Grout Sealing

Details below of a Quarry Tiled kitchen floor we were asked to deep clean in the town of Grimsby which is well known as a fishing port. The Quarry tiles were looking dull and tired, there was some staining to the grout all of which is quite typical of the wear and tear you would expect in a kitchen.

Quarry tiles are made from clay, which is porous, so unless protected by a sealer they will start to absorb dirt into the pores and once that happens, they will discolour and become difficult to clean easily. Grout is a similar story, being cementitious the top layer is rough and attracts dirt which over time causes it to go dark.

Cleaning Kitchen Quarry Tile and Grout

Sealers wear down in the busiest parts of the floor first and adding a new sealer on top of an old sealer can result in a very patchy appearance. As a result, it’s always best to strip off the original sealer first.

My method for renovating the floor started with the application of a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which was sprayed onto the Quarry tile and Grout and left to soak in for about ten minutes. The solution was then scrubbed into the tile with a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad.

The grout also need attention, unfortunately we don’t have a machine that will get into the grout lines so this had to be manually scrubbed by hand using a grout brush, which as you can imagine took some time to do. The soiled cleaning solution was then rinsed off the floor and removed using a wet vacuum.

The Quarry tile and grout was then inspected and further spot cleaning performed where needed until I was satisfied the floor was as clean as it could be. Once done,
the floor was rinsed thoroughly, dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and then left to dry off overnight.

Sealing Kitchen Quarry Tile and Grout

The next day work started by checking the moisture readings in the tile using a damp meter. It’s not a good idea to apply a sealer to a damp floor so it’s always a good idea to check first.

The readings were good so I started with the application of the first coat of what would be six coats of sealer. I find Tile Doctor Seal and Go is the best choice for sealing Quarry tiles which provides stain protection to the quarry tile and grout and leaves a nice deep low sheen on the tile surface. Additionally, being water based it doesn’t give off an odour as it dries.

The result was a complete transformation, the colour of the Quarry tiles was improved enormously and the grout lost its dark appearance. The floor looked like a new installation and my client was very happy with the result as you can imagine.

For aftercare cleaning I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner, it’s a gentle but effective tile and grout cleaner that won’t impact the sealer which is the problem with most of the products you find in supermarkets which are simply too strong for use on a sealed floor.

 

Professional Quarry Tiled and Grout Renovation in Grimsby