How do I know if my shower grout is still sealed?
Put a few drops of water on a dry grout line and wait about five minutes. If the drops stay as round beads and the grout keeps its color, the sealer is still working. If the grout darkens and the water soaks in, the sealer has worn off and that line needs resealing.
How to do it
- Let the grout dry completelyDon't test right after a shower. Wait several hours, ideally overnight, so leftover moisture doesn't hide the result.
- Place a few drops of water on one grout lineUse a fingertip, a spoon or a dropper. Start with the line closest to the shower head, which usually wears first.
- Wait about five minutesLeave the drops alone and watch whether they keep their round shape or flatten and spread.
- Read the resultRound beads on grout that keeps its color mean the sealer is working. A dark patch where the water disappears means the sealer has worn through on that line.
- Reseal the lines that soaked inClean the grout, let it dry fully, then apply a penetrating grout sealer following the product directions. Repeat the drop test once it has cured.
Questions that come up
Does this test work on epoxy grout?
Not really. Epoxy grout is non-porous and generally doesn't need sealing, so water usually beads on it whether or not anything was applied. The test is meant for cement-based grout, the common sanded and unsanded kind found in most showers.
The grout darkened, then dried back to its normal color. Is it fine?
Drying back is normal, but the darkening is the signal. It means water got into the grout instead of sitting on top. Cement grout lightens again as it dries, so it can look fine afterward and still be unprotected. Treat that line as due for resealing.
How often should shower grout be resealed?
It depends on the sealer, the grout and how often the shower runs, so product directions vary widely. A calendar is less useful than repeating this drop test every few months. Reseal when a line starts to darken and absorb the water.
What if some lines bead and others soak in?
That is common, because sealer wears unevenly, fastest where the spray hits and near the floor. You can reseal only the lines that failed. Many people do the whole wall at once so the protection and the color stay even.
Full transcript
Is your shower grout sealed? Drip water on it. Pick a dry grout line and place a few drops right on it. Wait about five minutes, then look closely at the drops. Beads? Still sealed. Dark and soaking in? Time to reseal.