by Sheryl Young
Greg Lynch started his Sir Grout® franchise in Lutz two years ago. His company’s specialty is cleaning and sealing the grout in tile floors and backsplashes.
Lynch was in the insurance business for 18 years, after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from New Hampshire College in Manchester (now called Southern New Hampshire University). So how did he end up taking this step?
“The company I had been working for transferred me here to Florida,” he says. “When the economy started failing, their business became unstable, so I started exploring for other things to do.”
While looking into having the floors in his own home done, Lynch came upon the Sir Grout® franchise. Other grouting companies were beginning to offer multiple related services to stay afloat as the economy foundered, but he wanted someone who was remaining a grouting expert.
Although Sir Grout (originally called Grout MD) outlets can do caulking, sandless wood refinishing and stone cleaning and refinishing, Lynch has made a specialty out of sticking with kitchen and bath tile floor grout cleaning and sealing.
“Grout cleaning and sealing is my bread and butter,” Lynch says. “I steam clean showers and reseal granite countertops, but I want to specialize in this one thing, and do it the best.”
He works with two full-time employees and one part-time. They do jobs in Lutz, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and neighboring communities all around the Tampa Bay area.
Lynch believes that what makes Sir Grout® different is that the franchisees use a color sealant specifically made for the company, and they apply it by hand.
Another advantage to Sir Grout’s sealant is that it prevents grout from staining as it gets older. This is the most common complaint about grout, especially in high-traffic areas that don’t get cleaned often enough and become permanently stained.
“Builder-grade grout doesn’t have a long-lasting sealant,” Lynch explains. “Although there are some made of a Teflon substance, most grouts are silicone-based spray sealants. Since grout is porous, it seeps inside and is absorbed by the grout, instead of settling on top and protecting the grout.”
Lynch also gives an example of how he goes about cleaning and sealing the grout on tile floors:
“We use a cleaner with a special brush that scrubs the surface dirt out and shoots hot steam between the tiles. We then scrub the floors, which both agitates the cleaner and extracts the dirt.”
Lynch and his team will then apply the sealant, and they’ll even get down on the floor with a toothbrush to make sure it is thoroughly applied into the grout before being sealed.
Then, they will buff the floor twice to remove any remnants of the sealant from the tile. Lynch says that the average job takes five to six hours, but it will make the tile and grout look pretty much brand new.
“And once the sealant is down, it dries in only 12 to 15 minutes,” Lynch adds. “The customer can walk on their floor after only 15 minutes, while other products can take as long as two hours to dry fully.”
There’s a video on the Sir Grout® website that shows the five steps done to make this happen.
Some sealant is clear only, but the Sir Grout® sealant comes in many colors. A customer can pick a color to match or coordinate with the color of their tile. The sealant dries on top of the grout, forming a protective shield over the grout without soaking in or leaving exposed areas.
Lynch’s Sir Grout franchise is listed on AngiesList.com as a “guaranteed reliable company.” He feels, although some people may think his prices are comparatively a little high, that they will love the service and results they get — and will not need to repeat it as often.
Ron Gibbs found Sir Grout on Angie’s List. “The tile in our entry way had two different shades of grout color,” he says. “Some of the tile is fairly new, but there was also some eight-year-old tile. I knew that just cleaning it wouldn’t solve that issue.”
Gibbs says that his call was returned promptly and that Lynch came to his house and explained that he could clean the grout and then use the color seal method to make it all look brand new.
“The real test was when my wife came home,” Gibbs says. “She was very pleased and agreed that even the old tile looked like new again.” He says that the work done was thorough and looked exactly as it was described — and that the price was reasonable.
“I will talk to customers about our prices and why our competition may come in with a lower bid,” Lynch says. “People may think they can get a better price from a company that will give them a cost for a twice-a-year job, but I stand by what Sir Grout® charges to get it right the first time. You get what you pay for.”
Catch Greg this summer, and you can receive $50 off his services.
Eco-Friendly & Better For People With Allergies
Due to more families wanting to be ecologically friendly to the environment, and being aware of what can cause many allergies today, more people are pulling up carpet and are turning to tile floors. “To help in this, all of our products are acid-free and allergy-resistant,” Lynch explains.
He adds that the cleaner Sir Grout® uses is “Ph-neutral.” Ph balance is the proper balance of “potential of hydrogen” in human bodies. In order to be healthy, a body must have the right measure of acid and alkaline ions in the blood. Lynch assures that Sir Grout’s cleaners are Ph neutral – meaning they won’t throw our Ph balance off.
Greg and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 16 years. The couple met shortly after being transferred here. They live in Lutz and have two great kids. “Our son is 14 and our daughter is 13,” the proud dad says. “He plays baseball and she does step-dancing.”
Their son has a friend with Juvenile Diabetes (JD), so Lynch says that, “our family goes on walks for JD every year. I also have a family member with Asperger’s Syndrome, and I try to raise awareness about this, too.”
Asperger’s is a type of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) that can involve delays in development of skills, ability to socialize with others, communication and imagination.
“People with Asperger’s can be highly functioning individuals performing many types of jobs,” Lynch says. “In many cases, like my relative’s, they simply do better with a set routine to accomplish on a regular basis. They’re also often a lot more verbal than in many cases of autism (another PDD).”
Contact Greg Lynch for Sir Grout® services at 948-2488. See the step-by-step video mentioned above at SirGrout.com, and some great customer testimonials specifically about Greg’s franchise at SirGrout.com/location/florida/hillsborough-county.
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