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| Seal Your Grout / New or Old
Sealing new grout around new tile after it's cured is a must... and it's easy, isn't messy, and doesn't smell. Many contractors skip this step, citing that today's grouts contain enough silicates or other properties that will repel water, but usually it's because they don't want to return 72 hours after the jobs seems finished (the amount of time new grout needs to cure) to do this little thing. With a 2" sash brush, a couple of clean rags, and a latex grout sealer, you can do this yourself. Brush the sealer liberally on the grout lines, leave it to soak for a minute or two (the time it might take you to reach and work on a 2'x4' space) and then wipe all the excess off with a clean rag. Continue throughout the room. That's the first coat: now repeat after about 4 hours (or check the directions of the product you bought: it may be longer or shorter). This time you'll notice that the grout isn't as porous. Nevertheless, use a lot of sealer on the grout and again, let it sit to soak up what it can, and then wipe the excess with a clean rag. Grout is very porous, so sealing it helps prevent staining (anyone who's tried to clean stains from grout knows the value of this). And it will dry up, somewhat so repeating this once a year will ensure that you will have a well-protected tile/grout floor.
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