How To Repair Floor Tile Grout

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Equally a homeowner is there annihilation more annoying than those boring niggling repairs that seem to crop upwardly ALL THE Time? They're inevitable, and we know we need to fix them, but sometimes they just seem so intimidating that they fall directly to the lesser of our to-do list. Where they stay, for a really long time.

That's exactly how I felt near our cracked grout in our principal bathroom tile flooring. Information technology faced me every morning time while I would get set up for work, crying "Set me! Set up me!"

Ugh, and so annoying!

And I let this tiny lilliputian repair intimidate the heck out of me. I gauge I thought trying to repair anything to do with tile would be difficult, messy and a lot of hard work. Just in this example I was totally wrong!

Now, full disclosure, I didn't actually do this repair myself. My wonderful hubby did, but after watching him quickly repair our croaky grout I couldn't be more than confident that I could practice it on my own in the time to come. Permit'south just hope I don't have to, right?

And so let'due south dive in to how you can easily prepare your ain croaky tile grout

Supplies Needed

A multi-tool similar this DEWALT one here
Grout removal blade
Pre-mixed grout in your colour of choice
Vacuum
Tile Grout Float
Tile Sponge

Important Pre-project tip!

Brand certain that any tiles next to the cracked grout are not compromised and moving when you lot put pressure on them. Well-nigh of the time cracked grout is simply that, but broken grout. But there's besides the chance that the cracked grout stems from a tile that may have lifted upwards from the ground.

So exist sure to cheque your surrounding tiles to brand certain none of them have been affected. If they have, y'all'll want to remove the tile and re-adhere information technology to the ground. Hither's a great commodity from This Sometime House on how to replace a tile.

Step 1: Choose the right multi-tool blade to remove your cracked grout

Apparently you lot need a specific bract designed just for grout removal. Good to know since we completely ruined another blade past using it the incorrect manner on our tiled fireplace makeover. This blade was more curved and much rougher than the other attachments and it helped with grinding into the grout at angles rather than straight down (where yous adventure breaking or lifting up a tile).

One crawly bonus with this multi-tool is the handy born flashlight information technology came with. I seriously call back these multi tools are like the Swiss regular army knife of DIYers. They really accept everything you could demand for small odd repair jobs.

Footstep 2: Grind downwardly cleaved grout from betwixt tiles

Before you can remove the cracked, crumbling grout you lot need to grind it down far enough to remove all of the loose pieces.

While it's on, plough your multi tool to the side and brainstorm in the department with the deepest groove. Use your blade to grind down the grout along each side of the adjoining tiles. Working your way from side to side and down the length of the tiles; you'll grind out a small valley within the grout.

Continue working through the grout in modest sections grinding down the larger broken pieces. The goal isn't to remove all of the grout between the tiles, but you do desire to brand sure that in that location is enough room for the new grout to adhere to the old. And information technology's best to make the old grout betwixt the tiles as smooth as possible. Any jagged and uneven edges volition make it harder for the new grout to go into all of the crevices and ready.

Step iii: Remove old grout and Repeat Grinding

You'll want to take a break from grinding down the tile grout to remove the broken pieces and debris with a vacuum or small grit buster. This helps you to see how deep you've gone down and assess how much farther you need to go along grinding the old grout.

In the small broken sections of our principal bathroom we probably repeated this pace several times so that we could see how much farther we needed to grind along the edges of the tile.

You can run across from the original photos of our cracked tile grout and when we were finished grinding that we actually had to remove more than grout than just the broken pieces. That'due south considering typically the grout is compromised across the initial break. That's why information technology's important to continue grinding down until you can run into a polish surface and information technology feels and appears secure without whatever hairline cracks.

Step 4: Set the New tile grout

Before you can apply whatsoever new tile grout you need to requite your surface a thorough cleaning. Going over the grout lines once more with a vacuum and wiping down the tiles with a soft wet tile sponge should exist all that y'all actually need to do to prep for your new grout.

How to repair cracked tile grout: an quick and easy guide

Nosotros chose to employ a pre-mixed sanded grout that nosotros already had on manus, but there'southward a wide variety of grouts to choose from. I personally prefer the pre-mixed version for small odd repair jobs like this one, even though it is a tad more expensive. And you don't have the hassle of trying to measure and mix such a small amount for the right consistency. Plus, you can merely shut up the hat and relieve it for another future project.

Pace 5: Apply the new tile grout

Ok, so yous're nearly there I promise! Using your tile float, scoop a small section of grout onto the edge of your float and apply it into the open spaces of your tile.

Be generous with the grout and work into the open up grooves. If y'all're worried nigh whether you lot accept too much or as well niggling grout, and then just aim for more yous remember y'all need. You can ever wipe away the backlog grout. The key is to make certain information technology'south really compacted into the open grout lines and then that information technology fills in all of the space and volition attach to the old tile grout.

Use your tile float and wipe over the grout at a slight bending to smooth over the surface.

You're probably wondering why our new grout doesn't match the old 1, and how big of a deal that is. I actually plan to freshen up and paint over the grout as part of our upkeep bathroom makeover. And so I'm not too bothered past the mismatched color at the moment.

Step 6: Clean the tile surface and let your grout to set

The last matter y'all demand to practise is clean off the fresh grout from the surface of your tile. Use a make clean wet tile sponge to wipe downwards your tiles, being careful to but glide over the fresh new grout lines. You may need to rinse and repeat this step a few times to clean off your tile surface.

And that's information technology! Other than waiting for your new grout to set of course. Which I'm completely incapable of doing. I went into the bathroom the morning after repairing our grout and decided to poke my finger in the new grout lines to see how dry information technology was. Face palm moment. Just don't practice this ok?

My hubby could spot my fingerprint in the fresh grout a mile away and totally chosen me out on this one.

For a minor repair job similar this, about 24 hours is probably sufficient time for the new grout to cure and harden.

Footstep 7: Enjoy your difficult work

This entire repair took us simply twenty minutes to consummate. So much easier than I originally thought and I feel manner more confident about flexing my DIY muscles when it comes to grout repair.

Don't forget to pin this handy step by footstep guide for grout repair and check out the amazing transformation of our tiled floor just from painting the grout!

P.S.

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