Truck Mount Forums and Dirty Grout Forum, are excited to announce the affiliation of membership and resources. Dirty Grout is the fastest growing grout community in the Hard Surface Cleaning Industry and Truck Mount Forums is the fastest growing Carpet Cleaning & Water Restoration Forum in the industry. Both forums had around 2,300+ registered members and now combined both forums have a total of 4,600+ members each. Now united, TMF & DG offers their members a one stop shop for all things Tile and Grout, Carpet Cleaning, Water Restoration, Marketing, Articles, Ratings & Reviews, Photo/Video Galleries, Supplies, Blogs and even a arcade to give your mind a break.

Both Forums will continue to utilize their own unique, dedicated Administration and Moderation teams, but members will now have the facility to log into either Forum using their own Login/Password on each Forum. Dirtygrout.com & TruckMountForums.com is the largest, original and leading online resource for the Stone, Tile and Grout Cleaning, Carpet Cleaning and Water/Fire Restoration Industry. Whether you are a beginner or an industry veteran, you will find amazing information, advice and resources right here. Both forums offer a new and exciting way to take your company to higher profits. Find answers to your business questions with lightning speed! Free information on marketing, repairs, bookkeeping, modifications, instructional videos, product ratings and reviews!

Dirtygrout.com & TruckMountForums.com are more than the most comprehensive forum or message board in the industry. We are an online magazine that provides articles written by some of the biggest leaders in the industry, interviews of fellow professionals, product reviews, helpful business tips two online stores where you can purchase marketing materials, forms, products, sales letters and a whole lot more. If you are considering starting a Cleaning, Restoration Business or growing your existing business, we welcome you to look around, join our FREE forum, read through over 100,000+ past posts, ask questions, or provide help to others. We have the most focused forums with some of the most helpful and friendly members in any industry.

For more information on TruckMountForums:
http://www.truckmountforums.com
http://supplies.truckmountforums.com
TruckMountForums
Virginia Beach VA 23464
757.268.1094

For more information on DirtyGrout
http://www.dirtygrout.com
http://www.dirtygrout.com/store/
http://
Dirty Grout
New Jersey 07005
973-669-8563

If you would like to be interviewed, please contact us at dirtygrout@yahoo.com

Not only is it a great way tell us more about you, but you can use the interview as a bonus on your website by linking to your article and letting your current and potential clients know that you have been interviewed by the Leading Stone, Tile and Grout Cleaning Industry Resource.

Our goal was to turn DirtyGrout.com into an online Magazine for the Stone, Tile and Grout Cleaning industry. We will be uploading articles, interviews, videos, tips, news, etc in the future.

We hope many of you will use this site as more then just a forum. We want you to use it as your resource for everything related to the stone, tile and grout cleaning industry. If you have an idea, industry news, an article or story you want to share, please let us know.

In the mean time, take a look around. We hope you like what you see. A few things will still be tweaked over the next few weeks and if you notice anything weird or not working, let us know.

Thank you all,

The DirtyGrout Team

“Should we or shouldn’t we Color Seal?”

This question has been asked for years by and between service providers, installers, tile stores, interior decorators, customers and everyone else involved with tile & grout installation and/or maintenance.  However, not until recently has it been such a hot topic among the above groups.

Opinions vary greatly for a number of reasons, but the single greatest reason is not knowing enough about the process and products.  When grout stains and colorants were first introduced, their main purpose was to correct color issues.  The marketing of these products and their primary purposes were to correct grout color problems.  The only time these products were looked at or considered was after a problem arose.  Typically, the customer would complain after a floor was installed.  It could have been because the entirely wrong grout color w

as installed or the correct color may have been used, however, it may have dried lighter or darker for a variety of reasons.   At that point the tile store/installer was left with a disgruntled customer and a problem to fix.  They could regrout the surface or look for a grout stain, dye, colorant to correct the issue.  Before these processes became more “main stream” both of these options were very labor intensive and messy.  Over the years, regrouting has taken a backseat to coloring to solve these problems.

In addition, about 10 years ago, tile & grout cleaning and restoration started becoming more popular.  The largest segment of service providers to enter this market was carpet cleaning companies.  At the time, the chemicals available for cleaning tile & grout, were not as developed as they are today and many companies used excessive pressure to clean the surface.  One of my first ColorSeal sales was about 10 years ago to one of the largest carpet cleaning companies in the country.  The CEO of that company was intrigued by ColorSeal since it would reduce their need to use excessive high-pressure while attempting to clean.  He also liked the fact that the final results (perfect grout) could be guaranteed in advance.  A market was born!

Today, as I travel the county doing trade-shows and trainings, I open each phone book in every market I visit.  I am still amazed by the growth of our industry.  More and more people are entering the tile & grout restoration business and colorsealing is a main part of many of their businesses.  I still talk with service providers who are only using ColorSeal to satisfy a customer whose floor they could not clean to a satisfactory level.  Still more companies are being pro-active and offering their customers ColorSeal as an added service from the get-go.  This allows them to set their customer’s expectations appropriately for their cleaning and offers their customers the ultimate of uniform grout color and protection, if they select that option.

This is a very general overview and cannot possibly go into all of the technical advances that have been made with grout colorants and stains over the years.  I find it very interesting to look at the development of this market segment and product over the last ten years.  Taking a product/concept that was developed for one purpose and making it even better and using it to open up an entirely new market is interesting and exciting.  I believe that grout ColorSeal will become even more mainstream as time goes on as more and more service providers are educated and trained on the products and proper application methods.  Our local service company still applies ColorSeal to solve installation problems, but a majority of our business is newly installed floors that want the added protection ColorSeal offers, as well as aged floors whose owners want them to look new again.

In conclusion, if you are serious about offering this service, the benefits to you and your customers are overwhelming.  Making ColorSeal an option for your customers, up-front, will not only provide you a larger sale, but will also protect you in the instance they select clean only and are not satisfied with the results.  Best of luck to everyone as we continue to develop and grow in this exciting marketplace.

About the Author…

Nino DiVincenzo, is a partner in the Grout Perfect service operation located in Cleveland, Ohio. The business was started almost 10 years ago and has been growing ever since. In addition, Nino also works with Grout Perfect Distribution to provide sales support, technical support and customer service. Nino lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Heidi, step-son Reilly (14), and daughters Francesca (5) and Elizabeth (3). His pastimes, outside of restoring grout, include golf, soccer and relaxing with friends and family.  For more information, please go to www.GroutPerfect.com

Pre-Inspection:
Before any cleaning, always do a thorough pre-inspection of the floor.  You will need to check for topical coatings, previously applied grout colorants, loose, broken or chipped grout and tiles.

Pre-Test:
Always test all cleaning solutions in an inconspicuous area.  Different solutions may act differently on different types of floors.  To break down grease, oil and soil build-up, an alkaline based cleaning solution is best to start with.

Protect all surfaces not to be cleaned as well as walls, cabinets, furniture and appliances.

Pre-Treat:
Mix cleaning solution with hot water in a five gallon pail.  Spread cleaning solution with a mop on a manageable size area.  Using a pump up sprayer increases the risk of getting solution on cabinets, appliances and walls.  Mopping also allows better saturation of grout and tile.

Agitate:
Agitate area with a scrub brush, rotary floor machine, deck brush or grout brush.  This will help break up grease and dirt build up and allow cleaning solution to get into the grout and tile.  Agitation is key to breaking down soils.

Dwell:
Allow cleaning solution to dwell for 15-30 minutes.  If solution starts to dry, apply more solution to the surface.

Rinse:
Clean, neutralize and rinse floor with either a Turbo type of system, portable or shop vac.

Post-Inspection/
Re-Treat:
Inspect floor for any remaining soil or staining.  If any, an acid wash will work best for a final treatment.  As always pre-test acid solution in an inconspicuous area.  Many topical spots on the grout can also be removed by lightly scraping off a thin layer of grout.

Dry:
Towel dry surface and place an air mover across floor to completely dry floor and prevent any water marks.

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