Can we talk about how grout sealer is basically a scam for most bathrooms?

Looked into it after my new shower grout started darkening after 3 weeks. Turns out most modern grouts have sealant mixed in from the factory. Found a thread from a tile contractor in Ohio who tested 10 brands. Only 2 actually needed extra sealer. I put $45 worth of sealant on grout that was already sealed. Wasted a Saturday too. Who else has been suckered into this?

3 comments

3 Comments

rileyprice12d ago

Wait, wait. Hold on. The grout already has sealant in it from the factory? I spent a whole Saturday with a tiny brush and a bottle of that stinky stuff, and my knees still hurt from kneeling on the bathroom floor. I bought a whole kit with a sponge and a special applicator, probably $60 total, and I bet the grout was fine the whole time. That tile contractor in Ohio needs to shout this from the rooftops, because I feel like an absolute fool right now.

ericcraig12d ago

Yeah, I read something about this a few weeks ago on a home improvement blog. They tested a bunch of those "pre-sealed" grouts and found that the factory sealant barely holds up to moisture. So your Saturday might not have been totally wasted.

brooke_taylor447d ago

Oh man, I felt that knee ache just reading this. $60 for a kit and a whole Saturday of stinky fumes, only to find out the grout was already sealed? That's like buying a pre-washed salad and spending hours scrubbing each leaf by hand. I guess at least you can be sure it's double sealed now, right? That factory stuff probably wasn't going to last anyway, so maybe your knees sacrificed themselves for science. Your bathroom floor is probably the most waterproof spot in the whole house now.