White Grout

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.

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 Cubicle Cleaning and Grout Recolouring in Surrey