not bill v here.....just wanted to tell you that is looks like my mudroom floor that connects to my kitchen!!! funny!!!! i don't really know about the sealing???? we ended up picking a charcol grey grout so it is a different look. i painted to mudroom sw/jogging path.....it's a great color, may also want to check it out for your kitchen! it's all coming together for you....

thanks gglks- I love the tile....the grout looks very light in the picture. It really is a grey color in real life. Wish I had gone a little more charcoal though. Did nomorebluekitchen use joggin path too? Any pictures?

Positano-- FIrst off, you want to clean the tile before you seal, and get all that streaking off. Go back to Lowes, to the tile aisle, and pick up their NONacid grout haze remover. Follow the directions for mixing, and clean the floor. The reason I say to do this first is that if you get sealer on the grout haze, it'll make it that much more difficult to remove. Once you've done that, yes, you CAN use those products you have, although I don't really recommend it. They're not the best quality sealers. They'll work, but you'll end up replacing them more often, thereby making them cost more (even though the up front cost might be cheaper). You'd be better off with something like Miracle, Stone Tech, or Aquamix, using one of their enhancing sealers.

Thanks Bill. Will the enhance and seal make the grout look a little darker? Do you recommend making it darker?

yes it will. The question will be if it's dark ENOUGH for you, and for that reason, you might want to try it in an out of the way area, first, because if it doesn't darken it enough, the next step is grout colorant, and they kinda frown on using colorant over sealer. As for whether or not I recommend it, I'll answer you from a purely technical standpoint-- being this will be a high traffic area, absolutely. The darker, the better. Reason being that the darker the grout is the more everything will blend in as the grout ages. You won't see wear paths (traffic patterns in the grout), and staining won't be visible, either, and NO amount of sealer will stop either of those, especially in a high traffic area.

I actually found some Aquamix Enrich and seal. How's that? I forgot I bought it a while back.

The toilet is up so I can do a test there.

Two questions-

Do I use the grout haze remover on everything? Tile and grout? Or do I have to avoid the grout?

When I seal and enhance am I sealing tile and grout or just the grout?
what is the best way to apply the sealer? The bottle doesn't give much in the way of directions.

I also read that you should mist the grout everynow and then? Is that correct? And That I should wait 48 hours till I seal.

Sorry for so many questions. You have been very helpful!

Thank you

Do I use the grout haze remover on everything? Tile and grout? Or do I have to avoid the grout?

Use it on everything, and then rinse it well.

When I seal and enhance am I sealing tile and grout or just the grout?

Just the grout. You're bound to get some on the tile. Just make sure you wipe it off before it dries.

I also read that you should mist the grout everynow and then?

It doesn't hurt. It's what's called "damp curing", and it WILL strengthen the grout, but it's not necessary.

And That I should wait 48 hours till I seal.

For that, follow the directions on the sealer container. Each one's different.

What is the best way to apply the enrich and seal to the grout? A paintbrush? Rag? Then do I wipe it off right away or wait a few minutes?

I just did a sample patch behind the toilet and I think it will be enough to darken the grout.

Thank you!

What I usually do is take an old towel or t-shirt and cut it in half. I'll use one piece to apply the sealer, and the other to wipe it off. Do what you can for about 5 minutes, and then go back to where you started and start buffing it back off.

Positano, We have the same situation as you. Same grout from Lowe's and I loved it wet, not too happy with it dry. Ours is in the kitchen and I can just imagine how dirty it will get. I didn't think about grout colorant (thanks Bill V) but I did find a bottle with a roller on the end for the sealant. I purchased it at Lowe's and it comes with different size rollers to adjust to your grout size. It was close to the tile, not with the sealant. I haven't sealed yet due to the color.

Sorry for the hijack, Positano, but Bill, since you're here talking about sealer maybe you could help me too. I'm thinking of installing unglazed clay tile (original style from England) which must be sealed. They recommend HG Inpregnator. Have you ever heard of this? It's probably a British product. Do you know what I could use that's available here if this stuff isn't? Thanks.

I heart Bill V.

He is the only Impregnator for me.

; )

Thanks for all your help Bill. I did a sample patch of the enhance and seal. Made it a little darker, not much though. Maybe even a little blotchy. I'm not sure if I'll do that or the grout colorant.

How long do I have before I decide what to do? If the grout gets dirty before I seal it, do I have a problem? Or can I clean out the dirt before I seal or color it? We have a lot of snow here in NJ and would love to use the mudroom!

Seashell, my color grout was perfect when wet too. Bill do you think it wasn't mixed correctly or used to much water when cleaning it? Or I heard tap water could make the grout lighter.

Oh, well. I thought I was getting a grout that was dark enough so I wouldn't have to worry about this!! So frustrating. But I do love my tile!

cheri-- it depends. For installing terracotta tile (which is what you're talking about), you actually use TWO different sealers. The first is a grout release, which should be a water based penetrating sealer, such as Aquamix's Sealers Choice. The second is a top coat sealer, unless you want it to have the raw look to it, in which case, you'd just seal the whole thing after it's grouted with the same water based penetrating sealer.

If the grout gets dirty before I seal it, do I have a problem? Or can I clean out the dirt before I seal or color it?

OMG, yer gonna hafta rip it all out! (just kidding. :-) Did I get your heart racing?) Seriously-- if it gets dirty, hitting it with oxyclean and then rinsing it well will take care of it-- either way, for the colorant OR the sealer.

Bill do you think it wasn't mixed correctly or used to much water when cleaning it? Or I heard tap water could make the grout lighter.

Positano, there are more reasons for the grout to come out lighter than stars in the sky, starting with it being a chronic problem that grout charts are sometimes printed more "vividly" than the actual colors. Without analysing a piece of the grout, it would be impossible to say for sure, although your assertions are all possibilities.

Bill, you're a gem. Thanks!!!!!!!