I am a very experienced tile setter with a problem with the color of the grout we applied in a bath room. The product is Custom’s sanded “Bone”. We have 1/8″ grout joints, and approx. 200 sq. ft. of tile. The home owner feels that the grout is much too light for the tile. I agree, but I was told to go ahead and grout the floor and the shower. Now that the home owner sees the cured product, he does not like it. When the grout is wet it looks great, but of course when it dries, it goes back to the lighter shade.
My question is, has anybody ever tried to darken, freshly cured grout. Using a product like Aqua Mix Grout Colorant is not an option. I thought about applying a stone enhancing sealer or something similar.
Any ideas ???
Thanks – JimD
Replies
I used a stone enhancer on limestone with Custom's Irish Cream grout. It did darken the tile and grout a bit, as if it was still wet. I also used Bone on other parts of the same job, and it does dry very light.
I used Stone Tech Enhancer Pro. It works well, but follow the instructions. I put on what I thought was a thin coat, and failed to wipe off the excess after 10 minutes like it said. Hey, it looked like a thin coat to me, and I didn't see any puddles. The next day it was sticky. And the day after that. The web site says to wipe on a fresh coat and wipe it dry, which I did with less than great results. So I finally washed the floor twice with paint thinner.
I called the customer service number in Calif and left a message on Keith, or Kevin I forget, voice mail, he's in tech support. I admitted that I didn't follow the directions, and asked for advice on how to fix it. That was about 3 weeks ago, and I guess Keith/Kevin is still in la-la land cuz he hasn't bothered to call back yet. So much for customer service.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Edited 5/4/2004 11:08 pm ET by Ed Hilton
Hi Ed - thanks for advice. My home owner gave Custom a call about the grout issue, and recomended that I mix 50 % Boiled Linseed with 50% Mineral Spirits. They said it will make the grout look like it does when it is wet. Plus they said it makes aan excellant grout sealer. We will give it a try. I have used straight linseed oil to cover up scratches on travertine, and it works well.
On the clean up in your situation try Xylene (not about spelling). One of the masons I work with uses all the time to strip down stone sealer. Try it on a small area and make sure the room is well ventilated.
Thanks & Good Luck - I will get back to you on well the linseed mix works
Jim D
I had a similar situation in my kitchen and used a grout stain from our tile dealer. It also seals. It also is very expensive ($30 something a pint) and has a short shelf life, so it'd probably have to be special ordered. The brand was something like Super Tek, I think, and it comes in standard Hydroment colors.
did you ever try that linseed oil idea to darken the grout? I'm in a similar situation, need to darken grout on 1" hex tile. The tiles are white, unglazed.
Yes - and actually I talked to Custom Building products, and they recommended a 50/50 solution of Linsed Oil & Mineral Spirts. The mineral spirts help the linsed oil set up. They said that years ago this was a common grout sealing tech.
You can probably add more linsed oil if it needs to be darker. Try a small area first.
Good luck -
try http://www.johnbridge.com
I haven't had the need to change the color of grout on purpose ...
but ... I'll bet money someone over there does this on a regular basis.
Lotsa great tile info ... real friendly forum.
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry