Grout, the mixture of cement and additives such as silica and sand that fills the gaps between tiles and holds them in place, has a lifespan of about 25 years. But proper care and consideration can help extend that life and keep grout looking its best.

“If grout is not mistreated it can really last a long, long time,” says Joel Mitchell, vice president of SaniGlaze LLC, Jacksonville, Fla.

Grout often looks dirty because of two factors — its porosity, which allows liquids to penetrate; and its surface texture, which keeps dirt on top, says Russ Magnuson, division manager of Stone Care Solutions at National Chemical Laboratories in Philadelphia. In general the porosity presents more of a challenge than the texture, particularly since things like coffee, wine, cola, urine and mold can easily stain grout.

Royal Services, a building service contractor in Florida, took its clients’ grout concerns so seriously that they created a whole new unit, SaniGlaze, to research and develop a system to restore and maintain grout.

“Our customers didn’t understand why our custodial workers couldn’t keep the tile floors as clean and nice as they could the carpet and other floors,” says Mitchell. SaniGlaze has developed a restorative bonding system that extracts contamination from the grout, seals the grout against further contamination and protects the tile long term.

Such treatments are a good alternative to other finishes because they can stop, or at least ease, the cycle of sealing and stripping a finished or sealed floor.

“Stripping grout is not one of my favorite things to do,” says Glen Franklin, owner of Franklin Floor Care in Snohomish, Wash.

Franklin also recommends looking into multifunctional sealants that will seal both the tile and the grout at the same time. In small areas you can paint it on; otherwise, spray it on, then squeegee it off. Finish off by going over it with a buffing pad.

Ideally, when tile is installed and has cured it, is treated with an impregnator to give it more protection. The impregnator won’t change the look of the tile or the grout and should be reapplied as directed by the manufacturer.

Impregnated grout will repel liquids more easily, or at least keep the liquids from getting deep down into the grout.

Mitchell does not recommend traditional finishes for grouted tile because it is difficult for them to adhere to the surfaces, which can lead to chipping, cracking and peeling.

Ongoing maintenance
After a tile floor is properly protected, it is still important to set up a two-pronged attack to keep it looking its best. By combining daily maintenance with periodical heavy-duty cleanings, any tile floor can maintain its integrity. Daily maintenance cleans up everyday spills while heavy-duty cleaning helps get rid of deep stains, odors and residue.

“That’s the key,” Magnuson says. “They have to clean the floor. A lot of companies are trying to cut back so they’re scheduling floors to be cleaned twice a week instead of every day, but that’s only going to cause trouble.”

Magnuson recommends that, in particular, spills that will stain be taken care of within 12 hours.

“At Yale University, they have fundraising parties in this really nice space every Friday and Saturday night,” he says. “They were waiting to clean the floors on Sundays, but then they were having trouble getting stains out. Red wine was a real problem. It just wouldn’t come out of the grout after sitting for a day or two.”

Clean tile floors with water and a neutral cleaner every day, more often if necessary, based on traffic.

“Every facility, every floor is a little different,” Magnuson said. “It may take some time to decide the best schedule for each area.”

On a quarterly basis, do a heavy-duty cleaning with an alkaline-type cleaner. Never use acid-based cleaners on grouted tile floors.

“It will clean very fast, but it’s also destructive because it’s eating away the cement,” Magnuson said.

Also, find out the history of the floor. If the floor has been treated with a coating, make sure you are dealing with that before you waste time trying to clean stains under the finish. Franklin recommends dripping a few drops of water onto the grout. If it soaks in, the grout likely hasn’t been treated. If it beads up, it has, so strip the coating before cleaning the grout.

“I like to say that a stripper doesn’t clean and a cleaner doesn’t strip, so you have to use both,” Magnuson says.

Caryn M. Gracey is a business writer based in Milwaukee.




POSTED ON: 1/1/2003