I don't have any information on it but would be interested in knowing how much they charge.

Marie, Reporting back:

Estimate to clean 424 sf of floor tile grout $240; clean and seal $550.

I am please with the $240 but will have to think about the sealing.

How long do they guarantee the sealer for? From everything I've read, the really GOOD sealers are pricey for the sealer alone. I'm thinking $50 or $60. My thought is that if THEY seal it and it gets dirty again, THEY have to reclean it. If you seal it and the sealer doesn't work as it should you may be back to square one with dirty grout and no recourse.

I have been reading the Flooring forum and that's where I got the impression that sealing it one's self is easier than cleaning it. I was thinking about the professional sealing products.

The trick to cleaning tile & grout yourself is to use a shop vac or some other wet vac. That's it... that's the trick to making it easier AND the trick to making it come out better. If you have a shop vac, a bucket and scrub brush and you don't mind getting down on the floor to do it yourself, then by all means do it yourself. It's really not difficult to do and you could buy all the supplies you need to clean it with for about $40.00 or less.

By the way, sealer will NOT keep your floors from getting dirty. Sorry, but you still have to keep them clean yourself.

Thank you David. And certainly I do know that a sealer won't keep floors from getting dirty!! Sealers provide protection against stains and, to some extent, against water penetration for grout joints.

Not to hijack Mustangs thread...but, I too know that sealer won't keep grout from getting dirty. However, I had to have sections of grout replaced about 6 months ago. I sealed the new grout myself. I got the sealer at home depot and can't recall the name. After reading various posts, I'm sure it wasn't the "best" sealer. However, it might as well have never been sealed. The grout is stained again and requires deep scrubbing with Finazzle to get it clean. I do sweep daily and mop with cleaner a couple times a week.

Mustangs, that was why I posted about liking the idea of somebody else sealing so there would be a warranty. My next step will be to have the grout professionally cleaned AND sealed so that if it stains again I'm not on my knees cleaning.

Please post after you've sealed and tell us what you used and how it holds up.

You can go to johnbridge.com and ask your question there--they are a friendly group of tile specialist who are very attentive to questions.

You may want to consider recoloring your grout to make spotting less obvious. Good luck with your problem.

I use Oxy Clean, the stain remover product. It cleans tiles and grout in no time at all. No scrubbing. It's just a matter of wetting the floor with the solution (Oxy Clean and water), letting it work for some minutes and wiping dry with a dry absorbant cloth (I use an old terry towel). No using a toothbrush, no scrubbing, no sealing!

Tiles are beautiful. Enjoy them.

Suzanne

The grout cleaning I've seen done by professionals (steam cleaning) is awesome...I think if you have the money to spare, go for it ! Saves the back and the knees. Also, from what I've heard at the tile company where I work, grout sealing is pretty much a waste of time and money. And it has to be re-done periodically. Most of the people I know with tile floors (which is pretty much everyone here in SW Florida) don't bother with grout sealer. Ever.

Telly and Suzanne, Thanks for your input. I appreciate it and will report back once I have completed the project.

Well....I learned too late about grout. Most tile installers use a "soupy" grout when they lay tile. The high water content will allow for air bubbles to come up thru grout during drying process making it very porous. Recently a granite installer told me there is "grout hardner" to be added to the grout and making a thick grout it will dry solid like concrete and not be porous. Too late for me, but, maybe this will help others!

I used the Miracle 550 Plus ($85 per quart) or something like that, did it myself and grout does get dirty and stains. Cleaning does little good.

Reporting Back: I didn't use Stanley Steemer (with 3 e's) I used a local company. It took 2 hours for 450 square feet, I paid $225 so it was .50 a square foot. The guy scrubbed on his hands and knees with a $2 brush then used a machine that looked like the beverage cart on an airplane to suck up the cleaner. He used Zep cleaner that you get at Home Depot. It said commercial so I don't know if that's what is available at HD.

It looks fabulous!!! I even got up in the middle of the night and looked at it. I am an anal housekeeper and the grout has been driving me crazy so this was worth every penny to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grout Cleaner

I use my portable steam cleaner to clean the grout and it works great. I have 900 sq ft of tile so I only do an area at a time, but by the end of the week it is all done.

Have used the Stanley Steemer service, cleaning and sealing. Works very well if you can't do it yourself.

Elizabethtown kentucky location. I had them to come clean my grout Ethan Lynch was scheduled that day to come to clean the carpet and all the grout Ethan could not make it that day so they sent someone else, I was told it was the manager …. I was not HAPPY with his work cleaning the grout! the bathrooms, kitchen was AWFUL this guy needs more training maybe he was having a bad day maybe he did not care. I am glad that I purchased a bottle of grout and tile cleaner the next day I mixed up alittle and got down on my hands and knees with a toothbrush to clean the grout middle of the floor was good it was along the wall… CARPET looks good I was thinking about having my hardwood cleaned BUT dont think so ! If they are going to send the manager he need to know how to do the job !