Grout and About - 7 Fixes

We've been grout and about testing tile adhesives lately. Because we've set up a tile sample-making workshop next door we tested various tile adhesives to fix tile samples to our cardboard folders and eventually decided on flexible adhesive which is normally used for mosaics. 

All this gluing led us to thinking about grout. I'm sure you have had customers come in complaining about grout problems. Grout can turn a good-looking tile job into a bad one. Furthermore, no matter how grout is applied, problems can crop up. Fortunately common grout problems are usually easy to fix. For each problem below there's a cause and a solution you can advise your customers to follow. If it is necessary to retile a section, always advise customers to employ a qualified and reputable tiler.

 

Equipment

• Sponge
• Water
• Latex caulk
• Pre-mixed grout
• Grout saw
• White vinegar or speciality grout cleaner
• Stiff bristle brush

1. Fix minor grout cracks. Grout cracks are the most common problem. House settlement or improper underlayment installation usually cause small grout cracks. Minor cracks can be fixed by this process. Run a bead of latex caulk across the width of the entire crack. With your finger push the caulking into the crack. Wipe any extra off the tile with a wet sponge. Sprinkle dry grout onto the caulked area. Use a finger to rub this in. Drip water on the area and blend. With this method if the tile moves again the caulk will stretch to help hide the crack.
2. Fix low grout. Low grout spots are created when the installer wipes to much grout out of the grout joint during installation. To fix, wet the grout with clean water and re-grout, blending the new grout into the old. Wet grout bonds with new grout better than dry will.
3. Fix powdery grout. Soft powdery grout is caused when the installer does not use enough water when mixing the grout. The only solution is to use a grout saw or knife and remove the problem grout. Re-grout these areas with properly mixed grout.
4. Fix pinholes. Grout with pinholes is caused when the installer uses soupy grout. Too much water was used during mixing or the installer left too much water on the joints while wiping. As the grout dried the water evaporated leaving holes. The solution here is to dampen the holes with water and push grout into the holes with a finger. Wipe off extra grout with a damp sponge.
5. Fix discolored grout. New grout that is discolored with dark or dirty looking spots, is caused when the installer added too much water to the grout and then let it sit in the bucket to thicken up. The colorant separated and clumped together, creating uneven color. There are two solutions. The first is to remove bad grout using a grout saw then re-grout. The second is to use a grout stain to even the color. This usually means you have to paint all of the grout.
6. Fix two different colors. If a tile was repaired and the wrong color grout was used you can do one of the following. Remove the wrong color and replace with the new one, blend the new one into the old one, or stain the new grout the right color.
   
   
7. Clean dirty grout. Dirty sanded grout that has not been stained can be cleaned with white vinegar or speciality grout cleaner and a stiff bristle brush like a hard toothbrush.

All the best,
The Link International team, KREM tiles.