The owner of this house in West Hill village, Southeast Devon was unhappy with the cream colour of the grout on their Porcelain tiled floor. The problem was any discolouration was very noticeable and although it matched the colour of the Porcelain tiles quite well it wasn’t a practical colour and it did nothing for the overall look of the floor.
Porcelain tiles usually don’t need a sealing unless they are the micro porous type so what tends to happen is any dirt becomes washed into the grout lines during cleaning where it becomes trapped in the surface of the cementitious grout.
We discussed removing the grout completely and then re-grouting with a darker shade of grey, however that is a slow and messy process. To resolve the problem, I offered to colour the grout with a grey Tile Doctor Grout Colourant, my logic being that the colourant would not only change the look of the floor but also seal in the grout so any dirt or stains would be easily mopped away. The Tile Doctor Grout Colourant range comes in ten colours with several shades of grey which is always a popular choice.
Colouring Cream Grout to Natural Grey
First thing to do when grout colouring is to clean up the grout using a Pre-Treater, this product is slightly acidic which has the added benefit of etching the grout to make a better bond with the colourant.
For best results the colourant needs to sit within the recess of the grout line and on this floor, there were several areas where the grout was at the same level as the tile surface. To resolve this problem, I used a Grout-Out tool to grind away the excess grouting.
Next, I began carefully applying the Grout Colourant to floor with a small brush wiping off any excess as I went. The customer wanted to see how it would look before I did the whole floor so I stopped after completing a small square so they could see the difference.
After inspecting the test area, they were thrilled with the results and I’m sure the money they were about to save using this solution. I completed the remainder of the floor the same day and they were happy with the new and practical dark grey grout lines.
Tile Doctor Grout Colourants and not like grout pens, they are made from epoxy that hardens to form a barrier over the grout making it far more effective and resilient.