How a Grout Sealing Service Gave This Kitchen Floor in Rye, NY, a Fantastic Look

July 20, 2018

Porcelain floor tiles are commonly used for kitchen and other high-traffic areas because of its durability, not to mention the fact that porcelain tiles can be made to look like any material from natural stone to wood planks. For one homeowner in Rye, NY, her kitchen was no exception. The kitchen had beautiful beige porcelain tiles that looked more like marble, but the grout lines were dingy. After trying to clean the grout lines with several products that promised amazing outcomes and seeing no results, she realized there was something else going on. This prompted her to go online and search for answers and possible ways to fix it. She read that these problems often happen because grout is rarely ever sealed by installers and thereby never has any protection from absorbing liquids, especially dirty water from mopping. That is when she decided it was better to look for professional help. She did a local search for Rye Grout Sealing experts and came across our website. Upon browsing the site, seeing the testimonials from satisfied customers and browsing the before and after gallery, she called to set up an appointment to get her floor evaluated.

The Problem with the Client's Kitchen Floor

Sir Grout Westchester's owner, Tim O'Leary, arrived at the customer's house a few days later to perform a free evaluation. He went to examine the kitchen floor to determine what was causing the problem. Due to their light color, the porcelain tiles made the dirty-looking grout lines easily noticeable and the homeowner admitted that the grout lines had been impossible to clean. Tim explained that unsealed grout is like a dry sponge, absorbing any liquids it comes into contact with – most notably dirty mop water – and that most tile installers never seal grout after the floor is laid, thus, the grout can only become stained over time no matter what the homeowner tries to do.

After he finished the evaluation, Tim proposed an effective solution to the problem at hand: a Sir Grout technician would first deep clean the floor to remove all embedded dirt from the tile and grout and then would make the grout look brand new and make it stainproof by applying Sir Grout's proprietary colorsealant in the color of their choice. Feeling reassured, the homeowner agreed to the service and a date was set.

The Grout Sealing Service

The next week Sir Grout's technician arrived to the client's house to perform the restoration. This was a thorough step by step process that had to be carefully carried out. First, the floor was sprayed with a high-alkaline cleaner that the tech let soak into the grout lines for a couple of minutes before being stick brushed by hand to agitate the toughest dirt buildup. Next a high-speed scrubbing machine with nylon brushes went over the entire floor to remove any remaining dirt from the grout as well as deep cleaning any grime from the tiles. After vacumming up all the dirty water residue the floor was ready for the final step, which is the application of our proprietary sealant, ColorSeal. This is a high-quality sealant that is both waterproof and stainproof, protecting grout against grime, dirt, mildew, and mold. It also comes in many desired colors, which in this case was a marble beige as requested by the customer.

The Results

As shown in the before and after pictures, the fresh-looking grout lines drastically changed the appearance of the client's beautiful floor. The homeowner was thrilled with the results and thanked our tech for a job well done.

Tips and Recommendations

To make sure the grout on the kitchen's floor kept looking great, our team made sure to give the customer some maintenance tips before they left. Their main recommendation was to use a pH-neutral, soap-free cleaner on her hard surfaces. This will help keep the surface in top condition. They also suggested wiping away any spills or excessive moisture.

What Makes a Cleaner Safe for Grout?

Some of the products which are advertised as safe for grout can be very harmful to grout lines and tiles. To make sure you choose the product that is right for your surfaces and the fixtures, here are some tips on what to look for when buying hard surface cleaning products:

• Regular grout-safe cleaning products must not be acidic. Even though it is not noticeable at first, strong acidic products can easily wear out the grout lines' sealant and cause further damage. For that reason, it is best to look for pH-neutral cleaners to care for your hard surfaces.


• Make sure the cleaner is soap-less. Soap-based cleaners can leave a soapy residue behind that helps trap dirt. These cleaners can easily ruin the look of your grout lines and tiles alike.


• Make sure it is bleach-, petroleum-, and ammonia-free, as these components tend to damage surfaces over time, including grout. Remember grout is a porous mix that can easily absorb liquid substances if the sealant has worn off.

Here at Sir Grout Westchester, we know that finding products with these properties can be a hard task, so we have our own Sir Grout's Natural Hard Surface Cleaner that is both safe for tile and grout. On top of having the previously mentioned benefits, this cleaner is also enhanced with environmentally-safe ingredients that can help inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms for an extended period of time after it has been applied.

Are You in Need of a Grout Sealing Service?

When looking for grout sealing professionals in Rye, NY make sure to contact us. At Sir Grout Westchester, we always make sure to live up to our customer's expectations. Call us at (914) 592-5902 or fill out the "Request a Quote" form on this website to have your free, in-home consultation today. Also, do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest news and promotions.

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