DIY guideTile and grout
Clean and seal grout
Scrub the grout clean, let it dry right through, brush on a penetrating sealer, and wipe off the haze before it dries.
- 1 hr to 2 hr
- 8 steps
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8 steps
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Look along every grout line. Cracked, crumbling or missing grout needs a tile pro before anything is sealed.
Scrub each line with a stiff brush and grout cleaner, or warm water with a little dish soap.
Never mix cleaners. Run the fan or open a window.Rinse with clean water and wipe the tiles dry with a towel.
Leave it as long as the sealer's label says, often a full day, with the shower off and the fan running.
Brush a thin coat of penetrating grout sealer along each line with a small brush.
Keep the room aired while you work.Wipe sealer off the tile faces within a few minutes, before it dries to a cloudy film.
Keep water off it for as long as the label says. Then sprinkle on a little water: it should bead on the grout, not soak in.
Cracked or crumbling grout, a loose or hollow-sounding tile, or a soft wall behind it: ask Handyman for a tile pro.
What you need
- A stiff grout brush
- Grout cleaner, or dish soap and warm water
- Penetrating grout sealer and a small brush
- Old towels and a bucket of clean water
Call a pro if
- The grout is cracked, crumbling or missing
- A tile is loose, cracked or sounds hollow when tapped
- The wall behind the tile feels soft
Handyman says: Tiles loose? I'll find a tile pro.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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