How Do I Make Grout Look Like New Again
Updated 2019
The discolored and clay-stained grout in the tile floor of our foyer looked super old and gross, but after trying nearly a dozen cleaners and cleaning tricks we nearly gave up. Then nosotros finally notice THE SOLUTION to making the grout look white and clean again!
Now that we're done, you can see how the view just got a heckova lot better around here. The crisp white grout lines play off the white trim and make the whole space feel newer and cleaner.
The funny thing is, it wasn't actually cleaning that did the trick. And then if y'all've got a similar issue with discolored or stain grout, here's our official intervention: stop scrubbing! Well, maybe give scrubbing a fair shot, simply don't be discouraged if it gets you nowhere. There'due south another way!
Cleaning Tricks That DIDN'T Work
Every bit you might recall, for the past six months that we've lived here, it has looked like this.
I gave nearly every method nether the sun a shot to brand that grout expect make clean. After repeatedly scrubbing the heck out of it, I knew that information technology was actually very (very, very) make clean… information technology just was so discolored and stained in certain areas, that no amount of claret, sweat, tears, or elbow grease could make information technology look that fashion.
Some of my attempts to clean grout included (but weren't express to):
- diverse baking soda paste mixtures
- various white vinegar solutions
- copious magic erasers
- specialty grout cleaning floor sprays/potions/scrubs
- bleach pens
- oxygenating cleaners like Oxiclean
- Mrs. Meyers powdered cleanser + a wire brush
- Barkeeper's Friend + a wire brush
- a borrowed steam mop
- scrubbing with a potent bristle brush
- lots and lots of muttered blasphemous
The Solution To Getting White Grout Again
By this point I did what well-nigh people would do. I gave up and ignored it for another few days (what's a few days after six months of no-die results?). Then I finally faced facts. The grout either needed to be scraped out and regrouted entirely (which makes for a pretty messy task, especially in the main hallway of our house which connects the entire upstairs to each room downstairs) or information technology needed to exist refinished.
Thankfully a few of you tipped me off to a product y'all've used with success chosen Polyblend Grout Renew. Let me just skip to the punchline: it worked, and I wish I had tried it earlier spending six months scrubbing my listen out.
The cost? A cool $12 from Habitation Depot. (Update: it'due south closer to $15 now, merely you also get information technology more places – even Amazon!) Can I get a what what? Note: this might sound similar an advertisement for the stuff, but Grout Renew doesn't know u.s. from Adam – I'm just beyond grateful that it worked.
Choose Your Grout Paint Color
GroutRenew comes in several colors at present – over iii dozen, in fact, including several shades of white and off-white. Then you may be tempted to go for the brightest white to get the cleanest, freshest look (that's "Artic White" pictured beneath). Nonetheless, just similar paint colors, the brightest, whitest version may not be best for yous.
Be sure to have some time to look at your room, your tile, and your lighting to make sure you're choosing something that blends well with your space. Yous can always test out a few colors too before committing to 1. John and I actually considered 2 colors – Natural Gray and Oyster Gray, which both look pretty night compared to the brighter whites. We had seen a neighbour with darker grout in her slate floor, so nosotros thought it was worth considering.
In the cease we chose Oyster Greyness (shown below) which is even so a mid-tone Ivory color – definitely not a bright white. Only it looked the most natural and still seemed very bright in dissimilarity to the dark slate tile, without looking artificiall white. Whatever brighter and we worried information technology would await like someone in a Crest Whitstrips advert! Yous know, almost too blinding.
Oh and the Grout Renew was depression aroma and low-VOC, then this pregnant lady could go down with information technology. I did vesture a respirator, along with opening windows, just considering I'm into added ventilation and bad Blight impersonations.
GroutRenew Alternatives
This is the only product nosotros've used, but there are some others on the market if this particular one is non bachelor. Lowe'south sells a similar product past MAPEI that comes in a squeeze canteen. Amazon also has a well-reviewed Grout Pen product that comes in a white or beige choice. Over again, nosotros oasis't personally tried those, but they may exist some alternatives to consider if the PolyBlend is not bachelor to yous.
How To Apply Grout Paint
The downside to this solution is that it tin can be time intensive (and patience testing) depending on the size of your surface. For this floor, information technology took nearly eight hours to utilise. Only since I had hands spent 25 hours trying various stain lifting methods before resorting to this, well, viii hours with a bottle of Grout Renew was a small cost to pay for VICTORY.
Step one: Clean Your Tile & Grout
I know I said scrubbing wasn't the solution, but information technology part of the process. I'll pause while you laugh since I had already done that Ten MILLION TIMES. But similar any surface yous'll exist painting, yous want to make certain it's clean of grit and debris. So at least we're not talking a heavy-duty scrubbing, but your regular washing to remove surface dirt should practise.
Step 2: Pick Your Castor Or Awarding Tool
The instructions suggested using an old toothbrush to apply the GroutRenew it into the grout lines and and so let it dry for 24 hours. I went with a thin craft brush instead because I had mode more command (read: way less mess on the tile surface). The thin pigment brush was too easy to dip straight into the canteen when I needed to load upwards with paint.
Step 3: Programme Your Starting Point & Get out Route
If y'all're painting a floor, similar nosotros were, yous'll want to sure you don't paint yourself into a corner (or at least if you do, you can carefully tiptoe across your tile without stepping on the cracks). I started in the half-bath because I figured I could work my way out of the room and close the door behind me so it could dry.
It was the reverse of fast. Merely information technology worked. Slowly I eked my manner out from around the toilet and right out the door, which took nearly an hour and forty five minutes.
Footstep 4: Be Ready For Mistakes
Even with a small craft brush at that place were nonetheless times when it got on the surface of the tile, and there was a very short window for wiping information technology off earlier it set (and so had to be scrubbed with a fingernail, which was a huge pain) so I literally would do i or two cracks at a time and so apace follow up to polish both sides of the seam out with a small slice of toilet paper (this would remove whatever from the surface of the tile as well as make the sides of each seam nice and straight looking). A paper towel or clean material would work likewise. That is, if toilet paper isn't fancy enough for yo?u.
Footstep 5: Exist Patient & Pace Yourself
Being meaning, the bath was all I had energy for on Day i. Mean solar day ii involved three more than hours of line painting and wiping, and I opted to do fifty% of the foyer in a strategic mode so we could all all the same walk on the other half of information technology. Here'south a shot to show you how hilarious John is. I said: ok, get creative with this picture and so my giant respirator doesn't wait weird. I similar his version of getting creative – just lop off the whole caput expanse.
The 2nd day was the hardest day by far, only because I was notwithstanding kind of sore from contorting my significant torso around in the small half bathroom the day before, and the little knobby parts of each of my ankles were dragging on the tile as I scooted around like a canis familiaris with fleas, just it was all worth it. Worth it and so some!
Day 3 was some other three hour process, but it was the almost exciting 24-hour interval because I could see the low-cal at the terminate of the tunnel. The end of the longest-running business firm battle that I had e'er waged was virtually. I just worked my way around the entrance hall doing the other half of those pathways that I had washed the day before, and I ducked into that last closet while pausing occasionally to fist pump and work on my make clean grout credence speech ("I'd similar to thank the university, and the grout gods who invented this inexpensive bottle of miracles and unicorns").
Step 6: Let It Dry
Later on each application process, we gave that department a total 24 60 minutes drying period and made certain zip got wet for 72 hours (since that was another warning on the bottle). Information technology's a good deal lighter than the old grout was, which still makes us say "whoa at present" when nosotros walk through the hallway, merely we retrieve it'south just our eyes adjusting. Peradventure after vi months our brains simply tin can't get over the fact that it finally looks make clean!
We too had near 1/4 of a bottle left all of this, which was slap-up in instance we need some touch-ups down the line. I'll definitely update you guys if anything funky happens, but so far it has been great.
Update: After nearly two years of utilise, even with semi-frequent moppings, muddy shoes/paws, and a whole lot of pes traffic, our grout all the same looks identical to when I applied this stuff (you can run across an updated motion-picture show that we shared after six months of employhere). For the folks who can't observe information technology in stores, here'south an affiliate link to it on Home Depot.com and on Amazon , and s ince a few people have too asked for a "way dorsum" earlier shot, here you go. Information technology'southward crazy how much bluer the tile looked with the brownish stained grout and all that blue trim!
Is anyone else waging state of war on something stubborn that'south taking more than a few attempts? Like some grout that refuses to get clean? Please experience free to pivot and share this post to spread the give-and-take. I'd LOVE to help anyone else dealing with this supremely annoying effect so we can all do the clean grout cease zone trip the light fantastic toe together. Because believe me, later this was done in that location were mic drops. There was shoulder dusting. In that location was a full on significant-lady end zone dance.
Originally Published in 2014
Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house or what pigment color we used? Merely click on this button:
*This post contains affiliate links to things nosotros have actually purchased and beloved*
Source: https://www.younghouselove.com/how-you-like-me-now-grout/
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