Ceramic, porcelain or glass tile can all add charm or elegance to your home. It comes in just about any size, shape and color you could think of. It is one of the most durable building products available today. The one drawback to tile is the grout that seals the joints between tiles, gets dirty or breaks down. In this article we will show you how to clean and repair tile grout.
Whether it’s wall tile or floor tile, it all requires grout that will overtime get dirty, moldy or even start to crumble. While wall grout is much more susceptible to this situation as it is more porous, over time all grout can have this issue.
The Big Clean
Even if you stay on top of things and keep your shower clean, overtime, the grout can still slowly build up dirt, mold and soap scum. To clean your tile grout you will need stiff nylon scrub brush or a scouring pad, and a solution of 50% bleach or vinegar and 50% water and a little elbow grease. If your tile grout still will not come clean you can use a 50/50 mix of muriatic acid and water. If you are using the solution be very safety cautious wearing rubber gloves by protection and ventilating the room.
After going through the steps you find the tile grout is still not clean where you find cracks or holes in it you’ll need to move on to the steps for repairing the grout.
Head over to the Next Page to see How to Repair Tile Grout.
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Grout Removal
The first step is to remove the existing grout from between the tiles. Depending on the amount of damaged grout and the width of the grout joints, there are a few different tools to consider.
For smaller jobs with 1/4-inch or narrower grout joints, you can get by with a grout rake, which is a small hand tool that has a steel blade covered with super-sharp carbide grit. Simply pull the tool along the joints to “rake” out the grout. In most cases you don’t have to remove every bit of grout. Removing about half of the grout is usually sufficient as long as the remaining grout is in good condition.
For larger jobs—say, more than about 30 square feet—or for grout joints wider than 1/4 inch, you need the speed and muscle of an electric tool. There are several motorized tools available for removing grout, including grinders, rotary tools, even reciprocating saws. However, the best tool for DIYers is an oscillating multitool fitted with a carbide-grit grout-removal blade. Because the multitool blade oscillates and doesn’t spin at high speeds, it’s much easier to control than most other tools. Plus, multitools are lightweight and feature compact, easy-grip handles. Say Popular Mechanics.
This video will show you the tools and the proper procedure for removing your grout easily.
Re Grouting
after you’re done removing all the grout from between the tiles, you need to use a shop vac to get up all of the dust and debris. And then do a complete cleaning on your tile, anything left on the tile the grout will stick to, and be hard to get off.
Now that you have all the grout removed and cleaned up, you need to install new grout. The video below will walk you through the steps to properly grout tile.
If you have any questions please leave us a comment below.