How much does it cost to seal grout?

Short answer

Sealing the tile grout yourself costs $15 to $40, which is a bottle of penetrating sealer and an applicator, and takes 60 to 120 minutes for a bathroom. A cleaning company charges $200 to $500 to deep clean and seal a bathroom's grout. The sealer is cheap; the professional price buys a machine clean that gets stained grout back to its color before the sealer locks it in.

Cost breakdown

The DIY cost is the sealer, and a bottle usually covers a bathroom with some to spare. A small brush or an applicator bottle costs a few dollars if you don't have one. The pro price covers a steam or extraction clean of the grout lines followed by the sealer, which is the part that's hard to match by hand. Ask whether the quote includes the sealer or only the cleaning, since some companies price them separately and the sealer is the part that lasts.

What drives the cost

• The sealer. A penetrating sealer costs more than a film-forming one and lasts longer, and either is a small part of the job.
• The area. A shower surround is a small job. A whole tiled floor, or a kitchen's worth of backsplash and floor, uses more sealer and much more time.
• The state of the grout. Clean grout takes sealer and is done. Stained grout needs cleaning first, and that's where the professional's machine earns the fee, since sealing over stains makes them permanent.
• Grout type. Epoxy grout needs no sealer at all, so the cost is zero.
• Frequency. A shower needs sealing every year, so its yearly cost is a bottle. A floor every few years costs the same bottle less often.

DIY vs. pro

This is an easy job where the money says do it yourself for any grout that's still clean. How often to seal tile grout is every 1 to 3 years, yearly in a shower, and the work is brushing sealer along the lines and wiping the tile. Most of the time is spent waiting for the grout to dry before you start.

Hire the cleaning company when the grout is stained through and a scrub won't bring it back, when there's a large floor to do, or when the bathroom has gone years without sealing and needs a reset. At $200 to $500 the visit makes stained grout look new again before it's sealed, which a bottle alone can't do.

FAQ

How much does grout sealer cost?

$15 to $40 for a bottle of penetrating sealer, which covers a bathroom.

How much does professional grout sealing cost?

$200 to $500 for a bathroom, including a deep clean of the grout lines before the sealer goes on.

Is sealing grout worth the money?

Yes. Unsealed grout soaks up water and stains, and in a shower it grows mildew. A bottle of sealer is cheaper than regrouting.

Does epoxy grout need to be sealed?

No. Epoxy is waterproof on its own, and sealer has nothing to soak into.