color sealing tile/grout stone cleaning

So I had asked a long while back I think a few years ago about color sealing and if u guys offer it etc,   just wanted to give an update as we have come pretty far with this service now and its very profitable.  

Since we last talked about it weve done tons of color seal jobs.    Were using http://colorriteinc.com/grout-caulk1.    Super high quality sealants and can match any color u want,  I have tons of confidence in this stuff.    Ive talked with guys in other states that have years of maintenance on color seal jobs that they did with that brand.    

We charge 2.50/sq ft and sometimes 3/sq ft for color sealing depending on the situation.        Showers are such a good market to go after,    there are millions of showers out there that need a steam cleaning and color seal.      Average ticket for that is $600 for smaller showers and large fancy showers can be $800+  

Once you get the hang of it,    the service is so easy.    The biggest learning curve was figuring out when to wipe over after applying so the color seal stays in the grout lines but still wipes off the tiles.   It can be a huge pain if you wait too long and tough to get off the tiles,    also if you wipe too quick you have to do it all over again.         Ive restored about 40 showers so far and have done even more kitchen/bathroom floors.      


If your interested in offering this service to add to your tile/grout cleaning heres some key tips that took me trial and error to learn

- get a knee dolly for floors
- use a really good color seal product and figure out timing on when to wipe tiles clean (some right away some need 15min or so)  
- acid treat first,  really helps the color seal adhere (not when working with natural stone unless its non-acid sensitive)
- stainless grout brush is key for tough build up in areas and etching/taking the grout down a bit before applying
- use regular terry towels with hot water to wipe with and a bucket to rinse towels while working
- watch out for shower pans that have major discoloration on tiles and in the grout lines/deterioration.   Usually means there is an underlying issue beneath the tile
- get small flip top bottles and drill out a toothbrush head to fit the tip on the bottle,  best applicator and really minimizes getting it on tiles

- dont use home depot or store bought color seals they are no where near the same the good one are 100% rtv silicone.    This was really interesting to find out that the experienced pros doing this arent so much using a "grout paint"  but more of a caulking product made for grout lines.   That is why its so durable and can withstand being used in shower pans, high quality silicone lasts for many years.  

- keep some ready mix grout on hand for when you run into cracks or missing grout areas
- learn how to replace the standard caulking around the base of showers which is usually mildewy and cant be cleaned, really gives the look of a brand new shower when done.

The cool thing about this service is the good sealants like color rite are much much more durable than clear seals that the installers use,   so your really selling the customer a great service.      They are very water resistant,   mildew resistant and when you come back to clean for maintenance you pretty much only need to steam with water.    

hope this helps anyone interested,    it took me a lot of reading and just going out and doing jobs to learn what I know now...   this should save you a lot of time.

Its a very niche service which is what I like most,    almost nobody doing it around here and it saves thousands over re grouting.

Glad it is working out so well for you. I will not offer this service unless I add a much younger person or at least one with better knees. My days of kneeling for any job are over....30 seconds into it and they would have to carry me out.

Being an rtv product, how much of the grout do you have to remove first? It seems like the rtv over the existing grout would cause a lippage issue.

it smears pretty thin if u want or can go thicker if needed.    The knee dolly is key,   padded knee cart.    A lot of the work is still standing for counter tops,  showers,  etc  
I have/had Osgood–Schlatter from playing baseball many years and I dont feel a thing if using good knee pads or the dolly.

whats really cool is the grout is almost no longer porous after.    

the best part is the look on the customers face when their shower went from disgusting to brand new.     such an easy sell compared to a re-grout $3000 job.        

so many people get their tile re grouted because of discoloration when the grout is still in good shape,  just looks nasty on the surface

I suffered from Osgood-Schlatter myself as a kid....just grew too fast for the joints they said.

Post some pics if you can, that does sound interesting. I do run into a lot of counter-top tile jobs. Options are always appreciated.

havent been taking too many pics lately but heres some















the last shower pan one they wanted to do their own caulking so its still nasty in the after pic

hmm cant link from my google photos for some reason

Great post AC. One of the first color seal jobs I did was on tile next to an indoor water fall. The water is very hard here in AZ so there was a a lot of calcium build up on the grout.

I didnt acid clean the grout but its amazing how well the Grout Perfect sealer had adhered to the grout. In fact I m going to clean the carpet on this house today and Ill see how it looks now.

I also had to give it up due too knee problems, I wasnt using the ractac just a harbor freight knee roller. My wrist got sore as hell to

I was thinking about this topic today while fighting a tile job out in the country. I don't know what was wrong, but I couldn't get the normal results that I expect....the grout still showed some staining no matter what I did.

It was basically a commercial kitchen as the owner ran a home bakery specializing in wedding cakes. The tile was only 3 years old, but the sandstone grout had the kind of staining that one expects in a kitchen.

I did it all.....CRB with tile brushes, Hos with tile brush, grout demon brush, spinner, and even on the floor with a brass brush! End result....still some visible discolorations in some areas.

I was far angrier than the home owner, but nothing moved it. I couldn't even get it to transfer to a terry towel when rubbing....like it was a flaw in the grout mix itself.

Had to give up and drive away mad in the end.

It may even out after it complete dries

I haven't received a call back yet, but I suspect that I will.

Customer called 10 minutes ago.....was very happy and just came back from hunting. I guess I escaped this time. We did have a long conversation about sealers. My view didn't match his internet search, but he decided to go with my thoughts anyway.

Will be cleaning for his daughters and a cousin in December.

a lot of times grout is discolored and no matter what you do it wont go back to new looking. 3yrs old though you would expect all new looking grout.

sometimes grout is mixed unevenly or touched up/patched a bit in areas with a new mix. Or maybe they didnt seal it well in some areas.

sounds like a great opportunity to sell a color seal lol

how did the grout look on that job Mo? did the grout perfect hold up near the waterfall?

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ACpower1 wrote:how did the grout look on that job Mo?   did the grout perfect hold up near the waterfall?

Sorry AC I missed your post. I was out there a few weeks back. The color seal still looks good it was a darker grout and I matched it pretty good so that might be one of the reasons. However because I water is so hard here its developing calcium deposits on the tiles closest to the water fall