Regrouting tile? removing the old grout?
 

I've got a question. What's the best way to regrout ceramic tile? If you had 900sqft of 12x12 ceramic tile with a 1/4" grout line and you wanted to regrout, what would you do (besides considering dynamite)? I think I remember reading somewhere that there was something that you could put on the grout that turns the grout to mush and allows you to scrape it out.

Any suggestions?

They make a grout file that will take it out they sell it at Home Depot ,it's a lot of work good luck !

"something that you could put on the grout that turns the grout to mush"

I've never heard of this but I would certainly investigate that option.

It's a horrid job... I used a "Fein" tool and carbide disk to remove the grout in my shower alcove and that took about 3 hours.

One of these would probably work great. Oscillating Multi-Tool Accessories | Bosch
I have one for stab cuts, and I think you can get a grout removal blade.
I wouldn't even think about doing it manually.

It will you take longer to remove all the grout then to remove all the tile and redo the entire job...

Why do you want to remove the grout?


KT

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I'd actually considered retiling, but taking the old tile up (directly on cement foundation) would suck, I think.

The old grout looks like butt, and we need to put some grout in a couple of spots (where we put a new door in, etc...) and as far as I know, the grout is NLA. We had some, extra, but I think it got thrown out. Besides, the old grout is so dirty that I don't think it would look good just putting new grout in.

OK, so is there a good way to really clean the poo out of grout?

Yep, that's what I am afraid of.
I have the small hand file, and there's no way in the world that I would try using that.
They have a "blade" that is basically the hand file that would go in a reciprocating saw, but I don't know that is actually a good option either.

The pro's here get $2.00 sq/ft to demo tile. SoCal so most everything is on slab. The price includes grinding the slab to a ready state for new floors. Money well spent IMO - I tried to DIY once and nearly died. Large power tools and hefty arms and back are required.

I just did our bathroom a few weeks ago. Scraped it out with a razor knife - but the gap wasn't 1/4".
Wasn't that big a deal. Not fun, but not horrible either...
Maybe just test a small section and see how hard it is to scrape out?

Try cleaning the grout first.

Use sulfamic acid crystals ( home Depot )
Mix with warm water and scrub with a bristle brush.
Rinse well.

Repair the missing grout.

If you are happy with the results, apply a sealeer ( 511 )

If not, use a grout colorant to restore or change the grout color.
It is a simple process that you can do over the course of a couple of weekends.

Show some pictures of what you are up against.

KT

If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask here or contact me by PM, e-mail or phone.

I have cleaned, repaired and restored thousands of square feet of grout over the years.


KT

Thanks Trekkor and the rest. I'll reply in a bit, off to bed for now, and then 4 days of work that may or may not give time to respond.

Thanks again, I've got more questions when I've got time to post them.

Actually, I do have time for a question.

About the grout colorant to restore or more specifically, change the color. What sort of product does a good job and how much can it change the color? Is it a tint, or will it completely cover the old color? We (missus and I) have wondered about this option.

The product is available at Home Depot.
"Epoxy Grout Colorant", by Custom Building Products.

It's a very durable grout "paint".
You brush it on acid washed grout.
It will cover old colors well and is easy to apply.

Going from dark to light may require two coats.

What color is your existing grout?

I recently used this in 25 hotel rooms where constant cleaning is seen with good results.


KT

Looks like they have changed the name of the product:

Polyblend® Grout Renew | Custom Building Products


KT

If you tile work is in good shape, I say clean the grout and scrape the loose stuff and re-grout it.

Take an air hammer with a chisel and go to town it will pop right out. 900 sq' should take a day or two max with an air hammer. YOu can also rent a small electric hammer with a wide chisel to pop them off.

These are rough grit, and will scratch hardened tile surfaces if not careful.

Too much effort, IMO.

Its really not that big of a job. Its not hard it just takes some time. Get the rasp grout file and go to town. I just finished our bathtub / shower combo this weekend. It took a couple hours on Friday and Saturday. It made the bathroom look like a million bucks compared to the old grout. Its really worth the time it takes.

900 square feet of tile is A LOT. That's something like a third of a mile of grout lines to file - not something i would want to attempt with one of those cheap hand files.
Dremel has a few grout removal bits/blades, but i'm not sure even those would be up to the task.

Edit: I just re-read the first post and saw that the grout lines are 1/4" wide... that's a bit wider than the dremel bits.

It's not a saw. It just oscillates at a really high speed.
It is nothing like a reciprocating saw. Of all the things I could think of that work, that's it.
A router might work, with the correct bit and guide. If the only other option is demo, it's worth a try.
Kneepads, goggles and a power tool.