How to Give Shady Grout a Consistent Appearance

The Splashback and Worktops in this Guilford Kitchen had been made from Glazed Ceramic tiles. However, the kitchen units had been extended several times and each time it seems a different shade of grout had been used. Dark grey, light grey and even grout with a brown tint in places. Naturally, she wanted a consistent colour throughout, and the grout needed a good clean.

 

You don’t see so many tiled worktops these days, Granite, Marble, Corian and laminates are more popular however it was an interesting project, and I was happy to help. I was confident we could achieve a consistent appearance by recolouring the grout which would also make the grout easier to clean and give the appearance of the Kitchen a lift.

 

Cleaning Ceramic Tiled Worktops

Firstly, I prepared the whole area by cleaning the grout. Grout colours achieve better adhesion when the grout is free of dirt and grease and Tile Doctor Grout Colourant Pre-Treat Cleaner is ideal for this. It’s an acid-based grout cleaner that cleans and etches the surface of the grout to make a superior bond with the colourant.

Another option is to use Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up and as I already had a large bottle of this on the van, I decided to go with this instead diluted 50:50 with water. Working in sections I brushed it into the worktop and splashback grout and left it to dwell for thirty minutes before scrubbing it in with a firm wire brush. This action released the dirt which was then rinsed away with more water and then extracted with a wet vacuum to keep the mess to a minimum.

Following the cleaning the grout was now wet, so for the next half an hour I speed dried the grout with a heat gun. The colourant needs to be applied to dry grout, so this was a necessary step to ensure the best result.

The client had selected to use Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in Light Grey so once dried I started the colouring, brushing it in carefully with a narrow paint brush. The product dries quickly so any excess that gets onto the tile must be wiped off immediately. The process is quite slow and meticulous requiring a steady hand, but the results speak for themselves.

There was no need to apply a sealant over the colourant and the nature of the product acts as a barrier over the grout making it much easier to keep clean. Tile Doctor has a range of Grout Colourants in ten popular colours so there is plenty of choice. Using a colourant is much easier and less labour intensive than scraping the old grout out and re grouting. My client was also keen to avoid the mess of this option.

 

Once complete the tiles looked so much better, certainly my client was very pleased with the finish and left the following review.

  “I’m very happy with every aspect of Rupert’s work, he renovated my kitchen worktops and splash backs. Great job. Thank you.”

Source: Grout Cleaning and Colouring Service in Surrey

Renovating Terracotta Tile and Grout Found Under Carpet in Cheshire

I was contacted by a home owner in Appleton near Warrington who had a Terracotta tiled floor in their dining Room. The floor had previously been covered in carpet and they were keen to have the whole floor restored.

To complicate things further the Carpet had been stuck down with a strong adhesive and a local builder had advised them to remove the glue using brick acid. Although this was successful it had the side effect of discolouring the grout lines and no amount of rinsing with the floor with water to dilute and wash off the acid would resolve the problem.


Happy for me to resolve the problem, my client informed me they were going on holiday and would like me to do the work whilst they were away. This was a great idea as it would guard against unwanted foot traffic during the cleaning and sealing process and it would also mean they would have a nice surprise waiting for them on their return.

Deep Cleaning a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

After protecting the Kitchen units and skirting boards with plastic sheeting my first job was to strip any remaining sealer off the Terracotta tiles using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. The solution was spread across the floor and then left to dwell for twenty minutes before scrubbing it in with a black scrubbing pad attached to a rotary floor buffer. I then used a wet vacuum to remove the now dirty cleaning solution from the floor.

The grout was also given a good scrub using more Tile Doctor Pro-Clean but this time it was scrubbed in with a narrow stiff brush until I was satisfied it was as clean as it could be. The floor given a good rinse and I then inspected the floor tile and grout to ensure it was clean and free of sealers, any areas that needed ore work were retreated and the floor given a final rinse and dry with the wet vacuum before being left to dry off fully overnight.

Sealing a Terracotta Tiled Kitchen Floor

I returned the next morning and tested the tiles with a damp meter to ensure they were dry before beginning applying the sealer. All was well, so I started by applying a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that seeps into the pores of the tile protecting it from within and enhancing the natural red colour of the Terracotta in the process.

Once the first coat had dried I followed up with two coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which is a compatible water-based sealer that works really well on clay tiles and adds a lovely sheen finish to the floor.

The last step was to resolve the problem with the discoloured grout lines by applying a white grout colourant to the grout. This gave the grout a fresh and consistent appearance throughout and also has the benefit of sealing the grout which will protect it from staining and also make it much easier to clean.

Last step was to finish the sealing of the floor by topping up the sealer with another three coats of Seal and Go to ensure the floor was fully sealed.


The result was a huge improvement and now looked like a recently installed Terracotta floor. When my customer returned from holiday they were more than happy with the floor and the work I had done.


Source: Terracotta Tile Cleaning, Renovation and Maintenance Service in Cheshire

Ceramic Tiled Bath and Shower Tiles Refreshed in Hale Village

We commonly encounter customers who are struggling to keep their Ceramic tiled shower cubicles clean. Since most people use their showers every day, the tiles and grout inevitably come into contact with shampoos and soaps that can cause staining, discolouration and mould. In fact, it's not uncommon for property owners to completely give up on trying to clean the tiles, especially as many everyday cleaners are ineffectual, and this allows the situation to worsen over time. This customer, who Read more...

Quick and Effective Bath Tile Refresh in Edinburgh

Here's a quick example of an interesting tiled shower cubicle at a property in Edinburgh that was well overdue for a refresh, including deep cleaning and recolouring do the grout lines that had become stained and mouldy. This is a problem that the majority of property owners experience due to the simple fact that shower cubicles come into contact with damaging acid-based shampoos and soaps on a daily basis. The short-term solution for this is to wash the shower cubicle down with water after Read more...

Shower Cubicle Tile and Grout Refreshed in Sale

It's not unusual for Shower tile and grout to become stained due to the dyes that are found in soap, mould can also be a common problem but usually this is down to inadequate ventilation. Whilst we do sell products that can keep your tile and grout clean we are also able to assist when a really deep clean is required. The photographs below are a great example of this and are of one of three shower cubicles we were asked to clean and restore at a modernised Victorian property in Sale, Read more...

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Herstmonceux

We often get asked to do bathroom refresh and end of tenancy tile cleans however it's a good job I'm not squeamish as this ceramic tiled shower cubicle was in a bad way. The property was in the historic village of Herstmonceux in the Wealden District of East Sussex and apparently it had been leased to students who it seems were averse to cleaning, no surprise there. Cleaning Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle The first step was to remove the plastic product holder to expose the tile and grout, Read more...

Terracotta Floor Transformation

This customer had recently moved into a house with a Terracotta Tiled Floor in Thame, Oxfordshire and decided she did not like the colour of the floor grout and also was unable to clean off some back marks in the corners. When I went to view the property I performed a test clean on a sample area Read more...

Removing Efflorescence from Terracotta Tile

At first glance and this Terracotta tiled floor at a house in the village of Great Bourton looks in good condition, but on closer inspection there were visible white marks where there had been a water leak in previous years and the salts had come through the tiles. The customer also told me she Read more...

Deep Cleaning Slate Tiles in Glasgow

Slate is a hard-wearing product ideal for floors however it does need a sealer to bring out the best in it and sealers do wear off after a few years and this had happened with the Slate tiled floor in this post. The floor was now looking dull and the grout had also discoloured so time to call Read more...

Restoring Grout Colour on a Limestone Floor

Recently, I was called to a work on a Limestone tiled floor in a house near Hove Park. Hove Park is a popular park in Hove, East Sussex, which was once opposite to the Goldstone Ground, the traditional home of Brighton and Hove Albion football club until the ground was demolished. My client Read more...

Cleaning a Mouldy Shower Cubicle

A customer contacted us regarding a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle problem they had with their house in Glasgow. The grout and mastic sealant had started to discolour and there was staining on both from mould which is quite a common problem in modern houses and our busy lifestyles and insulated Read more...

Dealing with Mould in Ceramic Shower Cubicle

The photographs below are from the bathroom of a house in the Moston area of Manchester which is primarily residential and only 3 miles away from the city centre. My customer had been primarily concerned with the removal of unsightly mould but was also keen to have the grout in the ceramic tiled Read more...

Removing Mould from a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Moston

The photographs below are from the bathroom of a house in the Moston area of Manchester which is primarily residential and only 3 miles away from the city centre. My customer had been primarily concerned with the removal of unsightly mould but was also keen to have the grout in the ceramic tiled shower cubicle given a good deep clean. Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle To clean the Shower Cubicle, I used a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaner that works really well on grout. The Pro-Clean solution was decanted into a spray bottle and then sprayed onto the grout lines and left it to dwell. The air in the solution makes it lighter and easier for it to stick to vertical surfaces. After a few minutes the Pro-Clean was scrubbed in using a stiff grout brush. The tiles were then rinsed with water to remove the soiled solution from the tiles and the process repeated where required. Although cleaning process was a success there were still a few Read more...

Saltillo Tiles in Shirley

Successful Restoration of Saltillo Tiles We went and had a look at a floor in a house in Shirley recently to find a dull Saltillo Terracotta tiled floor that was in need of some Tile Doctor TLC. Saltillo tiles are typically made in a region of Mexico; they are very porous and can scuff and stain quite easily if not protected so it's important to maintain a sealer. Cleaning Saltillo Tiles We advised the customer that we would probably not be able to get the tile in the traffic lanes back to Read more...

Putting New Life Into Porcelain Kitchen Tile and Grout

Grout is an incredibly important feature of tiled floors, not just from a structural perspective, but from an aesthetic perspective too. If the grout lines are dirty and stained, it ruins the overall look of the floor. It's important to try and keep them clean, but with grout being rough in nature it does attract dirt and if left un-checked it can easily get to the point where cleaning becomes very difficult. A good case in point was this Porcelain tiled kitchen floor at a property in the Read more...

Tile Cleaning and Grout Re-Colouring of a Porcelain Tiled Kitchen in Buckingham

Grout is an incredibly important feature of tiled floors, not just from a structural perspective, but from an aesthetic perspective too. If the grout lines are dirty and stained, it ruins the overall look of the floor. It's important to try and keep them clean, but with grout being rough in nature it does attract dirt and if left un-checked it can easily get to the point where cleaning becomes very difficult. A good case in point was this Porcelain tiled kitchen floor at a property in the Read more...

Post Installation Cleaning and Sealing of a Slate Floor

One of the worst examples of bad tiling practice is to leave a newly installed floor unsealed and therefore unprotected. This is exactly the problem that had occurred at this property in Lymm, West Cheshire. A builder has installed a new Slate tiled floor in the kitchen of this property, but had Read more...

Refreshing Ceramic Bathroom Tiles

This bathtub with shower over was at a house in the village of Kilmacolm near Greenock. As you can see from the photograph below the grout was stained in places and a tile had become loose behind the taps due to a previous leak causing it to fall out. Refreshing a Ceramic Tiles Bathroom The Read more...

Fixing a DIY Grout Cleaning Disaster in Alderton

I was recently called down to Alderton, a small village in the southern part of Northamptonshire most famous for housing the remains of a Norman Castle, known as 'The Mount'. Unfortunately, this job involved remedying a bit of DIY grout cleaning that had not gone as expected. As the first photo shows, my client had attempted to use a well-known household cleaning product to remove stains from the grout of his bathroom tiled floor which had not been sealed. Grouts are porous and, as a result, Read more...

Cleaning & Grout Colouring a Marble Tiled Bathroom in Earls Court

These Marble Tiles were installed in the bathroom at a residence in Earls Court, west London; the Marble certainly gave a luxurious effect but had dulled over time, on top of that the grout had stained in places and both were in need of really good deep clean. Cleaning Marble Tiles We set about cleaning the Marble Tiled floor using a mild dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in with Deck Brushes. Once we were happy the floor was rinsed with clean water to remove and chemical residue and Read more...