Preparations Needed Before Painting a Grout

You can use grout paint colors to easily restore or change grout color. You must have noticed that white grout looks filthy even after cleaning. Can you imagine grinding out all the dingy-looking once-white grout? Even the thought is enough to make you weep! Wouldn't you feel relaxed if an interior designer tells you about the attractive look of your tile floor with a different color grout? An epoxy grout colorant or grout paint can restore grout to an attractive, uniform color. It is easy to apply and is available in shades of white, many premixed colors and even custom blends. You need to kneel on a floor for hours, depending upon the size of the floor! Grout Painting There is no need to worry if you don't get an exact color match for the old grout. Getting a grout paint within a few shades is good enough. If there are broken tiles or deteriorating grout, you should first replace the tiles and repair the grout. If you have unglazed tiles for the wall or the floor, like natural stone, torrazzo or any raw clay tiles, you should seal the tiles before applying tile grout paint. Otherwise the grout paint may permanently stain the floor. Any old food, oils, soap residue or grout sealers may be the reason behind the failure of the grout paint. So, cleaning the tiles before grout painting is essential. Sometimes, grout is seen over the tiles. Cleaning ceramic tile grout is necessary for successful application of grout paints. Use wear gloves and goggles while using harsh cleaners. Some grout paints come with cleaning products. Just don't forget about the final rinse with hot water to remove any chemical residue. Various colorant brands are available in market which have different sets of instructions. First you need to select the grout paint after reading the instructions. Different colorant brands will have different drying times, waiting times between coats and they might also vary in application methods. For instance, you need to finish application and cleaning (which is more tedious job) within one hour, for some brands. In this case, if the floor is quite large then you need to stop painting and start final cleaning of the painted floor, before the whole floor is completely done. In this way, a medium-sized bathroom can take a few hours to first coat! Before beginning with grout paint, the floor should be completely cleaned and dried. A ceiling fan can help in speed drying. You have to choose a paint brush before you start. Various types of brushes like throw away cheap brushes are available in market. Some suggest to use toothbrushes, but I would recommend a small, cheap artist brush found in most hardware or paint stores. Run your fingers through the bristles to remove as many loose hair as possible. It can help you give the grout a thin, even coat of colorant with minimal overlapping onto the tile. You can also use a grout paint pen for grout painting. These days, grout paint markers are also available in the market, which contain water-based, odorless, permanent paint--perfect for non-ventilated areas. Now, put on your knee pads and get ready for the fun part. Take small amount of colorant into a shallow and broad container. Take a small amount on the brush and apply to the tile grout in long strokes, smoothing the colorant with a back-and-forth motion into all the nooks-and-crannies of the grout. Try to get a thin, even and complete coat. "Pooling" or "puddling" of the colorant indicates that you are applying too much. Don't pour any used colorant back into the bottle. You should throw it away. That is the reason, taking small amount at a time is recommended. Wipe out the excess from the shallow container, with a paper towel and let it dry. You can wash your brush with soap and water to reuse for subsequent coats. If the tiles are ceramic, your paint can overlap the tiles as slight overlapping will assure a good seal. You should apply two coats of grout paint for the long term durability. Sometimes, even a third "touch-up" coat in some difficult areas will be required. Depending upon the instructions, you may have to remove excess grout colorant from the tiles before applying a second coat. Check the drying time given in the instructions. Then, after drying, spray the floor lightly with water, wait a few minutes and then scrub the floor with a light-duty plastic scouring pad which is safe for plastic shower enclosures and ceramic tile. Never use any harsh cleaning pads. Clean a small area at a time, rinse the pad in a bucket of cool water till the floor is done. The grout paint is waterproof once dry. I hope you find the above grout paint instructions helpful. You can enjoy a new, beautiful and bright colored floor with grout painting. Grout paint can change the appearance of the floor successfully and permanently.

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