Tile and Stone Maintenance

Tag: Grout Colorant

Case Study – Re-Coloured Grout

This month I have another case study, again courtesy of Andrew Titmuss, of Posh Stone Floors

Andrew took on a grout re-colouring job where the client has an existing white glazed tile with a dark grey grout. The client feared that it was not possible and was contemplating the horrors of raking out the grout to re-do with a white.

As most Tilers know, raking out grout can be a nightmare job, consider the following:

 

  1. It takes ages – there is no fast way, by hand takes forever, using a grinder is just too dangerous. There are special oscillating machines that make it easier, but not easy
  2. It is hard work
  3. It is not always possible to get every bit of old grout out – invariably there will be some grout left on the tile edges, and this can show through the new grout
  4. It is messy – it creates lots of dust
  5. It usually results in damage some of  the tiles – almost always a few tiles are scratched or chipped in the process – this makes a great deal more work if spare tiles are available, but often there are no spare tiles and quite often they are no longer available to buy.

 

So a grout recolouring product can be a real problem solver, refreshing the look , making it like new again, giving a uniform and consistent colour and best of all, sealing the grout at the same time.

However there can be challenges and going from a dark grey to a white, is one such challenge. The way around this is to apply two coats, letting the first coat dry before applying the second.

The results speak for themselves though, fresh, clean looking grout joints that are also sealed, oh, and one delighted customer.

Thanks for the photos Posh Stone Floors

Recoloured grout from grey to white

Grey ‘before’ & white ‘after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

close up of recoloured grout

Close Up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grout recoloured

Finished job

 

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.

FAQ’s – How Do I Clean Away Mildew And Mould From My Tile Grout?

The answer to this is relatively straightforward and there are two ways to go. First, if you have a small coating of mould, algae or mildew on your tile grout then you could use a simple tile cleaning product like Shower Tile Cleaner. This should more than do the job for you.

However, if you have a thicker coating of mildew, algae or mould on your tile grout then we’d suggest spraying some diluted household bleach onto the stained areas and leave the bleach on there for at least an hour – always test on a small area first to be safe. Then, rinse it off well using plenty of clean water. This will certainly clean off all the mould for you. If you still have stains left remaining then perhaps you should consider recoloring the grout with Grout Colorant.

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.

FAQ – Can I Change The Colour of My Tile Grout?

The simple answer to this is Yes you can. You need to use a grout colouring product such as Grout Renue ‘N’ Seal. This product can be applied to any grout and it will bond to the grout but not to the tiles themselves. It is very simple to apply and you wash off the excess with just plain water. It can be used on floors, walls and worktops either internally or externally. Grout Renue ‘N’ Seal also effectively seals your grout for up to 15 years for domestic use.

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.

FAQ – How To Clean Grout?

If you only have a relatively small and isolated area of grout to clean then I’d recommend using a product like Grout Deep Clean. This product is ideal for cleaning grout on window sills, floors, walls and on worktops. If you have a larger area of grout to clean then I’d recommend using a product such as Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner because it cleans to a deeper level and will help bring up the grout to a clean condition. If your grout is really badly contaminated then I’d recommend using Grout Colorant which I’ll talk about more about later in this FAQ series.

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.
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