Grout, Its Problems and How to Deal
Tackling grout’s beauty, hygiene, structure and maintenance can be a pain. This delicate material is used to join two tiles on floorings, walls or countertops. But, it is made from cement and sand and hence is permeable. As it absorbs water, it frequently stains and deteriorates. Furthermore, mold and mildew love to breed on a damp grout surface. This blog will explain to you why grout is important, how you should clean it and seal it further to protect it.
Grout is often the most ignored part of your house maintenance. But, if you do not ensure that the grout is free from mold, this mold will quickly spread to the tile surface and make it dirty again. Furthermore, only cleaning the tile will not give you a thoroughly clean and sanitized surface. A well-maintained and clean grout enhances the beauty of your tile by manifold.
Why does Grout get Dirty so Often?
Grout is a delicate structure made from sand and cement, hence it is very porous. It tends to absorb water splashes, spills from food and beverages and even the dirty mop water. As water enters deep inside the pores of the blog, it stagnates there and leads to dense staining. This water also offers excellent breeding ground for mold and mildew to breed. To prevent these issues, you need to use a grout sealer to seal the surface and to make it waterproof, so that it does not absorb any moisture or liquid.
Other Problems with Grout
Apart from getting stained and dirty often, it also goes missing in some places and easily cracks. Once it cracks, it can loosen the joint of the tiles and also form rough edges that may hurt anyone walking barefoot. Furthermore, the spaces where grout goes missing, easily accumulate water, thereby leading to mold breeding. All these issues with grout are quite common. To prevent these, you need to follow a proper cleaning, repairing and sealing procedure.
Another problem with grout is that it fades and weakens on using acidic cleaners. Most cleaners available on the market today have high acid content, that fades the grout color or discolors it. For example, if you have color-sealed your grout in a gray shade to match your gray colored tile, an acidic color can make the gray grout color appear white and patchy. This will ruin the appearance and beauty of your flooring.
How to Deal with Grout Problems?
If you have installed new grout, then the only way to prevent dense staining and grout cracking is to seal the surface after installation. A good quality grout sealer should be made of epoxy/resin, so that it can seal the surface, make it strong and waterproof. Such a grout will not absorb water and will therefore, not get stained or welcome mold breeding. Do not use a water-based grout sealer, as these will wear off easily, making your grout vulnerable to stains and mold occurrence again.
If your grout is old and damaged, you can consider hiring a professional grout cleaning service. They will first clean your grout with a good quality grout cleaner that is also permeable. Such a cleaner with a penetrative action can easily knock off mold and stains at the root level. Next, they use powerful adhesives to repair damaged grout. Such adhesives can also be color-shaded in your desired grout color. Lastly, they seal the grout using a strong grout sealer, thereby making the grout water-resistant.
You too can perform grout restoration yourself, but, you need to purchase quality products so that you get the best results. Performing grout restoration needs to be done patiently and in a step-by-step procedure.
