[gomsiepop]

I would like to find a licensed, bonded company that not only cleans tile but also colors the grout for floor tile and seals it permanently. I purchased my home brand new as a spec home two years ago. Within the past couple of years the grout on my tiles has become very discolored. I called one company to come to my home and give me an estimate. He's a Village resident (although according to his address the Sumter County records do not list him as the owner of his home so I can only assume he's a renter). Do any other homeowners have a good experience to tell me about a contractor who does this type of work? Thanks so much for any information you can give me.

[Challenger]

Originally Posted by gomsiepop

I would like to find a licensed, bonded company that not only cleans tile but also colors the grout for floor tile and seals it permanently. I purchased my home brand new as a spec home two years ago. Within the past couple of years the grout on my tiles has become very discolored. I called one company to come to my home and give me an estimate. He's a Village resident (although according to his address the Sumter County records do not list him as the owner of his home so I can only assume he's a renter). Do any other homeowners have a good experience to tell me about a contractor who does this type of work? Thanks so much for any information you can give me.

Save yourself a lot of money and frustration. Go to Lowes-home Depot and buy Grout Stain. comes in various colors to match your floor. You can install it your self , but it takes some time . IMHO tile cleaning is a big waste of time and money. Have used this product in three homes now with excellent results. In our current home we used the stain 5 yrs ago and it still looks as if we just applied it.

[mulligan]

If someone tells you they are sealing your grout permanently, run away. All sealants require periodic re-application. The only scrubbable non-fading grout is the epoxy type. A lot of tile installers will not use it, and it is relatively expensive.

[HiHoSteveO]

Originally Posted by gomsiepop

I would like to find a licensed, bonded company that not only cleans tile but also colors the grout for floor tile and seals it permanently. I purchased my home brand new as a spec home two years ago. Within the past couple of years the grout on my tiles has become very discolored. I called one company to come to my home and give me an estimate. He's a Village resident (although according to his address the Sumter County records do not list him as the owner of his home so I can only assume he's a renter). Do any other homeowners have a good experience to tell me about a contractor who does this type of work? Thanks so much for any information you can give me.

I can't help you with a contractor name to do the work for you, but this may be a good place to share my recent experience for DIY people.

I have the same age house and the shower floor grout was looking dirty in areas. Various cleaners and scrubbing weren't working well.
The tiles themselves were also getting dirty looking in the center area of shower even with regular cleaning.

I finally found a way to clean them.

1) The tiles themselves cleaned up surprisingly well by using baking soda and vinegar. A lot of it. Worked around and scrubbed in and left it to stand for over a half hour and kept wet with more vinegar. Rinsed well.

That method worked on the tiles but not the grout.

2) Next used Oxiclean and water (a lot of Oxiclean) also worked around with a scrub brush and kept wet for a half hour or more. Plugged the drain with a rag to keep the mixture from going down the drain.
With the exception of a couple of small spots the grout now looks great again. Next time will hopefully take care of them too.

Vinegar and baking soda for the tiles. Oxiclean for the grout. Worked for me.

Cost at Walmart, 4 Lb box of baking soda and a gallon of cleaning vinegar was under $6. Tub of Oxiclean powder was under $10. All enough for several more cleanings.