Service
Cleaning and sealing tiles and grout
Tile cleaning and sealing is usually priced by the room or the day, and no cost guide we use gives a figure; the guides put a tiler's day rate at £150 to £350 (Checkatrade, MyJobQuote 2026). If the grout is crumbling rather than dirty, regrouting at about £15 per m² on Checkatrade's figures is the fix.
What this covers
Typical jobs
- Deep cleaning a kitchen floor's grout lines back to their original colour
- Stripping old sealer from a slate floor and resealing it
- Sealing a new limestone floor after grouting
- Grout colour sealing to even out patchy grout
- Removing cement residue left on a newly tiled floor
- Cleaning mould out of a shower's grout lines and renewing the stained silicone
- Applying a penetrating grout sealer to a newly grouted shower once the grout has cured
What is involved
Most tiled floors that look worn are dirty, not damaged. Grease and soil build up in grout lines and in the open pores of unglazed tiles and stone, and ordinary mopping spreads it. A deep clean uses a cleaner suited to the tile, worked into the surface with a rotary machine or stiff brushes, then extracted with a wet vacuum or rinsed. Grout lines are scrubbed individually. Ceramic and porcelain tolerate strong alkaline cleaners; marble, limestone and travertine are damaged by acids and need gentler products.
Sealing comes after cleaning, once the floor is fully dry. An impregnating sealer soaks into porous tiles, stone and grout and stops oil and water getting in, without changing the surface much. Some sealers enhance the colour of stone, which looks darker and richer; others leave a natural finish. Old sealers that have yellowed or worn patchy are stripped first. Grout colour sealants cover the grout itself to even out patchy or stained lines, and can change their colour entirely.
Some cleaning and sealing firms work under a national network name, and some tilers do it as part of their own work. Ask either for a small test patch first, and ask what the floor is made of if you do not know: the wrong cleaner on marble etches it permanently. Afterwards, a pH-neutral cleaner keeps a sealed floor clean without stripping the sealer.
Showers need a slightly different approach. Black spots in grout are usually mould living on soap residue in a porous joint. Black inside the silicone has often grown into it, where no cleaner reaches, so the silicone is cut out and renewed. For the grout, a mould cleaner suited to the tile, a stiff nylon brush worked along each line and a thorough rinse do most of the work; steam helps on sound cement grout between ceramic or porcelain, but not on stone or grout that is already cracking. Once the joints are clean and dry, a penetrating grout sealer slows the next round of staining. It does not waterproof the shower, which is the job of the tanking behind the tiles, and epoxy grout needs no sealer at all. Between cleans, a squeegee after each shower and a running extractor do more than any product.
Choosing someone for the job
The wrong cleaner can mark some tiles for good, so find out what the tiler will use and why.
- Will you clean a test patch first, and with which cleaner for my tile?
- Does the old sealer need stripping, and would you use a natural or a colour-enhancing sealer?
- Can this grout be cleaned, or does it need replacing?
- How long must the floor stay dry before sealing?
- What should I clean it with afterwards?
Read next
Common questions
How do you clean grout in a shower?
Use a mould cleaner suited to your tile, scrub each grout line with a stiff nylon brush, rinse well and let it dry. If the black marks are inside the silicone, cleaning will not shift them; the silicone needs replacing.
What does a grout sealer do?
A penetrating grout sealer soaks into cement grout and slows dirt and stains getting in. It goes on once the grout has fully cured and is renewed from time to time. It is not waterproofing; a shower relies on the tanking behind the tiles.
Can you steam clean grout?
On sound cement grout between ceramic or porcelain tiles, yes. Avoid steam on natural stone, on cracked or crumbling grout, and on silicone joints.
Can dirty grout be cleaned, or does it need replacing?
If the grout is solid, a deep clean and a grout colour sealant usually restore it. If it is cracked, crumbling or missing, it needs raking out and regrouting.
Do porcelain tiles need sealing?
Glazed porcelain does not. Some polished and unglazed porcelain benefits from a sealer to resist staining; the tile maker will say. The grout can be sealed either way.
What cleaner should I use on sealed tiles?
A pH-neutral floor cleaner. Strong alkaline or acidic cleaners can strip the sealer, and acids etch marble, limestone and travertine.
How do you seal natural stone tiles?
Clean and dry the stone, then apply an impregnating sealer, usually in two applications, wiping off the excess before it dries. New stone is sealed before grouting as well as after.