You should always seal the porous grout to protect it from mold, mildew, dirt and contaminates.
| Regrouting a Tile Shower | Applying new grout |
| Sealing and Caulking | Regrouting supplies |
It is best to seal the grout before applying the caulk in the shower. This will ensure that all of the grout gets sealed and the sealant does not damage the caulk.
The best way to seal shower grout is with a brush type grout sealer applicator tool. Use the applicator tool to apply the grout sealer to all the grout lines. Only do one wall at a time so that the sealer does not dry on the tiles. Ensure that the sealer totally saturates the grout lines. You may should go over each grout line a couple of times to ensure that the sealer has totally saturated all the vertical shower walls. Let the sealer soak into the grout lines for at least 5 minutes to ensure that the grout sealer has penetrated deep into the grout lines.
When the grout sealer has soaked into the grout lines then you should wipe the tiles clean with paper towels to remove any excess sealer.
Try to wipe away all the excess sealer from the tile surface and inspect the tiles to ensure there are no streaks or sealer residue left on the tile surface. If necessary you can apply some extra sealer to the tile surface to wipe away any excess sealer residue or streaks that were caused by the grout sealer.
After you are done sealing the grout then you are now ready to caulk the wall planes, corners and edges of the tile and grout.
You should use only 100% silicone caulking like Laticrete Latasil Caulk so that mold and mildew will not grow in the new caulk. To apply silicone caulk it is best to tape all the edges of the tiles to get a nice even bead of caulk. Remove the tape and smooth the caulk over with your fingers to get a nice even caulking joint.
For more information on recaulking a tile shower visit our tile shower recaulking page.
After you are done caulking then it is time to look over the regrouting and recaulking job and inspect the whole shower regrouting job.
You will be surprise at how clean and new your shower looks as if your shower has come back to life. You should wait 72 hours for the grout to dry and the caulking to cure before using the shower.
Regrouting a tile shower is a laborious messy and time consuming job. The time and cost it takes the average DIY homeowner can easily be justified in hiring a professional tile and grout restoration contractor.
You can read some valuable information and tips on how to hire a tile, grout and stone cleaning and restoration contractor at our contractor information page here. Grout Restoration Contractor.
Applying new grout Supplies needed for regrouting