The white grout . . . not such a good idea.

September 24, 2007 8:13 AM

My bathroom was redone with a nice tile floor a couple of years ago. Stupidly, I ignored the contractor's suggestion to avoid white grout on the floor.

Because I am stupid. The grout is always filthy-looking, even when I've just scrubbed it. I would like to color it.

Is it possible to (a) dye the existing grout, which is in good shape, without coloring the adjacent tiles, or (b) add a layer of colored grout over the top of the existing grout? I'd like to change it to a nice dark grey. (I'll still clean it, I swear, even if it hides dirt.)

Also, can I do this myself? Any expert instructions very welcome, and my guests thank you in advance.

posted by theredpen to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Best answer: Have you tried buying a product that specifically is meant to clean grout? I had the same problem you describe and bought a bottle of grout cleaner for about $30 at Home Depot. Before using the cleaner, I had tried all sorts of cleaners I had around the house - Mr Clean, vinegar, bleach - and nothing gave the results of the grout cleaner.

After cleaning, I applied a few coats of grout cleaner and they still look very good after almost 6 months.

I had researched redyeing and saw many mentions of this product http://www.groutdye.com/ but ended up happy with the cleaning and resealing.
posted by jeffmik at 8:35 AM on September 24, 2007

I'm not an expert, but I have regrouted (wall not floor) and it wasn't too difficult. Taking out some of the old grout first (I used a small screwdriver, but you want to be careful not to scratch the tiles, assuming they're at all scratchable) was a bit of a pain, but I've done worse jobs. It might depend a bit on the nature of the old grout, I suppose.

Putting the new grout in is a piece of cake and really gratifying. As you probably know, you just fill the cracks, smearing as much as you like, then wipe off before the new grout is fully dry. New grout makes your tiles look brand new, which is great.
posted by Phanx at 8:42 AM on September 24, 2007

So I have two routes for you to go:

The cleaning route.

or...

The dye route.

This 'This Old House' article mentions grout dye being used:

...you could do what Joe Ferrante's wife, Ellen, did when she wanted to change the look of her tiled foyer floor: Use a grout dye. Applied with an artist's paintbrush, one line at a time, only the grout , not the glazed tile, absorbed the dye. Joe admits that the change looks terrific and that the application was much easier than removing the old grout. "But I wouldn't do it for a million bucks," says Joe. "It's too much like painting, which I hate. I do tile."
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 8:48 AM on September 24, 2007

We just grouted a floor and bought a sealer that my wife painted on the grout lines with a small paint brush. It's supposed to keep the grout from getting dirty. I'll have to wait until we get through the winter to see if it works but it's been clean for a month and a half of heavy traffic but it hasn't rained much.
posted by any major dude at 8:52 AM on September 24, 2007

Sorry I didn't read your full post. I'm an ass. -- or maybe a boob. But either way, this video makes it look pretty painless. Sorry, never dyed grout myself.
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 8:55 AM on September 24, 2007

I just applied grout cleaner to my kitchen tile grout, which was in terrible shape. It worked much, much better than hydrogen peroxide, bleach or baking soda (don't mix any of those). I highly recommend it. I went with a heavy duty grout cleaner from Home Depot.
posted by acoutu at 9:07 AM on September 24, 2007

Response by poster: B(oYo)BIES -- no assage or boobage that I could see. In fact I am having trouble not marking everyone's as best answer, as this is all very helpful and great information.

I welcome additional anecdotal information -- thank you all very much. I'm leaning towards the dye route per jeffmik's link, but sealer sounds attractive as well. I might try doing the closet half-and-half and seeing how they work.
posted by theredpen at 9:08 AM on September 24, 2007

If you regrout, use epoxy grout instead of cement-based grout. The problem with cement is that it retains moisture, and moisture combined with the porous surface of grout means that mold and staining is very hard to prevent. Epoxy grout is impervious to moisture. It is used in commerical applications, like busy pools. It is not much harder to work with, especially on a floor. It will cost 2X more, but the price of your grout is nothing compared to the labour of upkeep a lower qualtiy grout.

http://www.epoxysystems.com/224.htm
posted by mediaddict at 10:49 AM on September 24, 2007

How much floor are we talking about? If you decide to regrout, rather than going the screwdriver route (which might not be too bad on a small floor but still sounds like a lot of work), you can buy a tool made especially for scraping old grout out. I believe there are manual versions as well as types that attach to power tools. Piece of cake to use, and it's gotta be much faster than a screwdriver.
posted by tr33hggr at 1:13 PM on September 24, 2007

If you end up putting new grout in, make sure to apply a sealer afterwards.
posted by ODiV at 1:38 PM on September 24, 2007

If you go the route of removing it, a Dremel or a Fein with a grout removal bit will make it a LOT less painless than using a screwdriver. I promise. Both are excellent multi-use tools to own that can be used on a lot more than removing grout, as well.
posted by jeanmari at 3:12 PM on September 24, 2007

Oh, and try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on your problem grout in the meantime. It's better at cleaning tile and porcelain, but it does work well on grout, too.
posted by jeanmari at 3:13 PM on September 24, 2007