Our Grout Sealing Specialists in Naples, Florida, Transformed the Look of This Home's Kitchen Floors and Shower
August 15, 2017
A resident of Naples, Florida was very proud of her home. She was able to keep it neat and tidy even though she worked full time. However, she started to notice how her master shower had begun to show some dark spots between the tiles. She decided to look the problem up on the Internet and realized that her shower might have started to accumulate mold and mildew. Even though she didn't know exactly what kind of company could fix this kind of problem, she spent some more time researching when she came across Sir Grout SW Florida's grout sealing service in Naples. Upon reading about our services and watching some of our clients' testimonial videos, she decided to request a free in-home evaluation.
The problem
On the day of the evaluation, the technician checked out the master shower and explained that the homeowner was right—the shower floor and walls were starting to show signs of mold and mildew buildup. Additionally, they told her that there was soap scum buildup, which fostered—and was probably the reason why—mold and mildew had started to grow. We explained that a tile and grout cleaning and sealing would fix the problem and, provided she followed our advice, would help her keep the shower easily clean.
She had originally called us to assess what could be done to fix her shower, but while we were there, she asked us to take a look at her kitchen floor as well. She wondered if it had the same problem. We could see that the grout lines had accumulated grease and grime over time, and the tile, though fairly clean, had darkened and there were a few stains.
We explained that mold and mildew tend to grow in showers and bathtubs because of the often prevalent humidity, but the kitchen had probably become dirty due to foot traffic and cooking; it was a different problem that could be solved with the same approach.
We offered her an estimate for both areas, which she thought was fair and set a date to do the job.
The solution
We started by masking off all areas that needed protection while we worked. After all areas were duly protected, the process began with removing all traces of soap scum and mold and mildew from the shower floor and walls. In order to do this, we used our special tile and grout cleaner, letting it soak the surfaces for a few minutes. Then we used our high-speed scrubber to deeply clean the area. After that, we proceeded to carefully steam clean to ensure complete mold and mildew elimination, and to get rid of the grime in stubborn areas. Once it was all cleaned, we checked the grout to verify that it was in good shape; we made sure there was no broken grout, we applied epoxy ColorSeal to seal the grout.
Sir Grout SW Florida's epoxy ColorSeal is a lot thicker than acrylic-based color sealants and is also more durable. Once all the grout was sealed, we buffed on Tile Armor over the entire shower. Tile Armor is our proprietary tile and grout sealant. It is applied to protect the tiles against spills and stains, and it is also mold and mildew resistant, offering an extra layer of protection.
After that, we moved on to clean the kitchen floor. The procedure used to clean the tiles and grout in the kitchen was fairly similar, except when it was time to apply ColorSeal, we used regular ColorSeal, which is our acrylic-based grout sealant. ColorSeal closes off the pores and gives grout lines a fresh appearance.
The results
In the pictures above, you can see how both areas changed after our grout and tile cleaning and sealing service. The homeowner chose colors of ColorSeal that were nearly identical to the tiles, both in the kitchen and in the shower stall. This resulted in an elegant finish. She was extremely happy with the results and asked us for recommendations on how to keep her home's floors looking perfect.
Recommendations for regular care
We are always happy to give our clients recommendations on how they can maximize the investment they put into their floors when they hire our services. We explained to her that even though our floor treatments make them easier to clean, as well as stain, and mold and mildew resistant, there are some precautions to take to guarantee that the floors stay in good condition. Here are some of the tips we gave her:
- The bathroom needs to be properly aired. This is to keep stagnant water from fostering stain-causing germs.
- Use pH-neutral, soap-less cleaners for any tile surface at home.
- Never use ammonia or acid-base cleaners. This could affect the color of the grout, eventually breaking the sealant and damaging the grout.
- Regardless of how many times you see it online, never use vinegar-water mixes to clean the floors. Vinegar is an acid and it can damage the surface.
- Instead of allowing the surface to air dry, always dry it with a towel or terry cloth to remove dirty water or cleaner residue that settles into the concave grout lines.
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