In short, yes, if you want your grout protected year-round. Grout is porous – think about your grout lines as like sponges all around your floors or backsplashes or showers. Being sponge-like, grout absorbs everything it comes in contact with like dirt, mold, mildew, liquids, debris, and more. That milk you spilled? The grout sucked it up. The mud your kids tracked in. The grout absorbed it. The puddle of pee from your dog? The grout is full of it.

Now, if your grout lines were covered by a grout sealer, the spills, dirt, and so on, wouldn’t absorb into the grout. They would sit on the sealer. The grout sealer protects the grout as it creates a protective seal.

However, if your grout is epoxy grout, it does not need to be sealed. Only cement-based grout should be sealed. Epoxy grout is made up of epoxy resins, epoxy hardeners, and sand/aggregate fillers. Epoxy grout isn’t porous so it will not absorb anything. Epoxy grout is easier to clean than other types of grout. However, epoxy grout is more expensive and harder to install.

A good grout sealer like Grout Shield’s clear grout sealer or color grout sealer repels and stops the penetration of dirt/liquids and also minimizes buildup. You should seal your grout after installation. However, it’s never too late to seal your grout, but if it’s dirty, you’ll need to clean it first with a quality grout cleaner. For tough stains, try Grout Shield’s grout and tile cleaner. You don’t want to seal dirty grout lines, because they will stay looking dirty!

You can tell if your grout needs a grout sealer by doing a simple at-home test. Put a few drops of water onto the grout. Did the grout absorb it? If the water beads, the grout lines have a sealer on them. if the water is absorbed, the grout isn’t protected.

Grout Shield’s color sealer doesn’t just protect your grout, it will give you a brand-new color, as well. There are endless colors to choose from. Color sealer is also great to use if the grout cleaner is unable to get rid of years-old stains.

For more information on Grout Shield products, click our grout cleaning product page, or call toll free at 1-800-631-0716.

The post Is Sealing Your Grout Really Needed? appeared first on Grout Shield | Grout Restoration System | Grout Cleaner.

Grout can make or break the look of room in your home. Dirty grout can make a clean room look dirty and a new room look old. You can scrub for hours and grout can still look dirty – grout is a funny thing like that. Grout is porous, which means once it absorbs all kinds of filth, it can be hard to get that filth out. Regular household cleaners don’t work well when cleaning grout, and many harsh chemicals can wreck and break the grout.

As a grout products company we wanted to share with you some common problems with grout, and what you can do about it to fix it, because grout is everywhere, so you must learn how to properly care for it!

• Grout is porous. It absorbs anything that it encounters from dirt and mud to food and water.
• Grout is hard to clean because it sits lower than the tile surrounding it.
• Grout will darken over time if not properly cleaned and/or sealed.
• Grout is hard to clean.
• Epoxy is the easiest grout to clean because it is the least porous grout.
• Mopping can potentially stain your grout.
• Mops can leave bacteria in your grout.
• Grout is a breeding ground for bacteria.
• Grout can easily be wrecked by steel wool, coarse brushes, acidic cleaners, and bleach.

To sum up, grout is basically hard to clean, but it doesn’t have to be… not with Grout Shield’s grout products. Grout Shield created special grout cleaners that break up tough stains and lift them out of the pores. The Grout Shield Maintenance Cleaner cleans stains in the grout, and it is perfect to use regularly to keep your grout clean year-round. Grout Shield Grout & Tile Deep Cleaner is great at lifting deep stains, especially if you haven’t properly cleaned your tile in a while.

Grout shield also sells grout brushes, and chamois cloths that help easily remove dirt and debris from the grout without wrecking it.

Grout Shield’s grout cleaners can save you a lot of time and money when it comes to cleaning your grout. For more information on Grout Shield products, click our grout products page, or call toll free at 1-800-631-0716.

The post Grout Problems and How to Fix Them appeared first on Grout Shield | Grout Restoration System | Grout Cleaner.

How much do you know about grout? You probably know that it holds tiles together. You may even know it’s porous. If you have grout in your home, you most definitely know it gets dirty, but how much do you actually know about grout? At Grout Shield, we know all about grout (since we create and sell grout cleaning and grout sealing products), so we wanted to share some grout info with you.

• If you are using grout in a high-traffic area, use epoxy grout. Epoxy grout is durable and the most resistant to stains and water damage. Epoxy works great in kitchens and bathrooms.
• If used outside, epoxy grout can easily fade.
• If you want to use epoxy grout, hire a professional to grout and tile the floor or backsplash. Epoxy grout sets fast, so you have little room for error or time to adjust the time or grout.
• Epoxy grout is the most expensive grout.
• Epoxy grout doesn’t need a sealer, but sealing all grout is a good idea.
• Sanded grout is a cement-based grout with sand in it.
• Sanded grout is more resistant to cracking and shrinking
• Sanded grout is good in wet areas, because it is not as slippery.
• Sanded grout is good for grout lines wider than 1/8 of an inch.
• Sanded grout sets slower than epoxy grout.
• Non-sanded grout is good for grout lines smaller than 1/8 of an inch.
• Non-sanded grout is sticky, which makes it good to use on walls.
• You should seal your grout if it is cement-based.
• Dark grout hides stains.
• Dark grout fades easier.
• Dark grout can stain light tiles.

At Grout Shield, we offer any color you can think of to re-color and seal your grout. Click our grout color page to see all your grout color options.

Since grout is porous, it is prone to getting dirty. You’ll want to seal it to protect it from absorbing dirty and liquids. At Grout Shield, we have our clear grout sealer and our color grout sealer that will help protect your grout year-round.

Keep your grout from getting dirty with Grout Shield’s grout sealers and grout cleaners. For more information on Grout Shield products, click our grout products page, or call toll free at 1-800-631-0716.

The post Things to Know About Grout appeared first on Grout Shield | Grout Restoration System | Grout Cleaner.