Effective Way of Grout Repair

This is because water passes through such cracks and can ruin the adhesive base or may even rot the underlying subfloor or walls. Thus tile grout repair is important in order to keep the tiles in good shape. How to Repair Tile Grout? Before you start this home improvement project of tile grout repair, make sure you are equipped with the right kind of grout removal tools and materials. You need: hand grout saw, old paint brush, tile grout, grout float, spray bottle, a large piece of sponge and rags. You should wear proper gear like hand gloves, goggles and mask to protect yourself from the dust and debris of the grout. The steps to repair tile grouting are given below. Step#1: The first step of grout repair is to inspect the cracked grout carefully to find the severity of the damage. Put slight pressure on the grout, if it gives a spongy feel, that means the crack is deeper. In case the grout is firm, then just a hairline crack has developed. Step#2: Take the hand grout saw and use it to break the loose and damaged part of the grout. This task should be done very carefully so that the tile does not get chipped or cracked or dislodged. Then clean up all the grout chunk and powdered grout from the area using a vacuum cleaner. To make the newly formed hole completely dust free, use an old paint brush. Thus you can ensure a great bonding between the new grout and the tile. Read more on how to remove tile grout. Step#3: The third step involves preparation of the tile grout. You should select a grout color which matches with the existing grout. If there is a slight variation of shades, then you can adjust that with water. For instance, if you need lighter shade, then add some extra water while mixing the grout and when you need a darker color, then use less water. Read the manufacturer's instructions carefully and mix the grout according to that. Step#4: Now, it's time to apply the grout into the empty grout line. Take some grout mixture on a grout float and put it into the joint. You should hold the float at a 45 degree angle for this purpose. This will prevent the grout from falling on the adjoining tiles. Spread the grout properly all over the joint so that a uniform layer is formed. Once the gap is filled completely, smooth up the grout line using your finger or with the help of a round dowel. Read more on how to grout tile. Step#5: After the grout has been applied, keep it untouched for about half an hour and then you should remove all the extra grout from the tile surface. For this, take a sponge and get it wet in such a way it does not have excess of water. Then stroke it lightly over the tile to wipe out the grout. Make sure that the grout from the repaired joint do not come out while cleaning the tile grout. Now, you have to keep it in an untouched condition at least for the next 48 hours so that the applied grout gets cured thoroughly. Step#6: After two days when you inspect the repaired area, you will find a hazy grout residue left behind on the tile. To clean it up, take a dry rag and rub it over the cloudy haze and you will get the polished look of the tile. Finally, apply a grout sealer to seal up the dry grout. This is done to prevent water absorption into the grout.

Thus you can see that the process of tile grout repair is easy and when done by yourself then it can save you a lot of money too. Usually, it takes about four days to complete the project which include one day each for application of the grout and the sealer and two days in between to cure the grout. If the manufacturer's instructions ask for more time to dry the grout, you should follow that. This is because if not dried properly then the grout can get damaged all over again.

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