Seal Ceramic Tile Before Grouting

The lines of grout between the tiles in your shower bathroom walls and floor tiles can get grungy and gray after a while.

Seal ceramic tile before grouting.

Seal your tiles not your grout. If you don t. Otherwise you ll seal in dirt and damaged. If you must pre seal apply the sealer according to the product label but in such a way as to keep it off the edges that will need to bond with the grout.

Man made tiles like porcelain or ceramic tiles won t experience this but pre sealing does help if they have little or no existing sealant on them. Before applying a sealer be sure to clean your grout thoroughly and repair any cracks or crumbles in the grout lines. When you grout tile the idea is to fill those cracks between the tiles with a paste that hardens. Then grout anytime after the sealer has dried to the touch.

Herb kirchhoff has more than three decades of hands on experience as an avid garden hobbyist and home handyman. Refresh its appearance by cleaning and resealing. You have to seal natural stone tile before the grout is applied however. That s why cleaning tile joints before grouting is critical to do a good job.

Since retiring from the news business in 2008 kirchhoff takes care of a 12 acre. If this is not done minute particles of grout will sit in the pores and result in a hazy surface appearance. All natural stone tiles polished shiny honed matte or tumbled antiqued are porous therefore sealing before grouting is essential to fill these pores with protective sealer. Published september 19 2008 updated september 19 2008.

That both improves appearances and makes it waterproof but grout doesn t set well if it is applied over a dusty area. In closing as long as you seal and maintain your tiles alongside the grout you can enjoy them for a very long time to come.