Halp! The grout is setting too fast.
December 9, 2013 7:19 AM   Subscribe

Started a mosiac project and now I need the grout to stop setting.

Weeks ago, we laid out a mosaic backsplash and then stared at it for weeks and then finally glued the pieces down. And waited two more weeks and then finally started grouting it. Took us a while to get the hang of the whole thing and last night we were just overwhelmed so we went to bed without properly cleaning up. So lots and lots of pieces have grout dried on them. I just spent an hour with a toothbrush and a cup of vinegar scrubbing them off, but this is clearly a huge project and there's no way I can finish it right now.

Is there anything I can do to retard the grout setting?

Will I still be able to get it off with vinegar and a toothbrush tonight? Tomorrow?
posted by amandabee to Home & Garden (7 answers total)
 
Overnight? No.
posted by sanka at 7:20 AM on December 9, 2013


Instead of a toothbrush, try a scouring pad or scrub sponge for faster results. I would not recommend letting it sit for another night.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:21 AM on December 9, 2013


so we went to bed without properly cleaning up.

Sadly, this was a big mistake. The grout doesn't just "dry," it goes through a chemical reaction that basically turns it into rock and bonds it to the tile. It will take a stronger acid than household vinegar to remove at this point. The hardware store will have grout haze remover, which is better (get rubber gloves!) but it's still going to be a lot of work.
posted by jon1270 at 7:38 AM on December 9, 2013 [6 favorites]


You want to go to the building supply store and get a series of different scouring pads designed for specifically this purpose. Overnight, the grout is still "green", and with the right scoring pad will come off pretty easily. The longer you wait, the harder this all gets. There is no product to slow down the curing process. There are slow set grouts, but that is something you choose in the first place, not some magical product you add at the end.
posted by rockindata at 8:04 AM on December 9, 2013 [1 favorite]


Get back at it as quickly as possible, don't let it sit and harder further for any long than necessary. Go to your local hardware store, explain to them what the issue is, and get them to help you find a good tile cleaning product and souring pad.

Good luck. I did something similar before and it suuuuuuuuuuucked.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 8:12 AM on December 9, 2013


Response by poster: Okay. Canceling my afternoon appointments.
posted by amandabee at 8:52 AM on December 9, 2013 [1 favorite]


Just make sure whatever you use doesn't scratch the tile. (Like a Green Scotch Brite. Use the blue non-scratch ones.)

I have had luck getting grout out by rubbing it with fresh grout and a sponge.
posted by gjc at 8:46 PM on December 9, 2013


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