Grout Colourant Archives - West Surrey Tile Doctor

Ceramic Tiled Shower Transformation Weybridge

Refreshing a Mouldy Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Weybridge

Having seen some similar work of Ceramic tiled shower cubicle refresh I had completed I was asked by a homeowner in Weybridge to pop round to their house and do the same for them. A shower cubicle refresh is usually quite straight forward and can be completed in less than a day so I can usually provide a quote based on a few photographs.

Showers are often in daily use and even more frequently in large families, so it’s not surprising that the tile and grout can discolour and if ventilation isn’t adequate mould can form. This can be reduced with the regular use of a squeegee, the liberal squirting of a decent cleaning product and often just leaving a window open can improve ventilation. In this case however and with a very busy household it was a struggle to keep on top of the problem and in this case, external help was needed.

Ceramic Tiled Shower Before Cleaning Weybridge

You can see from the photograph that although the white ceramic tiles were in good condition the appearance of the cubicle was severely let down by discoloured grout and an overuse of mastic which had turned black with mould.

Deep Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

Work started with the removal of the layers of mouldy mastic which were carefully scrapped away using a sharp knife. This would be replaced later, however in my experience even the most expensive anti-mould sealants in a location like this rarely last longer than three to four years before they need replacing.

With the grout fully exposed it was cleaned with the aid of a stiff wire brush and an acid based cleaner call Grout Clean-up. This got the grout clean but not white consistently enough to match the rest of the shower cubicle, this was always a possibility, and I had previously discussed that it might be necessary to apply a grout colourant.

The process was then repeated on the tiles using a scrubbing brush with more Grout Clean-up taking care to keep it away from any chrome as it can cause it to discolour if you’re not careful. The Ceramic tiles have a glazed coating and clean up relatively easily in comparison to the grout.

Following this the shower wall was wiped down with water to provide a general clean and remove any debris left over from cleaning.

Grout Colouring a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

I had thought that as the grout dried following the cleaning it might be ok against the white tiles however the staining had been left in place too long and it was clear a colourant would be needed. I did this over the course of a few hours, using a White colourant from the Tile Doctor Grout Colourant range. White is just one of eleven colours available in the range and was chosen in this case to give the grout a really fresh look and to blend in with the White Ceramic tiles.

The application of Grout Colourant not only colours the grout joints – it also seals and rejuvenates them. It also dries quickly, so I could apply a second coat quite soon after the first, removing any excess as I went.

Finally, once everything was dry, I applied mastic around the shower tray base and the two verticals. The shower cubicle was completely transformed by the renovation and ready for use again later that afternoon.

Ceramic Tiled Shower After Renovation Weybridge

Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Cleaning and Grout Recolouring in Surrey

Refreshing a Mouldy Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Weybridge Read More »

Maintaining a Slated Tiled Floor and Grout Recolouring in Epsom

I thought you might be interested to know that I have numerous clients that I visit every year to maintain the finish on their floor. We call this service “a maintenance program” and is ideal for clients who wish to maintain a deep polish on their stone which will diminish with use and over time. The example below details a recent maintenance visit to a client in Epsom who has a Slate tiled Kitchen and Conservatory floor and likes the high gloss finish of the Slate topped up every year.

Slate Floor Before Annual Maintenance Epsom Surrey

The process usually involves a basic clean and the reapplication of a fresh coat of sealer and polish. The big advantage with a maintenance plan is I know the history of the floor so there are no surprises and no need for a pre-site visit. On this occasion however my client wanted me to do something about the colour of the grout. The problem is he has three spaniels and three cats who gradually discolour the white grout with dirt. Although I clean it on each visit it was clear that the white grout was a problem and so he asked me to colour the grout in a charcoal colour to match the slate to make the problem less obvious.

Cleaning a Slate Tiled Kitchen and Conservatory Floor

Over the years I had probably applied 15 plus coats of sealer to these tiles and grout. There is no way I could paint the grout colourant on top of the sealer as it just wouldn’t adhere. To resolve this, I started by using a Fein tool with an occulting abrasive blade along the grout line. It was painstaking work but did the job of removing the sealer and ironically any dirt.

Slate Floor During Grout Maintenance Epsom Surrey

Slate Floor with Cats Maintenance Epsom Surrey

I used a vacuum to clean up and then set about cleaning the floor and bringing up the polish on the Slate tiles using a 3000-grit diamond pad fitted to a rotary floor buffer. A small amount of water is squirted onto the tiles during buffing to help the process but essentially the floor is dry. Once done the Slate tiles were now ready for a new application of sealer but not the grout.

Colouring White Grout Charcoal in Epsom

For the next four hours I painstakingly painted charcoal grey grout colourant into the grout lines being careful not to touch the tiles. Grout colourant is an excellent product but dries very quickly. Any excess must be removed immediately.

Applying Charcoal Grout Colourant Epsom Surrey

Normally I recommend using a Grout Colourant Pre-Treater before applying the colourant as you get a better bond with the colourant. On this occasion however the Fein Tool had already cleaned and roughened the surface of the grout, so it wasn’t necessary.

Sealing a Slate Tiled Kitchen and Conservatory Floor

Once the grout colourant was dry, I was able to move onto the last phase of the visit and apply the sealer. The three coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go were used to seal the floor which I find works well on Slate and as you can see from the photos gave the desired gloss effect the customer wished for. Each coat is left to dry before applying the next one.

I don’t normally recommend using a gloss effect sealer on Slate where you have pets who can scratch the tile, especially in a high traffic area such as a kitchen however he understands this but I guess he likes the shine.