Looks like I’ll have to stock on some of that tint and remover in my storage room. My wife is always comlaining about how difficult it actually is to get rid of the mould that grows in the grouting and all the dirt that accumulates there. However, I don’t think that tinting really solves the whole hygeine issue with it. Best is to make sure that you’ve got the proper chemical treatment in storage so you can tackle the issue better!
Hmm… most plumbers will help you do a sealant if you ask them to, but trust me that it costs a lot more to do it then it does to do a proper clean of your bathrooms and kitchen tiling yourself once in a while! It really doesn’t take that much effort and honestly, with products like this on the market, there’s not really much to worry about. Short of having to repair the general area, save your money and just do the house work!
I’m going to have to agree with Edward on this. If you’ve got your grout installed properly then it doesn’t matter what colour paints you have in storage, all that dirt and grime and germs and what have you are just going to be trapped underneath it all. Better to have a chemical wash or heavy industrial clean every few months to be safe.
I am quite confuse with the types of Sealants…….. every kind of sealant has their difference purpose, sometime i just don’t know which kind of sealants i should choose…. They include #SiliconeSealant #PolyurethaneSealant #msPolymerSealant, etc……. Be frankly, I don’t really know what is the differences……..
Has anyone tried the Monarch Mini sealants? Ive been told that they are easy to use and are great for difficult to reach spaces.
Thanks Bill for the nice article. I was really worried about
my bathroom and the grout. I have started my bathroom remodeling wherein I
found your article regarding the sealing of grout. Because f your article now I
am aware of the products to be used to seal the grout. I would like to know
which the better one is while comparing water based and solvent based sealers. Guide
me to use the better one.
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Well, you learn every day… I’m very much keen to try this http://www.bunnings.com.au/sealant-shower-plug-220ml-can_p1585225. I don’t think I saw it in New Zealand Bunnings. I hope I’m wrong and I’ll take another look, now that I know what to look for. This thing might prove very, very helpful in my work. Thanks.
Great article, wish I had read it before my husband spent a fortune on one of the sealers you mentioned. He did the whole bathroom per the instructions and as it dried the white grout has greyed and the tiles with crazing look terrible now. The look like dirty cracks. We are devastated and cannot think of what to do, other than to start again.