DIYbanter - View Single Post - Sealing grout lines on ceramic tile floor

krw

In article ,
says...
Thanks for your input Mark. I appreciate the response from both you and
Keith. You may have different opinions (both of which are valid) and I
learned something from the two of you who have more experience than me.

I'm certainly not a pro; only tiled one house (2.5 baths, laundry,
and a couple of closets). The reason I prefer to paint the lines
is it uses less sealer and makes the cleanup simpler. I don't find
it any harder to do. My Jacuzzi tub surround (though 6" tile) may
have taken ten minutes for each coat and another ten to clean the
tile after.

Do you wipe up the residue right after application?

the directions should be on the bottle. I generally go over the
entire floor and then come back to wipe up the excess. Wait a half
hour or so and repeat. IIRC the directions on the bottle I used
said to do it until the stuff no longer is absorbed into the grout.

If the silicon dries on the glazed tile will it still wipe off easily?

I've never had any trouble. A ScotchBrite pad is a good cleaning
abrasive (will even take grout off tile). It won't hurt the glaze
on the tile but will take anything else off it. Just don't use it
on the grout (the tile should be higher than the grout).

Will wiping excess silicon off the grout lines be okay?

After it's done soaking into the grout, yes. You'll see the
difference. At first it'll soak right in, then a lot slower. Let
it sit a while then wipe it up (check the directions).

How quickly does the grout absorb the silicon?

At first, pretty quickly. The second coat it may just sit there
for a while. Again, check the directions for the specific product
you're using.

--
Keith