First step in my no-touch, lazy-man's grout-sealer application study was, of course, Scrubbing Bubbles. A little, and I mean a very little, amount of elbow grease was needed to clean the grout, then it was rinsed and allowed to dry.
Amazingly, I got two coats of sealer onto each shower out of one can, for less than $10, plus the Scrubbing Bubbles.
The spraying went quickly, as expected, although the fumes were overwhelming at times, forcing me to stop before completing a coat.
I simply moved my arm in spray-paint-type motion up and down, and over and back along the grout lines from about 8 inches away.
One discouraging thing was how quickly and thoroughly the sealer ate the latex caulking in the shower. It literally curled up and halfway peeled off, forcing me to completely remove and replace all the caulking after finishing.
With two coats of sealer and new caulking, the shower glimmered like it never had, and water beaded up very well. It was handsome, that's for sure.
Six weeks later, the beading up is not as noticeable, as with any sealer. Instructions on the can claim that the sealer may need to be reapplied in two to three years for maximum protection, and can last up to 15 years. I am personally doubting that, since as with almost all non-epoxy sealers, they seem to lose effectiveness after one year due to the cleaners we use on grout — well, some of us, anyway.
The really hilarious part about this particular sealer packaging was the attractive female model on the front of the can, gracefully spraying her shower, smiling, dressed as if about to go out to dinner or a PTA meeting. Heck, she didn't appear to even be struggling to stand or kneel in a slippery and sloped bathtub.
Photoshop is a wonderful thing — I swear I saw her in a room-deodorizer advertisement in the same pose with the same forced smile.
If only all home improvement were this easy! She wore no respirator, no gloves and no safety glasses. The latter two protections are recommended by the instructions on the can, ironically, right next to PTA mom's picture. Obviously, the lawyers have not spoken to the marketing people!
Bottom line: Would I use it again? Yeah, I would. I liked the convenience and the way I could apply it heavily, and I liked the finished product. No, the caulking was not fun, but heck, I really should have replaced it, anyway.
Darrell Hay is a local home inspector and manages several rental properties. |
