what do you use and how do you apply it?

i bought the shop brand (CSN) when i did a 2200 sq/ft job a few weeks back... they mix their own...

recomends to spray it w/ a sprayer on the grout lines, let it dwell for a few min then bonnet up... by the end of the job i was just spraying and letting it be and it was drying and did fine... you'll use a little more then if you get a turbo stick or turbo brush and apply it line by line... but it'll take more time...

i'll def stick to doing the spraying method me thinks... need to pick up some bonnets i suppose though haha

mark

You use grout sealer to reduce water tension. The same as a flurochemical on a carpet fiber.

You apply it as the manfacture states on the bottle.

Sealer is by far truly a sealer in the sense you would think. Basically the sealer penetrates into the pores of the grout. This creates surface tension causing liquids to stay suspended on the grout surface for a period of time. Thus giving you time to wipe up the spill PREVENTING a stain from forming.

There are different types of sealer as well. A solvent base and water base. A solvet base has smaller particales to fill in small voids. Water base has larger particales to fill in larger voids. Not all sealers are created equal. So check with your manfacture to see what they recommend.

A sealer also has a time when its performance comes to an end.

So choose your sealer wisely.

Try This old Grout solvent sealer heard great things about it, I've also heard more plus's about solvent sealers vrs. water sealers, penetration,clean up etc.

We use This Old Grouts solvent based sealer, we use a lambs wool applicator, then run over the area with a bonnet after 5-10 minutes .

http://www.thisoldgrout.com
color sealing should also be considered for man made tiles.

I offer 2 options after doing a tile and grout cleaning.

One option is color sealing, this seals just the grout lines, and is applied to the individual grout lines by hand. It is a tedious process but the results are outstanding. I charge a premium price for this process. I also offer a lifetime warranty with this, as long as they have me out to clean once per year (at that time I can do any touchups IF needed).

The other option I offer is a clear anti slip/sealer product called Wonderstep. The Wonderstep is applied to the whole floor so you get the advantage of sealing the tile itself as well. The product is simply sprayed on, and given a dwell time of ~45 minutes on the floor (we re-wet it with water half way through), then it is mopped dry to remove any residue on the top. During the dwell time the product is actually penetrating into the pores of the tile and grout, creating tiny crystalline structures in the pores, thus imparting the anti slip AND sealing properties. The manufacturer warranties both the sealing properties and the anti slip to last for a minimum of 4 years. This is such a fantastic product and has made me mucho dinero over the past year. When offering a 4 year warranty with the clear seal, most other companies can't even begin to compete. Oh, I also charge a premium price for this one too (I don't have any cheaper options, I believe in only offering the best). If the client balks at the price, and if the floor allows (say it has bigger tile), than I will offer to seal just the grout lines, saving me product, and reducing the price on their end.

Some floors are more suited to be color sealed, and some floors more suited to be clear sealed, it's a good idea to offer both.