If you are unable to clean your grout discoloration or staining to your satisfaction, the next thing to do is re-grout your tile. Don’t panic! Re-grouting your tile is not as difficult as you may think, although it does require some work.
The first thing you have to do is remove all the old grout. While this can be done with a number of tools, the easiest way would be to head on down to Home Depot or the like, and pick up a grout saw like the one to the right. While you’re there you may as well pick up grout, a grout float, and a sponge or two. If you’re using sanded grout, get some rubber gloves as well.
Provided you own a bucket and a source of water, these will be all the items you need to re-grout your tile. All these items should run about $25. Please don’t decide you won’t need the $7 grout saw. You will cost yourself about 300-400 dollars worth of work and stress trying to do it with something else. The most expensive thing you’ll buy is the grout.
Now comes the most difficult part, you have to “saw” the old grout out of the tile. The small blade on the saw has a carbide edge. By placing the saw into the grout line and slowly sawing back and forth, the old grout will turn to powder and fall out of the grout line. Sound easy enough? It is. It is not a difficult thing to do, it’s just time consuming.
Start slowly! I cannot emphasize this enough. Until you get used to how much pressure to use and how to move the saw in such a way as to not chip the tile edge, you need to get a feel for it. While it’s fairly simple in the straight lines, between the two tile corners, you need to be careful of the corners. It is possible to chip the tile edges and corners when you do this. Mostly this is caused by not keeping the blade straight in the grout line, not keeping it parallel.
It should only take you a few minutes to get used to it. If you have sanded grout, such as in larger format tile or on a floor, there is sometimes an additional blade included that looks more like a saw, use that one. You can use either for any type of grout, just use the one that works better for you.
You will need to remove as much of the old grout as you can. Ideally all of it should be removed but you must remove at least 2/3 of it. This is to ensure that the new grout has enough of the tile edge on which to adhere. Take your time, this is the thing that will take the most time. When you’re all done, just vacuum up the grout dust. Take a break and have yourself an adult beverage a Coke.
Now you need to mix up your new grout. Every brand of grout has different mixing requirements. Follow the directions. No, really, follow the directions. The amount you’ll have to mix up varies according to the amount of tile, size of your grout lines, even the thickness of the tile. 
There is really no set amount so it is difficult for me to be able to tell you exactly how much.
A typical shower surround with 6 X 6 tiles will probably use about 1/2 gallon of grout. But I can’t see your shower from here so it may take more. Read the box or bag and just make sure you are buying enough for the amount of tile you have.
Mix all that up and while it is slaking (you read the directions, right?) get yourself a bucket of water with a sponge in it and your grout float ready. Now remix your grout.
Time to grout! Scoop some grout out of your bucket and toss it on the tile. Starting at the bottom of the wall if you’re grouting a shower or in a corner somewhere, force the grout into the grout lines. Again, take your time until you get use to it.
Push the grout down into the lines enough to ensure that the space between the tiles is full. After doing a small area take your float at a 45 degree angle to the tile and run it down along the grout line to smooth it out. Your trying to get the basic look that you want when it’s done. You’ll want the grout lines full but not over-full. The grout should be about flush with the top of the tile. This doesn’t have to be perfect by any means, but you’ll want to “squeegee” off as much access grout as you can. This makes cleaning easier.
Keep on going with this until the first section of grout you did is set up a bit. It should be firm but it should not be changing colors yet. (Grout gets lighter as it sets.)(Umm, except white, it gets darker.) When it gets to that point you want to start cleaning it.
Wring out your sponge very well. If you have too much water in your sponge it will lead to several problems. You will weaken the stability of the grout, you can wash too much of the grout out of the lines, you can even wash the color out of the grout – really. So wring out your sponge very well.
Now just wipe all the excess grout off the tiles. You should not need to scrub it, just wipe it like your cleaning a window. After you get the excess grout off the tile, wring out your sponge and wipe it down along the grout line to smooth it out. Now leave it alone. Really, leave it alone – be patient. Go change your bucket of water with some fresh stuff.
After the initial wipe-down dries you will probably see a grout haze over the top of the tile. Don’t panic, it’s completely normal. Now wipe it down again the same way. Don’t worry, it should be much easier this time. This time, though, you’re more concerned with getting that haze off your tile.
The grout lines should be just fine, you shouldn’t need to do anything else with them. Your main concern is getting the haze to go away. You want to do this now. A day or two later when the grout sets, it will be significantly more difficult to remove. Depending upon the type of tile and the color of your grout, you may need to do this two or three more times. I know, it sucks. Just sing tv show theme songs in your head while you do it, that should keep you amused. I like the Brady Bunch song myself.
The easiest way to get the haze off is to get some microfiber towels. If you use that for your second wipe-down it should take about 90% of that haze off with one wipe-down. That’s worth three bucks for me.
When you’re done stand back and admire your excellent work! Doesn’t that look better? And you even lived through it. Let the grout set for 24 – 48 hours before you take a shower or spill a bucket of water on it. Great job! Go have yourself another adult beverage Coke.
Hi Roger,
Love all the information you give here…thank you!
My question is, I have several places on our floor where the grout is cracked and come completely out so we have some chunks where there is no grout at all. Mostly in front of the sink but also near tile-meets-carpet line. A few other random areas as well.
Do we need to remove the grout from the entire floor or just the areas we want to redo? We have some of the original grout used so the color should match fine if we don’t do the whole floor.
Thanks so much!! Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
You can replace just the areas you need to, but it won’t solve the problem. If your grout is cracking it’s due to either a tile installation issue or an improper substrate issue. The new tile will likely crack eventually as well.
Great advice, but faced with 800 square feet of light colored tile and ugly grout, I bought a little can of paint, an artist brush and painted my sand grout. I steam clean the tile floors and it doesn’t remove the paint.
Hello, I had my kitchen and bathroom tiled, and the contractor who did the tile work, grouted it wiped it off once and took off, never coming back to finish, so the grout is bumpy, not level, and twisted looking where dirt falls into the bad areas and stays there. Can I sand these area of grout to be level so that it can stay cleaner? or can I add more grout? or does all the grout have to come out and be replaced?
I appreciate any help you may have for me.
Also my floor is heated.
Hi Susie,
Yes, you can sand it to even it out. Any place more grout needs to be added will need to be removed to at least 2/3 the depth of the tile. I would have him come back and fix his screw up, but I realize that may not be possible.
Hi,
Have small bathroom I’ve gutted. The original tile floor was plywood, medite, ditra mat, then tile. The ditra & tile came up together, but left much of the fibre backing from the ditra and the thinset residue … inconsistently.
I want to put down new tile … how do I go forward? I’m getting different thoughts from different so called experts. One fellow says to put down a self leveling compound then tile directly over top of that. Another says to fill the voids (maybe 1/8 to 1/4″ hills) then lay down cement board, screwed down every 8″, then lay the tile.
Help?
Thanks!
Sorry … should say that the voids would be filled with thinset …
Hi Bern,
The medite needs to go. For those who don’t know medite is mdf. It is not suitable as a substrate beneath tile. Once you do that you can build up your floor from the plywood in any number of ways, it’s simply a matter of which substrate you choose to use.
Oops, my brain skipped! Or course I meant to direct my question to Roger…apologies
J
No problem George, I’ve been called worse.
Hi Wayne,
I have a walk-in shower in which four 4×4 tiles have come loose and the drywall behind has gotten wet. All the other tiles look fine, and the loose ones are not damaged. I plan a bathroom remodel in 18 months or so but I want to fix it up meanwhile. What would be a fair ballpark to expect someone to charge to repair the damage and regrout the shower stall? Old tiles can be reused?
Thanks
Hi Jason,
Yes, the old tiles should be able to be used. I have absolutely no idea at all what someone may charge where you live. Prices vary greatly across different areas. Even where I live prices are very different – I’m normally the most expensive. You’re asking the wrong guy.
Roger,
My wife and I tiled laid this bathroom floor that is polished marble from the Tile Shop: http://www.tileshop.com/product/productdetail.aspx?familyID=1968&recordID=5040802
In fear that we would leave too much haze on the tile, I am afraid that we tried clean the tile too often with a barely wet sponge after applying the sanded grout, and didn’t allow it to set up enough. We now have a situation where it appears that some grout dried on the surface of our marble floor (it looks like very light/thin layer of mud on the surface).
Within the past few days, (starting 2 days after grouting) we have tried the AquaMix Nano Scrub and later tried the Dupont Heavy duty Stone and Tile Cleaner to no avail. The tile Shop has this info page: http://m.tileshop.com/diy/pdf/problem-solver/Grout_Haze_Removal.pdf but I really think this won’t do anything at this point.
We are afraid it may be ruined and are at the point where I am considering getting attachments for my drill or dremmel that will lightly buff down the surface of the tile and then polish it with a different attachment with a polishing compound?
I don’t know what we should do. Please help!
Hey John,
You can use polishing compound and a buffer. It will normally take it off.
I’ve been inspecting the tiles on my shower floor. Overall condition looks good, except for a few areas that could use some help. I found a tube of Dap Kwik Seal Grout repair that indicates it is good for small interior ceramic and mosaic tile. Do you think this is okay for small repairs (2-3 inches of grout line) on shower floor tiles? Your wisdom is always welcomed.
Hey Sam,
I don’t have any idea what that product is or what it’s supposed to do. The msds sheet seems to be the only information available on it that I can find (other than the marketing spiel). It’s likely very similar to urethane grouts, the ingredients seem to indicate that. If so it should work fine. I would, however, encourage you to attempt to find the reason your grout needs repair – what’s causing the problem. Without fixing that you’re simply covering it up with a band-aid.
Hi, Roger, thanks for the quick feedback. As far as the cause of grout deterioation, would aging due to wear&tear be considered a cause. The shower and my house is 10 years old. No other problems other than old silicone that I can tell.
It may be if it was not properly mixed or installed to begin with, but ten years old? Not normally. It could likely be caused by the use of an acidic cleaner, which are very common with things like lysol, vinegar, stuff like that. I would go ahead and try that product, it may last. If it doesn’t then you aren’t any worse off then now.
Hello,
I had a porclain tiled bathroom shower in the basement it started to leak off and on. I haven’t been able to isolate the leak until now. When I fill the shower pan up with water (not letting it oveflow) it start to leak. Do you think the weep holes in the drain are plugged and/or do you think the water is building up and flowing over the top of the membrane? I had a tile installer put the everything in new. Please let know your thoughts and ideas to repair( hopefully it isn’t tearing it out.)
Thanks for your help.
Dennis
Hey Dennis,
If your shower leaks the only way to properly fix it is to tear it out. Even if the weep holes are plugged it will not cause water to run up and over the liner unless your liner is incorrectly installed. The lowest point that water should be able to run out of your shower is over the top of the curb, every other portion of the liner should be a minimum of three inches above that. So if the weep holes were causing that – water would run out over the curb.
You have an improper seal or a penetration in your shower liner somewhere. If you can track down exactly where that is you MAY be able to remove that area of the shower and repair it, but that is normally more work than replacing the entire shower floor. If you had a tile installer put everything in new then he should be the one repairing it. You CAN NOT cause a leak from above the tile in a properly installed membrane which does not initially leak. It was incorrect to begin with. The only exceptions to that would be a third source like mice chewing through it, a rusted pipe corroding and eating through it, etc.
We had our bathroom redone in 2006. Tiles were blue/white color,grout was dark blue. I’m thinking a cleaning product I used caused some of the grout in the shower area to turn a pink color —does not seem to be mold. What can I do about this unsightly problem ?
Thank you so much,
Susan
Hi Susan,
I don’t know. It’s impossible to tell you how to solve a problem if I don’t know what caused the problem. At that point it becomes simply trial and error. To determine whether the color is simply on the surface take a drywall sanding sponge and lightly sand off the very top layer of a part of your grout. If it goes back to the original color then you can do that with the entire shower. If it doesn’t remove it then it is mold, in which case you’ll need to completely dry out the shower and remove the mold. Or simply remove all the grout, clean the grout lines, let it dry out completely then regrout it.
Hello Roger.. My wife and I just found a water leaking from under our shower stall in our finished basement..Basement ceiling has tin ceiling tiles and I collected a fair amount of the water before it over flowed and was a visible leak.. we pulled the ceiling tile ran the shower sink and toilet while we checked for leaks..Nothing to be found..All we can think of is the bathroom floor tile is grouted and butted right up to our one piece shower stall. There is not step into shower (for wheelchair use) so the tile just outside shower always gets a little wet..There looks to be some degradation to that line of grout and the shower floor..
My question: After re-grouting is there a product made that i can place OVER the new grout/tile and into shower on the floor that will double the protection of any future leaks?
I do thank you
Joe & Mary T
NYC
Hi Joe,
Sorry, there is no product which can be placed over tile to make it waterproof. All of your waterproofing lies in the substrate beneath the tile. If that is not waterproofed (and it doesn’t sound like it is) then it’s gonna leak. The only way to ensure no leaking is to build a waterproof substrate. Since it is a curbless shower then the waterproofing needs to extend a minimum of two feet onto the FLAT plane outside the entrance ramp.
Thank-you Roger for such a quick response..I wont be able to rip up the floor to to build a waterproof substrate (leading into shower). But once I remove the degraded grout to re-grout.. should I first put a bead of silicone in that empty cavity before placing the new grout? Will this help?
Thank you
Joe
Yes, couldn’t hurt at all.
Hi Roger,
The information you provide is wonderful. I had a backsplash done in my kitchen using porcelain 2″ mosiac tile (12″x12″), and the guy used sanded grout. Instead of caulking the 1/8″ -1/4″ space between the granite countertop and end of tile he filled it with grout and said there was no need to caulk around the countertop because the sanded grout is waterproof.
I read on your site that grout is not waterproof, so what should I do? Since he filled in the area it can’t be caulked. Should I spread the caulk on the granite counterop around the wall or just leave it at is? Also, is it ok to use enhancing sealer on porcelain? I want the beige grout to appear darker.
And one more question, I want to use some of the left over tile to make large coasters to rest hot pots on and protect the countertop. Do I have to use grout between the porcelain tiles or will hot glue secure the tiles and not melt from the heat of the pot? Thanks for your help, Roger.
Hi Delores,
The problem with putting grout in that corner rather than caulk is that the grout is likely to crack due to movement between the wall and countertop. You don’t need to worry about it being waterproof enough, that is mainly for large water flow areas like a shower. It’ll keep water out of there. If it does begin to crack you can scrape it out and replace it with silicone. If you put silicone there the grout needs to be removed first.
Yes, you can use an enhancing sealer on porcelain. Hot glue will not melt as long as it is either on the bottom of the tile or toward the bottom of the tile in the seams. You do not need to grout those if you don’t want to.
Hi Roger,
Thank you so much for your reply. I realize that I wasn’t very clear with my first question. I meant that the guy not only grouted the space between the corner of the tile and the countertop but the entire area of the countertop where caulk should have been applied, particulary in front of the sink where water always splashes on the tiles and settles in front of the tiles, my fear is that the water will seap through the sanded grout and into the wall. Based on your answer, it seems that I just have to wait to see if the grout starts cracking (I hope this is years away) and when it does, then remove all of it around the countertop and then apply the silicone caulk. Let me know if I have misunderstood.
One more question, I went to Lowes yesterday to get the enhancing sealer and the sales guy said that the porcelain tile I bought from them is already sealed, so he told me to buy grout sealer in the bottle with the brush and just apply it to the grout lines. Since the tile is already sealed should I not use the enhancing sealer, and will the regular grout sealer darken the beige color of the grout? Roger, Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, I just want to do things right going forward because obviously the contractors are cutting corners at the expense of the customers.
The amount of water splashing onto a grout line around a sink will normally always evaporate before it reaches the substrate. It will soak into the grout, but not enough to force it to reach the substrate before it dissipates.
Yes, porcelain tile is sealed by the glaze. The enhancing sealer won’t do anything to it, including coating it. The good news is … the enhancing sealer won’t do anything to it, including coating it. You can get grout sealer with the brush and just do the grout lines, which takes forever and is a huge pain in the ass, or you can get the enhancing sealer, spray it on the entire installation, and wipe it off. Which will seal your grout, not affect the porcelain, and take 1/10 of the time and effort.
Your choice.
I don’t know if the enhancing sealer will darken your particular grout or not. It’s normally about a 50/50 chance. Depends on the grout, brand, color, etc. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s not necessarily made for that. No product is.
Roger,
Thank you soooooo much for the helpful information and taking the time to explain the details! You also have a great sense of humor.
I will definitely get the enhancing spray to seal the grout and then start enjoying my kitchen!
Have a great holiday!!!
What a great resource! Thanks!
I recently hired a handyman to retile my bathroom floor. He put in white 2″ hexagonal tiles and a light grey “prism” grout (based on the rec at the tile place). He put on a sealer but he didn’t wait 48 hours as I just read was suggested on the sealer bottle, and I don’t think he put enough on. The grout color is much darker than I was hoping for – certainly darker than it was the day he tiled and grouted it – and after a week of my family walking on it, it already looks dirty, coloring darker in some places than others. It also seems as though the grout isn’t as thick or quite up to the level of the tile in some places. I’m thinking I should just add another layer of grout on top myself now that I understand the process (I could ask him to do it again, but if he didn’t do it well the first time….). Do you recommend this? Will I have to dig out the grout as much as I would have to if it were old grout?
Thanks for any thoughts.
Hey Julia,
If he’s already installed a sealer on it you’ll need to remove the grout to regrout. New grout will not bond to it. The ‘splotchiness’ (I just made that a word – add it to your dictionary…) could be due to not enough time before sealing, inconsistent or incorrect mixing or slaking of the grout, too much or too little water, using too much water to clean (problem with prism grout). Or it could just be the grout itself, prism is made by the same company that makes polyblend – the bastard child of grouts.
However, if there are low spots and inconsistent heights it’s likely ‘installer error’.
I have a full bathroom; sink, commode & shower all in one rectangular room – no shower door, just all open. The entire room; walls, ceiling and floor are covered in the same white 2×2 tiles with ‘grey’ grout. Its very dated looking (80’s) and I want to freshen it up.
Should I just have the whole room sprayed a white laquer or remove the old grout and re-grout again?
Thank you. Claire
Hi Claire,
If you like the white laquer look do that (It needs to be done by a tub or tile refinishing company, it’s not simply laquer). Removing and replacing all that grout will be a seriously labor intensive task. It would actually be easier to remove and replace all the tile.
So, I think I made a mistake on the grout. I used the silicone you recommended for the edges and the movement line. How do I get it off the tile? I tried removing it immediately but I kept messing up the grout line and had to smooth that again. So I eventually gave up and left it alone. But now I have silicone grout on my tile.
Hey Janet,
A razor scraper usually works well. If all else fails home depot and most hardware stores have a liquid product to remove silicone – it essentially melts it (chemically) so you can just wipe it off.
Hey there I have a question for you and I hope you can help. We currently moved into a house that has been redone. Right now there is a musty smeill (mildew/mold) coming from the master shower. Once you open the shower door you are hit with this smell and it is actually seeping through into the next bedroom since it is on the other side of the shower wall. If you put your nose up to the shower drain it smells like the odor is coming from there. I had a plumber come out and fill the shower with water and he came out 2 days later and the water level dropped maybe a 1/4 of an inch, but it was nothing drastic. Next thing the plumber said to do was to probably regrout the master shower. I do have hairline cracks in part of the grout, but i would think if it was something major then all the water would have leaked through in those 2 days it was plugged. I have read your grouting directions, but before i start do you have any tips/tricks/ideas as to what that smell could be and how do i get rid of it. Is regrouting going to solve my problems. The smell sometimes gets overwhelming and I really need to get rid of it. I poured bleach down the drain let it sit for hour and that did not get rid of the smell. I could even smell the bleach in the other bedroom. I am at a loss and I thought the plumber would have been able to help me more. PLEASE HELP.
Hey Allon,
It is likely mold growing in the substrate behind the tile. You wouldn’t notice any significant amounts of water (or water levels dropping) but once an improper substrate gets wet and begins to grow mold and mildew it doesn’t take a whole lot of water to allow it to spread. Do you know what type of substrate and waterproofing (if any) is on the walls? If it’s just drywall then that is likely your problem. It doesn’t need to be coming from your pan, water will always get behind your tile and grout. The fact that you have hairline cracks is indicative of water in the substrate causing it to expand. Regrouting will not solve the problem. the bottom portion of the wall substrate and tile needs to be replaced.
Hi Roger,
Your site is great! Wish I had found it long ago.
I need to regrout, or fix SEVERAL areas of damaged and “disappearing” grout on the shower floor in our house (built in 1971). Unfortunately, the tile pattern is INSANE! There are about a bajillion small tiles in many different shapes to make a recurring “flower” like pattern with 90° straight lines between patterns about every 3 inches. The grout space between tiles varies from 0 to ~1/8″. A grout saw is out of the question for the intrapattern shapes and narrow grout lines.
I worked with a dremel tool and grout removal bit for three days and only got about 20% of the grout removed (to 2/3rds depth – heard that somewhere else, too), before I had to stop, for reasons of my sanity.
Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated, even if it means retiling the floor!
I had seriously considered setting the place on fire and collecting the insurance after the three days of degrouting hell and realizing I had only completed a small fraction of the job.
Hey Wayne,
The dremel is about the fastest way you’ll be able to do an installation like that. Retiling may actually be a better option, it likely wouldn’t take as long and you’d be a whole lot saner for it.
Can I have a picture of that? I know, I ask weird questions too, you guys aren’t the only ones that get to do that.
You can upload it here: FloorElf Picture Upload Page Thanks.
Roger,
Thanks for your rapid response. I uploaded a couple of pics as you requested. To get an idea of size, each “square” is about 3-1/2″. Everything slopes toward the drain, so they got that part right (no standing water after showering). In the crawl space under the house, there are definite signs of leakage under the shower floor, as seen by some water spots on the plywood under the shower, but nothing appears to be rotted or warped, yet.
You mentioned that retiling might be the better way to go. That would be a complete learning process for me. Because of the slope, I imagine there’s something under the tiles that shapes the slope (sand, maybe?). I don’t know (can’t see) if there’s any rubber membrane or the likes thereof. I don’t even know how I’d get the old tiles up without destroying what’s underneath (or maybe I’d have to). Because of the slope, would I have to go with small square tiles, or could I use something a little larger (to save time & effort)? Should I you epoxy grout, and if so, what’s a good brand (oh wait, I think I already saw that when looking into the re-grouting)?
If you have pages on your site that help answer these tile-dummy type questions, please give a link to them in your reply. Again, thanks for any advice you can provide.
That is quite the job you have there.
I really would redo it, especially considering the signs of water damage. There is probably just deck mud sitting on top of the floor, not actually bonded to it. It will NORMALLY be able to be broken out fairly easily. To create a shower floor from scratch you can read through the creating a shower floor series. You would have to use smaller mosaics due to the slope. I use Laticrete spectralock, you can read about using that here: Spectralock epoxy grout
Additionally I have full manuals available which describe the building process from start to finish in the Library.
Roger,
I just moved into an older house (1962) that has had two additions made to it over the years. One of the additions included adding a small bathroom with a shower stall instead of a tub. The shower floor is made up of 4″ x 4″ tiles set tightly together. There is no grout between the tiles. I know, because I got down on hands and knees to scrub the tile thinking there was mold or dirt between them. My question to you is this, can I grout the floor with unsanded grout before anyone uses it? Or do you think there may be some underlying water seepage going on that would not allow the grout to set properly? I’m fairly handy, but ripping up tile seems a little out of my league. Fortunately, I’m renting, so If you think the tile issue can’t be solved with grout, I’ll have to get the landlord involved. By the way, the shower drain cover is loose, so I do plan to replace it, too. Thanks for your help!
Hi Ciara,
You can grout it if you want. There shouldn’t be any reason regular grout would not set up – it’ll cure underwater. Seriously. No reason not to grout it.
Roger,
I think you answered my first question, how long after I grout before I can use the shower? We had a fiberglass tub and surround before, but we had it took out and a cast iron tub put in. Then I tiled the surround with porcelain tile. I will be grouting this weekend. We always wiped the shower surround down with the towel after a shower to help keep it clean. So if I wait 48 hours after I grout before taking a shower will it be ok to wipe down the tiles with a towel or would a squeegee be better? I didn’t want to mess the grout up. Also, do you know anything about a product by The Tile Doctor called Grout Admix? Our local tile store recommends it to add to the grout when you mix it to “seal and protect in one step”. It supposed to make it so you don’t have to seal the grout later on down the road because you’ve already sealed it with the product. Thanks for all your help,
Rusty
Hey Rusty,
You can usually use the shower 24 hours after you grout. You can wipe the shower down with a towel or a squeegee, either is just as good as the other. They both get the excess water off the tile and neither will mess up your grout. I have not used that particular mixing agent but they are all essentially the same – grout boost, grout admix, etc. All of them are latex-based liquid which ‘seals’ your grout when cured. I’ve heard they work just fine, I don’t use them. I also heard they are a pain to work with (some of them) but do what they are supposed to do. If you use one use it because you want what it offers, not because it is ‘recommended’ by your tile store – they wanna sell stuff, no? Also be sure to follow the directions to the letter with whichever product you choose, no shortcuts with that stuff.
Hi Roger,
We finally got our tiles down (not perfectly, but close enough) and I grouted last night. I think I made some boo-boos Athough I read for hours about grouting, apparently I need to be told with exact specifics down to the microsecond or I’m going to goof something. This morning, my grout was inconsistent in color. It was earth color from home depot, and it looks lighter than I remember from the store, plus I have light spots in different areas all over the floor. When I mixed my grout, it was pretty thick (I watched Ask the Builder on youtube and saw his consistency, which was thicker than peanut butter). Maybe it was too thick, I don’t know. I waited about 5 minutes for the first sponging (maybe should have waited longer?). I wrung my sponge so hard that I felt like I had carpal tunnel 1/4 through the floor. I tried to go very lightly, just smoothing the grout, then cleaning up the tile. Then I waited about 20 minutes while doing another section and went back for the second cleaning (was that too soon?). I didn’t try to mess with the grout lines since they looked fine, I concentrated on wiping the tile. However, I did wipe across the lines as I was doing it. I then went back after doing more tile and did a third wipe, again concentrating on the tile. I was worried about the haze because every site says it’s so hard to get off. On some areas, I may have done a 4th wipe. I’m guessing I overcleaned, but I did make sure the sponge was as wrung out as I could get it.
So my question is how do I know if I need to rip out all that grout? Do I only need to remove it if it’s crumbly or something? What should it feel like? And if it’s firm and not cracked, will a color enhancer even out the color, or will it just leave me with darkened grout that is still unevenly dark? I read about grout stains, and I’m wondering if that would be better than an enhancer for uneven coloring. Of course, I might just ruin everything with that too. By the way, my tile is porcelain.
Hi Renea,
The grout should feel like concrete – that’s what it basically is. Let me guess – polyblend? I hate polyblend, it’s inconsistent. It has a habit of discoloring if you get water near it.
A color enhancer may or may not work, I honestly couldn’t tell you. If the problem is too much water for the grout then it might work. Most grout ‘stains’ are not actually stains, they are more like a paint which will leave a layer of color on top of the grout. I think they look like crap.
Try to scratch one of the lighter areas with your fingernail and see if it is darker beneath the top layer. If it is you may be able to take a drywall sanding sponge and lightly sand off the very top layer of grout (actually efflorescence) and get it all to look the same. I would try that first. If that doesn’t work try the color enhancer.
Thanks Roger. Yes, it was unfortunately polyblend. I’ll try those suggestions. When we get to the shower, I had been planning on epoxy grout to hopefully prevent mildew ruined grout lines. Does the Home Depot epoxy grout have the same problem? We went with a supposed dark color grout for the floors, and we will be doing the same for the shower. I’m willing to risk a color difference by going with a different brand if it means I won’t ruin the entire job with the wrong grout.
I read in one of your posts somewhere that epoxy dries faster and we could put half in the freezer to extend our working time. My fear is with the clean up using epoxy grout. I don’t want to overwipe, but if epoxy is so hard, then surely it makes the haze even worse to get off. So do you have some tips for when to start cleaning and how to avoid the haze with epoxy?
Thanks!
Hi Renea,
I have not used the CEG grout they are currently hawking. I use spectralock and honestly don’t see myself changing that – ever. Unfortunately I really can’t speak to the ease of cleaning nor the durability of HD’s epoxy. If you choose to use spectralock it does clean very easily provided you FOLLOW THE CLEANING INSTRUCTION TIMES and use the cleaning packets included with the kits. It cleans up very nicely and has an 80 minute working time. It’s also sold in smaller units so you don’t usually need to only use half at a time and freeze the other – 80 minutes is a lot of time while grouting. I would use spectralock on it but that isn’t a knock against the CEG – I simply haven’t used it but I do know the spectalock is easy to work with.
Hey Roger,
I have a question about grout color. I have done 2 different tile jobs around my house and selected 2 different grout colors. After the grout has dried, it is no where near the color of the sample. The first was supposed to be a gray color grout, but ended up looking almost white. It ended up matching up okay with my tile so I let it go. Now I have tiled and grouted my bathroom floor and shower with a grout that was supposed to be a brown color. Now that it is dry it too looks a lot lighter in color than the sample. I squeezed nearly all the water out of the sponge when I wiped the walls down, so I don’t think I wahed the color away. Is this a common problem? I realize that I should have made a sample of the grout before doing the entire floor, but that is in the past now. Any type of grout sealers that you know of that would darken the grout? Thanks for any help.
Hey Brian,
Cementious grouts are temperamental – there are a couple of things that could have affected the color. Water – you’ve already stated that you squeezed all the water out of the sponge but really ‘hard’ water may leave mineral deposits on the surface of the grout after it dissipates. Also mixing too much water in the mix may wash the color down a bit. Excess or hard water are the two most common factors. It could also be ‘old’ grout that has been sitting on the shelf for years – grout actually has a shelf life. The date of manufacture should be on the bag. Not following the installation instructions to the letter can also cause miscolored grout (especially if it’s polyblend grout).
A tile and stone ‘enhancing’ sealer will normally darken the grout lines to a consistent color. Make sure you test it in a small area first but that should darken them a bit for you.
Me again…the girl with the never ending questions! I’m looking to seal my grout lines with a product that will keep them the color they are when they are wet (light grey when dry, darker grey when wet). Is there a product you recommend? Is there specific wording I can look for when choosing a product that points to this being the effect that it will have?
Hey Kathryn,
You want what is called an ‘enhancing’ sealer. It will make the grout as well as the tile look like it does when it’s wet.
Hi!
So we’ve moved on to grouting the tile we put up as our shower walls. A concern that has come up. The grout lines in the back wall looks much wider than the lines on the two shorter walls. We did the back wall first and didn’t wipe as much of the grout out, I believe. The tiles are all spaced the same. The tiles have an edge that goes down on a bit of slope before becoming square, so it seems that the back wall has grout pretty much level with the top edge and the side walls have grout to the bottom part of the slope. I much prefer the side walls (smaller grout lines, more of a clean look because the tiles are also textured) and would like everything to look the same. Is there any way to fix this without having to remove and re-grout the entire back wall? Partly, I think you are going to have to give me the bad news that there isn’t, however because the grout would be much thinner where the slope is (as opposed to between the actual tiles), I’m hopeful that there is some remedy that you can explain! Thanks!
Hi Kathryn,
You can get some drywall sponges – the black or dark gray ones in the drywall section – and sand those grout lines down in the back wall until they’re the size you want. The sponges will better conform to the shape of the grout lines with the tile edges. Give that a try – that should work for you.
Awesome…thanks! I will try that tomorrow. I was just worried about compromising the stability of the grout by starting to screw around with it. Your answer makes me very happy! Use it dry, I presume?
One more question…my husband did not quite get all the grout off some of the tiles (they are textured)…not big gobs or anything, but there is obviously grout in some of the more textured areas. Can I also try sanding the spots to get them out…or is there a better way?
I’ve been able to take care of the grout spots on the tiles with vinegar, for the most part. I tried the drywall sanding sponges today and it works great. However, I have 30 sq. ft. of tile that I have to do this to. Is there a electric sanding tool that I could use as an alternative? I’ve done 4 sq. ft and my arm is about to fall off!
Hey Kathryn,
I never said it was gonna be easy.
If you can get a hold of one of those specialty sanders that have a “u” shaped sanding head that may work for you. I would be careful with any type of rotating tool with a sanding head (like a dremel or rotozip) as it may damage the tile too easily.
Okay, thanks! I figured that the best (and really the only) way to do this is by hand, but I had to ask!