Our sons tiled our house a couple of months ago and we are still trying to get the extra grout off the tile where they didn't finish cleaning it. Any ideas how to get it off? We have scrubbed and soaked, bit it is still there. Help please.
By Terri from Pensacola, FL
As a plumber I do lots of tiling. You have work ahead of you because time was not taken when it needed to be. OK there are grout removers available at hardware stores. If you use the above suggestion be careful if you have high gloss tiles you will scratch them and look at those scratches forever. If you apply pressure be careful not to crack your tiles.
I would call a specialist a tile supplier, an importer. They always have high end tile setters that they may recommend (or that purchase from them). I think the grout remover solution is a good idea, but be careful not to wreck your sealant (which would have your newly renovated bath at risk for leaks).
I see another sight recommends a Dremel only do this for complete removal. Remember your tile is new if its over 48 hours its already set, so take your time and take expert advice.
My husband is a builder so I have cleaned my share of grout off tiles. If it is only the filmy substance left on top of the tiles, use a solution of white vinegar and water with a Scotch Brite pad.
You waited too long after grouting to remove the grout haze. Now it needs to be acid washed. While this sounds scary and damaging, it will just remove the grout from the tile and not damage the grout lines -- if done properly. Contact your local floor covering store or possibly Lowe's or Home Depot and they can sell you the muradic acid and give you directions. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, just ask them to recommend a good installer to finish this up for you. I've been in floor covering for 16 years.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Hello, I need your help! My brother offered to regrout my shower and I gave him the silicone that I had on hand (I use it for crafting) which turned out to be clear. I mistakenly relied on his "professionalism" to do the job right.
He grouted over existing grout and now it has mold embedded and that's all I see. It takes me several hours to clean and I can't get the mold to disappear. What should I do? It's driving me crazy!Do you have one of those edging things (can't remember the exact name) to pull the bad stuff out and then you can make a mixture of vinegar 2 parts baking soda to 1 part vinegar (it should be like cake icing--add by the tablespoon hot water if it is too thick--do not make it too runny) and put it in where there is mold. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse and repeat. It will need to be totally dry before you can attempt to regrout it the right way with the proper grout (a non clear one that is specific for bathrooms).
Sorry to say, but you're going to have to remove the silicone and old grout, bleach out the moldy stuff, rinse, dry then regrout or recaulk. Those little silicone grout squeegies are handy, but the back of a plastic spoon works really well too, to follow along the grout lines and make them look nice and neat....it's a fairly easy DIY.
How do I go about removing the grout from my shower tiles? We grouted them, but kinda made a mess in the end by not having experience on this. We thought we had to let it sit for 24 hours. Well we did and now can't get it off the tile or the tub. We have scrubbed and scrubbed. What do we do now? There has to be some chemical we can use. Please help.
By lil mamma
