I had a tile floor put down in the bathroom?

Question

and didn't seal the floor or grout. Now they are dirty, how can I clean them so they look new, then seal it? I have grout sealer, do I need to seal the tiles also, they look to be sort of porous?

Answer 1

I work for a manufacturer of tile and stone setting materials.

Try this, before renting the steam cleaner: wash it down with SoftScrub and a stiff brush. 90% of the time, this will bring your grout and tile back to original color.

Sealing the tile: ignore previous answers. Yes, you want to seal your tile, also. Even porcelain tile, whose porosity is less than 1/2 of 1%, needs sealing. All tile wicks moisture... best to keep it on the surface.

Plus, sealing the entire surface is a whole lot easier than masking your grout joints... and will provide a uniform look.

Answer 2

either the tile cleaner or steam cleaner already mentioned previously will work fine.
if you have a porous tile such as travertine or tumbled stone, it will need to be sealed as well as the grout. depending on traffic and the brand of sealer, i would recommend resealing it every couple of years. if stains can penetrate, so can moisture. moisture is unsealed tiles worst enemy.

Answer 3

I made that mistake in my kitchen. Rent a steam cleaner to clean the grout...it works really well. The tiles don't need sealer, just the grout does.

Answer 4

At Home Depot, there is a grout cleaner, you apply and wipe off. We used stain resistant frout for this reason when we did our bathroom but the cleaner does work well. When you seal it, make sure to apply lots of sealant and it wipes off the tiles themselves. You do not need to seal the tile, they should be fine.

Answer 5

Rent a steam cleaner. They work great for this. The tile don't need sealing.