As you know, a place that’s often exposed to water and moisture needs special treatment to stay mold-free. This is why you should use a grout sealer in your shower to keep the water from getting to the porous material and damaging it.
But what type of grout sealer to use in a shower?
The best sealer for the shower would be a penetrating sealer. This type of grout sealer consists of Nanoparticles that burrow deeply into the grout. Then, these particles fill in all the gaps in the sand to keep any trapped moisture out.
Have more questions about this topic? Well, we’d be glad to discuss it in-depth.
Can I Use a Shower Surface Sealer Instead of a Penetrating Sealer
Most experts don’t recommend applying surface sealers to the grout in your shower. These sealers work by creating a water-resistant layer on the surface of the grout to prevent water from seeping inside.
While you might think this is a great solution for your shower walls, using these sealers won’t allow any moisture inside the grout to dry out. This could lead to mold growth behind the shower tiles, which can be hard to get rid of.
What Are Some of the Best Grout Sealers for the Shower on the Market
Luckily, there are many penetrating grout sealers that you can pick from. Here are three of our favorite options that you may want to consider for your shower walls.
- Grout & Granite Penetrating Sealer by The Floor Guys
- Miracle Sealants Grout Aerosol Spray Penetrating Sealer
- 16 oz AQUA-X Grout Sealer
As you’ve probably noticed, grout sealers are available as either aerosols or liquids. This way, you could apply them to your grout using several methods, which we’ll discuss in the next section.
How Many Ways Can You Apply a Grout Sealer
There are three ways you could apply grout sealer to your bathroom walls or floor. You may do this using a brush, a paint pad, or simply spray the sealer to the area that you need to protect from mildew. Here’s a quick comparison of these three methods.
Applying Grout Sealer With a Brush
In this method, you’ll need an applicator brush to apply the sealer on your shower walls. The consistency of a brush-on sealer tends to be milky to stick to the brush faster.
However, applying sealer with a brush might be tricky, especially if you don’t have much experience with it. It may be hard for beginners to distribute the sealer evenly because it tends to stick to the brush in clumps.
As a result, you may need to add several coats of the sealer to your shower walls or floor.
Applying Grout Sealer With a Paint Pad
Using a paint pad to apply grout sealer is a bit more convenient than with a brush. Here, you’ll mostly need to apply only one coat since the nature of this method is more precise.
Also, this way of application keeps spillages and excess sealers to the minimum. Yet, the only downside here is that a paint pad will have you work in smaller sections until you cover the entire wall. So, it tends to be a time-consuming method.
Applying Grout Sealer With a Spray
Spray-on sealers are probably the best solution for a quick and easy application. Not to mention that they tend to be less pricey than brush-on sealers.
Another thing that makes aerosols a great choice is that they don’t require you to be precise when applying them. This way, getting the job done should take minimum time and effort on your part.
Still, nothing comes without drawbacks. Spray-on sealers tend to leave an annoying haze on your tiles after application. But you can remove this residue by spraying the tiles with rubbing alcohol.
How to Apply Grout Sealer to My Shower Walls
Applying grout sealer is fairly easy no matter what type of product you’ll be using. But, before you begin your work, you may want to take a look at the following guidelines to prevent mistakes.
Step 1: Make Sure the Walls Are Ready
After applying grout to your shower walls, leave it from 48 to 72 hours to cure. When the time comes, ventilate the room, wear rubber cleaning gloves, and start cleaning the walls of any debris or loose grout.
You can easily get rid of grout residue by scrubbing grout lines with wet cleaning pads. When you’re done, wipe the walls with a dry, clean towel. But don’t use the sealer just yet.
Make sure that enough time has passed between the drying of your grout and sealer application. You can know exactly how long to wait by taking a look at the manufacturer instructions on the sealer package.
Step 2: Apply Grout Sealer
As we’ve already mentioned, you could apply a penetrating sealer with a brush, paint pad, or spray. It’s best if you work in small sections for more accuracy. Just remember to quickly remove any excess sealer using dry paper towels.
When you’re finished, leave the sealer to dry for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. Usually, it can be from five to ten minutes.
Again, use paper towels to wipe off any remaining sealer from the grout lines.
Step 3: Add Final Touches
Sometimes, you’ll need to apply second and third coats based on the level of coverage that you want. When you reach the desired result, allow the sealer to cure for a certain period of time.
Remember not to use the shower before the recommended time has passed not to damage your work.
Conclusion
What type of grout sealer to use in a shower?
By now, you know that the best type of grout sealer for the shower and bathroom is a penetrating sealer. It seamlessly fills the pores within the grout to keep the moisture outside, preventing the buildup of mold and mildew.
Furthermore, this sealer is usually easy to apply, made of harmless materials, and available at decent prices. See, keeping your shower walls shouldn’t be that hard after all.
