The Evolution of ColorSeal

“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