[Paperboy]

We are moving into a new home next month & will have tile in the foyer, kitchen, master bath & shower stall.
Would U seal the grout in these areas AND IF so what is the name of the product that you use on them. We will be snowbirds, staying 6 mon. per yr..
THANK U!

[Debfrommaine]

Absolutely. I'm sure you'll hear from others but I was told by a tile guy to use a the sealer that comes on a roller. Be very careful not to get the sealant on the tile, and if you do, wipe it off quickly otherwise it will leave a glare. We'll be undertaking the task in two months, too.

[CTgolfer]

We had our tile floors and grout professionall cleaned and sealed. The product they used was an aerosol called StoneDefender Grout Sealer. It can be purchased on the internet. Easy to use. While standing, you can spray the grout only. No problem with any sealer that may go on the tiles. Just be sure to cover the bottom of all appliances so no overspray touches it.

http://www.excelsuppliesonline.com/b...z./4,1016.html

They also have a website: www.stonedefender.com

[Cynbod]

I was advised not to seal the grout until after the end of the first year home inspection. To do so would void the home warranty.

[raynan]

During the first year you may have some grout cracks as the house settles. Not a big deal. You call home warranty and they send a guy out to fix. This happened to several homes in our neighborhood and is quite common. The tile guy told us NOT to seal until the first year is up or it would void the warranty.

[redwitch]

Definitely do not seal while the house is under the one-year warranty. It voids the warranty and if you have any cracks, they will have to be repaired by you.

[TCLaD]

I was told that in all new homes the master showers and bathrooms they use caulking in all the vertical corners of the stalls and around the tub. Our friend just built a new home in St. James and indeed the corners in their roman shower as well as the corners and around the tub in the guest shower were caulked. They had the caulking removed and replaced with grout for $250.

[Pturner]

I read the topic title fast and thought it said Stealing tile grout. I though, sheesh, the beasties have already tired of downspouts.

[mulligan]

Intersecting surfaces (like an inside corner), and joints between dissimilar materials (tile to tub, tile to shower base, tile to countertop) should always be caulked due to different rates of expansion/contraction. Even the best quality grout will crack at these points eventually.

[buzzy]

This is my first experience with sanded caulk in the corners. It's really hard to tell it from the grout between the tiles.