How to remove stubborn grout from tile surface

RubyPitbull · Feb 8, 2007, 04:41 PM

Well, PGerard, I congratulate you on your ability to lay down the floor by yourself!

I had the same problem, only I didn't do the work myself. Many years ago, I had hired someone to renovate my place. In retiling the floor, he never wiped the grout off. AT ALL. I called him to clean up the mess he made. It sat there for probably a few days before the guy finally showed. Needless to say, you know what kind of a problem that created. He used an acid wash on my floor. But, I wouldn't recommend that in your situation. You mentioned that you used porcelain and any acid wash could really damage your beautiful floor.

The best suggestion I have is to contact the manufacturer of the tile. You might want to check to see if they have a website. They will be able to advise you as to the best product to use so you don't damage the floor. They may very well sell a product that is specifically designed for this problem. A lot of tile manufacturers do that.

Hope this helped.

PGerard · Feb 9, 2007, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubyPitbull

Well, PGerard, I congratulate you on your ability to lay down the floor by yourself!

I had the same problem, only I didn't do the work myself. Many years ago, I had hired someone to renovate my place. In retiling the floor, he never wiped the grout off. AT ALL. I called him to clean up the mess he made. It sat there for probably a few days before the guy finally showed. Needless to say, you know what kind of a problem that created. He used an acid wash on my floor. But, I wouldn't recommend that in your situation. You mentioned that you used porcelain and any acid wash could really damage your beautiful floor.

The best suggestion I have is to contact the manufacturer of the tile. You might want to check to see if they have a website. They will be able to advise you as to the best product to use so you don't damage the floor. They may very well sell a product that is specifically designed for this problem. A lot of tile manufacturers do that.

Hope this helped.

Thanks Ruby. We will go to Home depot later today and check it out. The tile is "Granito Cotto"....my wife did go to the website and they recommended an acid wash as well...but did mention that we should be very careful with it. This grout is also non-sanded Polymer grout, which means it's less porous than standard sanded grout, and this makes it even more of a challenge to clean up...oh well

Anyways, thanks for your response...I have to admit I wasn't expecting a miraculous solution....

Pat.

RubyPitbull · Feb 9, 2007, 06:27 AM

You are welcome Pat. Although I am not a "professional" I noticed no one answered your question and didn't want you to feel ignored. And, since this did happen to me,....

Just be very, very careful with the acid wash. Follow all directions to a T. If it doesn't mention it in the instructions, use rubber work gloves to protect your skin and make sure there is ventilation -- open a window.

PGerard · Feb 12, 2007, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubyPitbull

You are welcome Pat. Although I am not a "professional" I noticed no one answered your question and didn't want you to feel ignored. And, since this did happen to me,....

Just be very, very careful with the acid wash. Follow all directions to a T. If it doesn't mention it in the instructions, use rubber work gloves to protect your skin and make sure there is ventilation -- open a window.

Hey, I bought this stuff called "GroutBuster". It worked really well, and yes, we wore gloves and glasses to protect our eyes from splashing.

Good Night...

RubyPitbull · Feb 12, 2007, 04:33 PM

Thanks for letting me know the outcome! Sometimes we are left wondering what happened. I will remember the GroutBuster. Thanks!

momathome · Aug 23, 2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubyPitbull

Well, PGerard, I congratulate you on your ability to lay down the floor by yourself!

I had the same problem, only I didn't do the work myself. Many years ago, I had hired someone to renovate my place. In retiling the floor, he never wiped the grout off. AT ALL. I called him to clean up the mess he made. It sat there for probably a few days before the guy finally showed. Needless to say, you know what kind of a problem that created. He used an acid wash on my floor. But, I wouldn't recommend that in your situation. You mentioned that you used porcelain and any acid wash could really damage your beautiful floor.

The best suggestion I have is to contact the manufacturer of the tile. You might want to check to see if they have a website. They will be able to advise you as to the best product to use so you don't damage the floor. They may very well sell a product that is specifically designed for this problem. A lot of tile manufacturers do that.

Hope this helped.

I have this same issue, but couldn't possibly do the acid wash (dogs, kids, environment, etc). Is there another way?

Karchnocle · Jun 27, 2010, 02:43 PM

I came to this site looking for an answer. The acid wash was out of the question and I have people coming to seal the floor, possibly tomorrow. They had washed the floor twice when they were finished grouting, but I still had streaks that showed when the light hit them a certain way. So we just started in with clear water and terry cloth towels and scrubbed each tile. You could tell when a tile had a light coating of grout because the towel kind of dragged at first, but if you continued to scrub, it would eventually wash off. We are about 2/3 of the way through the job (on hands and knees) and it's looking good.

el_gallo · Sep 9, 2010, 01:14 PM

I just put down the same floor and I used a small steel brush (size of a toothbrush) and Tile Lab Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper. Worked like a charm, just watch that you don't get too aggressive near the grout lines, it will remove the grout!

magazinegals · Sep 9, 2011, 09:52 AM

I have tiles that are very textured and I'm cutting all the old grout(cream color) and replacing with dark grey grout. A nightmare project-someone should have done an intervention but it's tooooo late. I had a section of my LARGE floor that dried too quickly cause I had the a/c turned on. It was impossible to scrub clean with water/brushes, etc.

I've used several methods to clean it up - a product made to remove CAULK was easiest, I sprayed on tile center and spread it out with a small nail brush thingie(about 3" long-dollar store item). I let it set and wiped it clean and it worked like magic and didn't pull out the new grout when it drifted overtop.

I've also used a tile/grout cleaning product that also worked well. I'm being careful not to get it into the new grout.

I'm using dry household rags to clean the loosened residue. Switch them often. Better than sponges, etc.

Good luck everyone and thanks for tips. Going to try vinegar as someone suggested.

How to remove stubborn grout from tile surface

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