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Winter Challenges to Your Tile and Grout

Tile flooring is a mainstay in many homes. And for good reason. It’s tough and durable all while adding style and beauty to the space. Because tile floors are so tough, we often see them in entryways. Tiled entryways are wonderful, but they do face unique challenges during Canadian Winters. If you live in our Grout Restoration Works service area, here is how you can help your tiled surfaces stand up to Winter conditions.

Ice Melt - A Winter Danger to Your Tiled Surfaces

Thanks to ice, snow, and sleet, all sorts of things can be tracked into your home on the bottom of your shoes. If you have a tiled entryway, it can be easy to just cast your dirty boots off to the side and not give them a second thought. Afterall, tile is hardy and easy to clean. You can just get to it later. But letting Winter contaminants build up on your tiled floors all season long can do some serious damage to your tiles and grout. This is especially true when you bring ice melt into the mix.

For those that live in snowy climates, you are probably quite familiar with ice melts. From cities to residences, many people use a variety of ice melts to keep roads and walkways clear. Which means that your shoes can come into contact with the stuff on numerous occasions throughout the day. Most ice melts are composed of harsh chemicals that lower the melting point of ice and snow to dissolve them. When you track these chemical compounds on your tile, they can prove corrosive. Just due to the nature of the product itself but also because these chemicals are typically bound together in little granules, and as you leave ice melt behind on your tiled entryways and walk over them, these granules can embed themselves in your grout and scratch your tile. Scratches and etching can cause your tile and grout to look worn or even compromise their integrity altogether, resulting in needed repairs.

So, what can you do to guard against Winter related damages? For one, you can do your best to prevent ice melt from getting tracked into your home in the first place. An easy way to do this is by placing a rubber boot tray in your entryway. This way, even if your shoes have slush and ice melt on them, they will not have contact with your tile. Another way to protect your tile is just to clean them on a regular basis. If you sweep and mop your tile entryway at least once a week, you can prevent a lot of damage from occurring.

If you notice that your tile and grout has already suffered a beating, Grout Restoration Works can help. Not only can we clean your tile and grout, we can help you with needed repairs as well.

By Grout Restoration Works 1-3-2023