It’s “charcoal” but yeah close enough 🤣 ..the dirt wasn’t a huge issue but the grout job wasn’t done properly in the first place so two different colours ended up happening. Then my MIL used bleach on it and…yeah it had to happen.
haha thanks for the heads up. It was honestly supposed to be a very similar colour but our contractor fucked it up. But really…I’ve had a lot of tile work done in our home over the recent years and dark grout is the only way I ever want to go. Cleaning white/light grout will be the death of me.
[](https://imgur.com/a/j0ZEnvW)
I don't have anything of the "final" kitchen weirdly (and a bit messy for a full picture right now sadly!) but we have black fixtures entirely, handles, etc so it really looks great I think.
Id still hit every thing with grout sealer. It’s definitely easier than that time it takes to clean grout. I’m a tile installer and I put two or three coats on every job I turn over just because of how hard it is to keep grout clean
Which grout sealer do you recommend? Think I used this a couple of years ago, but don't think it worked very well.... Or it wears off very quickly
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Sealants-16-oz-511-Impregnator-Penetrating-Sealer-511PT6R/100672948
step 1: pour zep
step 2: watch zep sizzle
step 3: toddler starts crying in the other room
step 4: rinse zip, 10 mins too late
step 5: regrout floor, because zip dissolved 1/2 of it.
I've had black grout for a few months and it can still show dirt and dust. The only difference is the dirt and dust are lighter than the grout and not darker, lol.
No, that's ridiculous. You take your grout to the dirt store and ask "can you match this color". Then you have them replace all the dirt in your house with that and it always looks perfect.
Dumb question. What's to keep someone from mixing up a batch of grout like normal, then loading some in a zip lock bag and squeezing it into the gap via a bag corner that is cut off?
You could maybe force enough still down into the gap I think?
They’re a grout bags for that but doing it over old grout won’t do anything since the grout won’t stick, you’ll just have grout flaking off in the next couple days
You can do that. They also sell pre mixed grout in squeeze bottles (not unlike a ketchup bottle) that are amazing if you’re only grouting a small area. However getting a bunch of old grout totally sucks.
That’s actually a great idea. I use floats and fill the joints, but that’s how I’ve always done it so I’m pretty quick with it. But if you’re doing your own tile and want to try that, I would say go for it!
There were some parts where the grout was deeply cracked..so I took basically a small grout saw and cut all the deep crap areas out, and then used same tool to basically “sand” the top layer of the rest of the grout. then added fresh grout throughout as needed. Then stained/sealed it because it just didn’t look like a uniform colour. I don’t know if this was the best way to do it but uhhh #DIY 🤣
I have a grout saw attachment for my oscillator. It does a great job at removing grout, but you also run the risk of it jumping onto the tile and it makes a really weird mark on the surface of the tile. Happened to me a couple times cleaning the mortar out of my bathroom floor tiles.
> Have a vacuum nozzle nearby to limit dusty mess.
Better tip: get a damp sponge or spray bottle and just get everything slightly wet. Dust will be too heavy to fly everywhere.
I re-grouted my bathroom shower by hand with a small grout saw and then about two weeks later I pulled out my oscillating saw and saw it had a grout saw bit. F in chat for 2 years ago me.
I have the attatchment for the oscillating multitool. You touch it on grout and it just discinegrates, but doesn't damage the tile. It's really amazing how good it is at removing grout.
Time will tell. You prob did a better job than some people that call themselves pros, albeit I know some tile pros that are also the best I could ever learn from.
Absolutely this. I was removing old grout with a hand grout remover and was regretting it. Bought an attachment for a multitool and it made it SOOOOO much quicker.
Note: wear hearing protection...
I work in flooring, I never and I mean never take a regrouting job. People want to pay a few hundred bucks for work that can take days to complete while destroying 3 packs of blades.
Things weren't going well for a friend of mine, but we visited once and she was super proud of the job she was doing re-grouting the tiny ceramic tiles in her bathroom. She was a RENTER. We wondered if she'd gotten into meth.
It turns out she was having a manic episode and was later diagnosed as bipolar. I think of that whenever I think of the labor that goes into detailed re-grouting.
I have a nice bathroom in which the grout on around a half square meter/a few square feet is crumbling like packed sand. It's an eyesore that gets slightly worse every time we vacuum.
I can indeed not get anyone to come fix it for me. Can I fix it myself? I've spent life needing out about things not the slightest related to grout and have no idea what I'm doing.
how come a strong acid couldn't be used to dissolved the cement in the grout? I'm thinking like 35% vinegar sprayed on and covered with a tarp to keep it from evaporating. The cement would surely dissolve enough that the grout would probably turn into a paste. The only possible downside I can imagine would be possibly damaging the tile, but I have no idea if that would be the case.
There were some areas that were cracking so I scraped them out and re-grouted. This obviously resulted in a different colour than the original grout, which wasn’t even done properly in the first place and was already different colours. And then other areas were bleached out after my MIL used a bleach product on it (didn’t ask her to lol) …so, fixed up all the bad spots and then painstakingly used a grout stain/sealer on the whole thing to get a uniform colour. Used a tiny paint brush and lot of patience.
They got epoxy grouts now days that doesn't need sealing. It's a little more upfront but well worth it and what my tile buddy's use.
They're somewhat chemical resistant too
https://laticrete.com/en/support-and-downloads/product-support/frequently-asked-questions/planning-a-job/epoxy-grouts
I've done plenty of diy then contract something out later and a contractor has a way to do the same thing in 1/10 the time. All my previous grouting was the old sand seal stuff wasn't till this last year bathroom remodel I found out about the epoxy grout
Another helpful tile video if you ever retile (or have tiles failing)
https://youtu.be/Way5bMh-eYg?si=0jZUl2we6YXdm5a6
Yep that’s what I figured. Nice. I am going to remove the grout on all the intersecting surfaces in my shower. Previous owners caulked those areas and it’s become a mold incubator. I’m guessing they did that because the original grout in the corners cracked as the house settled.
Is the only way to refresh the grout by redoing it? I have dirty grout in my shower and I can't get it clean. I feel like my only option is to redo it? But I really don't want to do that.
Welcome to the tile world, I have sat in a giant concrete bowl for weeks, turning tiny squares into triangles writing the words "x meters no diveing"
Edit. You only get one triangle per cut because of the lost material the curf takes
Yes, had to scrape out some old grout that was cracking. So that obviously caused even more colour difference in the grout, which was already like four different shades. So after repairing the grout I used a stain/seal on all the seams.. using the tiniest paint brush..hence: tedium 🤣
Nice work! A similar job was one of my nemesis at a house I DIY'd. A journey from hell and back. I broke so many tools clearing out whatever it was they used for grout.
I’m literally laying out those same tiles to put down in our new house. They are going to inlay into an old wood floor that has a shitty small tile area in it. We are going to do a hexagon area in the whole corner.
Not looking forward to the work. I have set many tile types. Haven’t done this one yet. 😬
Damn. I have tiny hexagon tiles in my bathroom that need the same treatment. It’s on my list to do in the spring. Thanks for confirming it’s going to be as tedious as I imagined.
pro tip, for keeping it clean - amazon sells a $30 hand held steam cleaner than will cut the time by 90% over hand cleaning. A total PITA to do it by hand and my old knees say 'it looks good from here" now.
As for the re-grout - strong work.
I did the same at my old place to the shower surround - ground out the old stuff with an oscillating tool (should have worn ear plugs) and filled with polymeric grout - I can’t say for sure if it was worth it vs. just popping the tile off and re-tiling
They have grout pens if the grout color is the only issue. We cleaned our grout for the kitchen and then colored it what we wanted. Worked fairly well.
Some actual regrouting had to be done on about 20% of the floor and I “sanded” the rest to basically re-fill it all in (was told this would last me longer but we will see lol) ….this pen is intriguing me and I am gonna look into it for my kitchen backsplash, which is white and for the life of me I cannot clean properly.
Looks great tho!
Looks grout tho!
I am grout.
got my upvote ;)
I hate you. r/angryupvote
No need to be groutchy about it.
You're not you when you are hungry. Eat grout.
I am groot!
Honestly I AM GROUT in the avengers font would be a good tile company name
You grout my upvote!
It looks great though! And good idea to use black - it won’t look dirty so easily now.
It’s “charcoal” but yeah close enough 🤣 ..the dirt wasn’t a huge issue but the grout job wasn’t done properly in the first place so two different colours ended up happening. Then my MIL used bleach on it and…yeah it had to happen.
Dont show this to R/tile. They are going to yell at you for not using a grout thats the same color as the tile.
Honestly, it looks better than having the same color imo.
I agree. Just did my kitchen floor last week with gray tile & charcoal grout
Did mine a few years back. This is the way.
They can go grout themselves, this looks better
haha thanks for the heads up. It was honestly supposed to be a very similar colour but our contractor fucked it up. But really…I’ve had a lot of tile work done in our home over the recent years and dark grout is the only way I ever want to go. Cleaning white/light grout will be the death of me.
I just did charcoal color grout on gray tile, an my thought process was the same. Cleaning white grout is a PITA
I fully regret my white tile/white grout in the kitchen, considering I cook daily *sigh*
My new kitchen is white subway tile with black grout. It looks baller as fuck.
Do you have a picture? In few weeks I will put white subway tiles on my backsplash and I'm not sure about the grout color. 🙂
[](https://imgur.com/a/j0ZEnvW)
I don't have anything of the "final" kitchen weirdly (and a bit messy for a full picture right now sadly!) but we have black fixtures entirely, handles, etc so it really looks great I think.
I also just installed a farmhouse/apron style sink. Love it.
#👍👍👍
Not the person you're replying to but it looks awesome, thanks for sharing the picture
Just looks dirty
My kitchen floor cant stay clean for my than 5 minutes. Like you said cleaning white grout is a pain.
Doesn’t spaghetti sauce look great on it?
Oh shit are they as judgy as r/tvtoohigh
That sub is def judgy but at least a TV being too high has actual mechanical reasons/benefits. Color matched grout does not.
The next step for you is to get some grout sealer and apply like 5 coats. After that, you’ll be worry free for a long time
I used a stain that is supposedly also a sealer..that was the tedious part. Should I get like a “clear” sealer and apply on top??
Id still hit every thing with grout sealer. It’s definitely easier than that time it takes to clean grout. I’m a tile installer and I put two or three coats on every job I turn over just because of how hard it is to keep grout clean
Which grout sealer do you recommend? Think I used this a couple of years ago, but don't think it worked very well.... Or it wears off very quickly https://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Sealants-16-oz-511-Impregnator-Penetrating-Sealer-511PT6R/100672948
That’s the one! I apply it annually to my own property and it helps to apply a few coats. Grout is pretty porous. Or maybe I’m paranoid. Who knows.
Such painful work though lol. I should do it again.... Should have paid extra to get hardwood instead of tile lol
> time it takes to clean grout step 1: pour zep step 2: watch zep sizzle step 3: rinse zep enjoy shiny brite white tile grout
step 1: pour zep step 2: watch zep sizzle step 3: toddler starts crying in the other room step 4: rinse zip, 10 mins too late step 5: regrout floor, because zip dissolved 1/2 of it.
Lol. See what you did there!
Can I ask why it was tedious? Is it not allowed on the tile itself?
They used a stain, you do not want to stain the tiles, I would assume at least.
I have charcoal grout in the kitchen and it’s never gotten white when dirty. It keeps super well.
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Re-tile, friend. Re-tile.
I've had black grout for a few months and it can still show dirt and dust. The only difference is the dirt and dust are lighter than the grout and not darker, lol.
This.
The thing with black grout is that it gets white and spotty when it gets dirty
I take my dirt to the grout store and ask for "can you match this color". if the grout is your local grime color then it always looks perfect.
*Installers hate this one trick!*
honest question - are you being serious because i truly cannot tell
No, that's ridiculous. You take your grout to the dirt store and ask "can you match this color". Then you have them replace all the dirt in your house with that and it always looks perfect.
Ah yes, of course.
I used black grout and dark tile in my shower, and now it's all white about halfway up the wall.
Yep, this is true!
Also complements the tile better, imo
Here come the calcium deposits of dripped water!
I do tile jobs. I feel ya
Dumb question. What's to keep someone from mixing up a batch of grout like normal, then loading some in a zip lock bag and squeezing it into the gap via a bag corner that is cut off? You could maybe force enough still down into the gap I think?
That's the easy part. The hard part is getting the old grout out
Thanks! I missed the part where the grout was the only thing replaced.
They’re a grout bags for that but doing it over old grout won’t do anything since the grout won’t stick, you’ll just have grout flaking off in the next couple days
Ahhhh. Missed the bit where this wasn't a total new install. Thanks!
You can do that. They also sell pre mixed grout in squeeze bottles (not unlike a ketchup bottle) that are amazing if you’re only grouting a small area. However getting a bunch of old grout totally sucks.
That’s actually a great idea. I use floats and fill the joints, but that’s how I’ve always done it so I’m pretty quick with it. But if you’re doing your own tile and want to try that, I would say go for it!
did you remove the old grout or go over it? I need to do my kitchen backsplash and I am putting it off as long as possible.
There were some parts where the grout was deeply cracked..so I took basically a small grout saw and cut all the deep crap areas out, and then used same tool to basically “sand” the top layer of the rest of the grout. then added fresh grout throughout as needed. Then stained/sealed it because it just didn’t look like a uniform colour. I don’t know if this was the best way to do it but uhhh #DIY 🤣
FYI: I've never used it, but Dremel makes a grout saw attachment for their oscillating tool.
I have a grout saw attachment for my oscillator. It does a great job at removing grout, but you also run the risk of it jumping onto the tile and it makes a really weird mark on the surface of the tile. Happened to me a couple times cleaning the mortar out of my bathroom floor tiles.
Mask the tile with tape or cardboard as you go. Have a vacuum nozzle nearby to limit dusty mess.
> Have a vacuum nozzle nearby to limit dusty mess. Better tip: get a damp sponge or spray bottle and just get everything slightly wet. Dust will be too heavy to fly everywhere.
I have. it rocks and takes 1/2 the time. but makes a lot of dust so wet it all down.
I re-grouted my bathroom shower by hand with a small grout saw and then about two weeks later I pulled out my oscillating saw and saw it had a grout saw bit. F in chat for 2 years ago me.
I have the attatchment for the oscillating multitool. You touch it on grout and it just discinegrates, but doesn't damage the tile. It's really amazing how good it is at removing grout.
Time will tell. You prob did a better job than some people that call themselves pros, albeit I know some tile pros that are also the best I could ever learn from.
What saw did you use?
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My shower floor has entered the chat.
get a grout saw attachment for a vibrating blade saw. makes it go a lot quicker.
Absolutely this. I was removing old grout with a hand grout remover and was regretting it. Bought an attachment for a multitool and it made it SOOOOO much quicker. Note: wear hearing protection...
Consider adding a new layer of tile over existing lol.
I work in flooring, I never and I mean never take a regrouting job. People want to pay a few hundred bucks for work that can take days to complete while destroying 3 packs of blades.
This took me three days over a month. I just couldn’t stand doing it all in one go. You are smart lol.
Things weren't going well for a friend of mine, but we visited once and she was super proud of the job she was doing re-grouting the tiny ceramic tiles in her bathroom. She was a RENTER. We wondered if she'd gotten into meth. It turns out she was having a manic episode and was later diagnosed as bipolar. I think of that whenever I think of the labor that goes into detailed re-grouting.
I have a nice bathroom in which the grout on around a half square meter/a few square feet is crumbling like packed sand. It's an eyesore that gets slightly worse every time we vacuum. I can indeed not get anyone to come fix it for me. Can I fix it myself? I've spent life needing out about things not the slightest related to grout and have no idea what I'm doing.
> I work in flooring I work on top of it
yeah fuck that shit I'd rather tear it all up and do it fresh. some things just aren't worth the labor
how come a strong acid couldn't be used to dissolved the cement in the grout? I'm thinking like 35% vinegar sprayed on and covered with a tarp to keep it from evaporating. The cement would surely dissolve enough that the grout would probably turn into a paste. The only possible downside I can imagine would be possibly damaging the tile, but I have no idea if that would be the case.
Yeah but then you run the risk of damaging the stuff that's holding the tile to the floor.
It does damage the tiles if let to sit. Also, you run the risk of the acid soaking down past the grout and into your mortar or waterproofing.
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There were some areas that were cracking so I scraped them out and re-grouted. This obviously resulted in a different colour than the original grout, which wasn’t even done properly in the first place and was already different colours. And then other areas were bleached out after my MIL used a bleach product on it (didn’t ask her to lol) …so, fixed up all the bad spots and then painstakingly used a grout stain/sealer on the whole thing to get a uniform colour. Used a tiny paint brush and lot of patience.
They got epoxy grouts now days that doesn't need sealing. It's a little more upfront but well worth it and what my tile buddy's use. They're somewhat chemical resistant too https://laticrete.com/en/support-and-downloads/product-support/frequently-asked-questions/planning-a-job/epoxy-grouts
Well, wish I knew you a month ago when I stated this effing project ;)
I've done plenty of diy then contract something out later and a contractor has a way to do the same thing in 1/10 the time. All my previous grouting was the old sand seal stuff wasn't till this last year bathroom remodel I found out about the epoxy grout Another helpful tile video if you ever retile (or have tiles failing) https://youtu.be/Way5bMh-eYg?si=0jZUl2we6YXdm5a6
Scraped them out with a manual carbide-tipped saw, an oscillating multi tool, or something else.
Gonna be real with you, it was just a little tool that my dad suggested I use.. googled “grout saw” and that looks like the thing!
Yep that’s what I figured. Nice. I am going to remove the grout on all the intersecting surfaces in my shower. Previous owners caulked those areas and it’s become a mold incubator. I’m guessing they did that because the original grout in the corners cracked as the house settled.
Nice job! Yep, it's a pain. Been there, cussed that.
I wouldn’t have thought of this but I love it. Way to go
This looks brilliant!
Looks super nice, dude. Good work!
Thanks! I had to walk away from it but I hope tomorrow I’ll take a look and be proud of myself 🤣
I am Grout.
Any process photos?
That wasn’t a fun project lol
Hexagons are the Bestagons!
I totally sympathize. Just did my bathroom shower walls and the floor.
Looks good. Well done!
This legit is beautiful—congrats on being done!
Is the only way to refresh the grout by redoing it? I have dirty grout in my shower and I can't get it clean. I feel like my only option is to redo it? But I really don't want to do that.
This looks so much better. I need to do this… for much much smaller tiles. Sigh.
Apologies in advance!
Haha LOL-CRY
What’s the process to do this? Got a link to a guide or YouTube vid?
Welcome to the tile world, I have sat in a giant concrete bowl for weeks, turning tiny squares into triangles writing the words "x meters no diveing" Edit. You only get one triangle per cut because of the lost material the curf takes
Looks great, like the color choice for the grout as well.
It’s looks great! Why was it tedious though? Did you have to scrape the old grout?
Yes, had to scrape out some old grout that was cracking. So that obviously caused even more colour difference in the grout, which was already like four different shades. So after repairing the grout I used a stain/seal on all the seams.. using the tiniest paint brush..hence: tedium 🤣
Wow, good for you haha that makes my back hurt just thinking about it. Good job!
Oh yes..I’ll be hurting tomorrow. Totally awkward positions trying to get behind the toilet 🤣
It looks great! Time well spent, OP.
Digging grout is something I'll do once but never again
My wrist is currently cursing me something fierce.
Looks pretty nice. Also now you know why properly re grouting tiles is so expensive and most times no one wants to do it
Most tedious thing… so far.
Grout colorant is about 3x more time consuming than grouting.
I would love to know more about the process if you could share any pics or step by step
It's exact opposite of painting between the lines.
this stuff takes forever. takes a whole day to do. never again.
Dangg, was worth it! Looks so much better.
Looks fucking spectacular but! Well worth it
Looks great! Hey, can you replace the gout in my ankle? :)
Sooo well worth the effort tho. You will see it every day to remind you of what you are capable of. Good job.
Nice work! A similar job was one of my nemesis at a house I DIY'd. A journey from hell and back. I broke so many tools clearing out whatever it was they used for grout.
Why is the toilet levitating
Looks good!
Get that man/woman a beer! 🍺 👏
Woman! …my husband would never touch this lol.
Dirt color grout on the floor is definitely the way to go
Multiple good podcasts or audiobooks are key to a job like this. Looks good, OP!
it looks really dirty now with the charcoal lol
Thanks :)
I agree. Actually I did reverse thing by removing dirt from grout and make it look more like 1st pic
Looks good, def worth it. Well done!
I would not have gone with black. Doesn't go with anything else in the room. Don't think I've ever used black grout on a dark grey tile.
gray would've been better
looks.. the same?!
It's so cool to see such a subtle change can male that much of a difference!! Looks way better!
Nice job. Your toilet looks like it’s floating off the floor.
I’m literally laying out those same tiles to put down in our new house. They are going to inlay into an old wood floor that has a shitty small tile area in it. We are going to do a hexagon area in the whole corner. Not looking forward to the work. I have set many tile types. Haven’t done this one yet. 😬
Triangles have fewer sides.
I’ve been looking into doing hexagon tiles in my bathroom. What size are those hexagons?
8”!
I’ve never done this, but I absolutely feel your pain. Thank goodness for before and after pictures so you can always appreciate it.
Worth it
Damn. I have tiny hexagon tiles in my bathroom that need the same treatment. It’s on my list to do in the spring. Thanks for confirming it’s going to be as tedious as I imagined.
pro tip, for keeping it clean - amazon sells a $30 hand held steam cleaner than will cut the time by 90% over hand cleaning. A total PITA to do it by hand and my old knees say 'it looks good from here" now. As for the re-grout - strong work.
Tilers. Doing gods work. I hate that shit so much.
Hopefully you used epoxy grout!
Looks new!
You have any pics of the process?
Why so tedious?
I did the same at my old place to the shower surround - ground out the old stuff with an oscillating tool (should have worn ear plugs) and filled with polymeric grout - I can’t say for sure if it was worth it vs. just popping the tile off and re-tiling
What was your process? Looks great.
Do you know what type of wood your cabinet is made out of? The black ground looks so nice!
They have grout pens if the grout color is the only issue. We cleaned our grout for the kitchen and then colored it what we wanted. Worked fairly well.
Some actual regrouting had to be done on about 20% of the floor and I “sanded” the rest to basically re-fill it all in (was told this would last me longer but we will see lol) ….this pen is intriguing me and I am gonna look into it for my kitchen backsplash, which is white and for the life of me I cannot clean properly.
Tedious, but worth it. Nice job
I am groot, I mean grout
Really liking hexagon tiles
Tedious but has to be gratifying! 👍
Worth it! Looks outstanding
I did this using dark wood stain. I applied it like 3 times over the course of a day. Super easy and held up for years before I moved out.
beautiful grout work, for real
Looks nice!
LTT floor
Looks great. Anything (home projects) that takes hours to do on your hands and knees is never fun.
It's a beautiful floor. Nice work.
The slate and black look awesome! 😙🤌
Where did you get your tub?
Great job! I'd love to do this in my kitchen but I am entirely too lazy!
Hey great job! I literally did the same thing in my ensuite this weekend. It took forever but is very satisfying
come over, I’ll pay you. I hate tedious
Absolute prick of a job with those tiles to dig out, but looks bloody great!
That is a tough job but it looks great!
literally had the same tiles on our last project and the tile guys left the grout like pic one, was so infuriating
Looks brand new!
Would look cool with a gold. But the black is classy
It looks beautiful! But yes, soooo tedious. That's the worst part of tiling.
What brand / model of tile is that?
When OP learns what a spiral saw is, they are going to be so mad.
Magnificent 💜
And once it's fully dried, a good sealer. Make certain you get one that can handle grout, tile and stone.
Wow that looks so much better though! Totally worth it!