How to Seal Kitchen Tiles

Sealing kitchen tiles helps prevent issues from spills.

Like other locations in your home, you can lay nearly any type of tile in a kitchen. Commonly tiled areas of kitchens include floors, backsplash walls and countertops. Since kitchen tiles are prone to getting wet, once you tile an area of your kitchen, you should seal kitchen tiles to protect them from damage. The method for sealing your kitchen tiles is dependent on the type of tiles you lay.

Things You'll Need

• Grout
• Grout float
• Sponge or cloth
• Caulk
• Waterproof sealer
• Small paintbrush
• Dry rag
• Standard paintbrush

Instructions

1. Grout the tiles approximately 24 hours after you install the kitchen tiles to seal the spaces left between the tiles by the tile spacers. Use a grout float to apply the grout over the tiles, holding the float at a roughly 15- to 20-degree angle and pushing the grout down between the tiles. Wipe up any grout that gets on the tiles with a damp sponge or cloth and leave the grout to dry.

2. Caulk the tiles about 24 hours after you grout. Cut the tip of the tube of caulk so that the opening appears roughly the same size as the spaces at the sides of the tile job, where the tiles touch the walls or fixtures, like sinks. Squeeze the sides of the caulk tube with a continuous amount of pressure as you run the caulk in a straight line along the sides of the tile job. If you don't like the beaded appearance of the caulk, make it flat by wetting your finger and spreading the caulk so that it sits level with the surrounding tiles.

3. Wait for approximately 72 hours for the grout and caulk to fully dry before applying waterproof sealer. Apply the sealer only to the grout and the caulk if you use glazed ceramic or porcelain tiles, which already have a waterproof coating. Use a small paintbrush that fits between the edges of the tiles and wipe any sealer that gets on the tiles off with a dry rag before it dries.

4. Spread waterproof sealer over the caulk, grout and the tiles if you installed porous tiles in your kitchen, like stone or slate. Use a standard paintbrush for application and brush the sealer onto the tiles in long, even strokes, much like you would apply paint. Let the sealer dry on the surface for three to four hours, or until the sealer feels dry when you touch it, before applying another coat. Apply three to four coats of sealer for the most effective waterproofing.

Tips & Warnings

• Some caulk tubes are squeezable and you do not need any extra tools to apply caulk with them. If you buy a tube of caulk that does not squeeze though, you must use the tube of caulk with a caulk gun. To use a caulk gun, place the tube of caulk into the top of the gun, with the tip of the tube pointing toward the front of the gun, and press the trigger on the caulk gun to push the caulk through the tube.

References

• Lowes: Apply Caulk
• HomeTime: Caulking Tile