Asked on Jan 03, 2015

Anyone ever paint an entire tile floor with Grout Renew?

Stormy
by Stormy
I'm renting an apartment built in 1922. The bath has 1" and 2" tile flooring: white tile with dark grout. (Not sure what color the grout is actually supposed to be.) I can't see myself painting every single grout line...what would happen if I just painted the whole floor with Grout Renew?
  16 answers
  • M E M E on Jan 03, 2015
    I had a similar problem @@stormy with kitchen grout. I was just short of tearing up the floor; so glad I didn't. I cleaned it. I made a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide was on sale at Walgreens, buy 1 get 1. After having let the paste sit in the grout lines for at least 10 minutes, sometimes it bubbles, I then scrubbed with a scrub brush. My floor was large. I attached a round scrub brush to a long machine screw with a washer and a bolt, and then attached the bit to my cordless screw gun. The results far exceeded my expectations. The directions for making the simple screw brush were on youtube. When I was finished, I sealed the grout with a high-end grout sealer from a tile store, best $62 I spent.
  • Shari Shari on Jan 03, 2015
    I have used Grout Renew (no "before" picture but "after" picture attached) on the floor in one of my bathrooms. Granted, the space is itty-bitty small (just around the toilet as the sink vanity is in an alcove outside the toilet/tub room) but it wasn't a terribly time-consuming or hard job. If you don't limit the Grout Renew to the grout, I have concerns how it will hold up on the face of the tile since it is not porous to grab the Grout Renew product like the grout will. When dry, it has a latex or rubbery-like feel to it so on the tile, it may just peel up with time. Have you tried anything to deep clean this grout? The above suggestion of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide is a good one. I spent one whole afternoon cleaning the wall and floor grout in the aforementioned bathroom with a toothbrush and Clorox Cleanup before I decided to use the Grout Renew. I've also since purchased a steam mop and it is amazing how much grunge that gets up off the floor and out of grout! If you have other moppable floors in your apartment and don't already have one, a steam mop might be a good investment. Mopping used to be my most dreaded chore but the steam mop has made mopping almost fun! This is the mop I purchased and I highly recommend it. http://www.amazon.com/BISSELL-Powerfresh-Steam-White-1940/dp/B0091YYUAM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393908490&sr=8-2&keywords=bissell+powerfresh The price goes up and down frequently but the current price of $71.99 is the best price I have ever seen it anywhere.
  • Scottie Vosburgh Scottie Vosburgh on Jan 03, 2015
    I just cleaned all the grout in my entire downstairs (there is a ridiculous amount of it) with resolve carpet cleaner and a brush. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then brush. It works like a stinkin' charm. I was stunned (I didn't really expect it to)
  • Elaine Simmons Elaine Simmons on Jan 04, 2015
    I used it on a kitchen floor grout and had great results. However, this 74 year old body would not do it again. I think you would have to limit it to just painting the grout though.
  • Jean Thompson Jean Thompson on Jan 04, 2015
    I would ask Landlord to do this to the Floor.. First to see if they will cover the Cost/cleaning. Have you tried using a Spray bottle of a combo of Bleach and Water ( or Bathroom cleaner with Bleach, Sprayed on let sit for about 20 min then gently Scrub Grout lines with a toothbrush. repeat in area that are really stained. make sure the bathroom fan is on or window is open.. Then mop floor well.. but the Grout lines will have to be Sealed again or just use the Bleach cleaner again 1X a month seeing how its rented...and Built in 1922 it probably was White at one time.?
  • Stormy Stormy on Jan 04, 2015
    Ooh, I just knew you would all have great suggestions! @Shari, thanks for telling me what it's like once it's dry. It has some an acrylic binder which is prob why it feels tacky. @Jean Thompson, I pondered bleach or Tilex but I have neither a bathroom fan nor a window that opens, so venting fumes is difficult, especially in cold weather. @@M E, I will try the soda/peroxide, two things I keep on hand and use a lot. If that doesnt work, @Scottie Vosburgh, I will pick up some Resolve. And @Elaine Simmons, I'm old enough that getting up off the floor is harder than it used to be! So I'm all about fast and easy! Thanks, everyone!
  • Scottie Vosburgh Scottie Vosburgh on Jan 04, 2015
    Good Luck!
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Jan 04, 2015
    Like the look of the darker grout. I would just make it consistently dark with a stain.
  • Dee Dee on Jan 04, 2015
    You cannot use it on the entire floor it will eventually peal off. It is not a terribly tedious job. You can paint it on with a Q tip and just let it dry. You do not have to follow all the little steps that is states on the bottle. Just wipe up the extra that gets on the tiles. Home Depot and Lowes sells a product called grout cleaner it is made by ZEP. That stuff works wonders.
  • Irishkay Irishkay on Jan 05, 2015
    My den floor is covered in tile. We couldnt use carpet for having a wood stove. Naturally, being a heavy traffic room, the grout turned yelky. So, I did paint every line. It was time consuming but worth every minute. It goes faster than you think. I guess it just comes down to how bad you wanna fix your problem. Its cheaper than replacing the floor. I was very pleased. After 4 years, it still looks great!!!! I highly recommend you try it.
  • Kimberly A Kimberly A on Jan 05, 2015
    As Dee stated, it will not stick to the tile. I just used it on a rather large kitchen, eat in area, and laundry room. I painted each line but did not worry about being neat with it because the next day I just went over everything with water and a sponge and it removed the paint from the tile but left clean lines on the grout. It is tedious work but makes the tiles look much fresher and new. Also make sure to look for a grout renew that is a bit thicker because some brands are very thin and will not cover in one coat. Good luck!
  • Elaine Simmons Elaine Simmons on Jan 05, 2015
    Using a squeezable ketchup bottle filled with the Grout Renew works well to get it just on the grout lines. Then, you just wipe away the excess with a sponge.
  • Stormy Stormy on Jan 05, 2015
    @Elaine Simmons, that is a brilliant suggestion!
    • See 2 previous
    • Shari Shari on Jan 06, 2015
      @Irishkay I wasn't as neat and precise in applying it as you. I just squirted it from the bottle on the grout lines, rubbed it in with an old toothbrush, let it sit for whatever time the directions indicated and then came back and wiped any excess off the tile. It's been about 16 or 17 months since I did mine and it still looks as good as the day I did it.
  • Stormy Stormy on Jan 06, 2015
    ok, all you folks, more questions: 1. how long since you did the treatment/how is it holding up? 2. what are you using to mop the floor now and does it take off the Grout Renew?
  • Cindy Roehm Cindy Roehm on Jan 06, 2015
    Grout Renew is amazing! Just did all of my main level. Used a watercolor brush and 1 and 1/2 bottles total. Took FOREVER but we are talking 2 large rooms, hall and a half bath -- all while dealing with the holidays, 3 six year olds and the flu plague.
  • Becky Becky on Jan 07, 2015
    We just finished doing about 300 sq feet and it looks great. We cleaned it with ZEP first. That is the best stuff I've ever used. We used 3 coats of grout renew because we went from a very dark color to white. I used an artist brush to apply it and a razor blade to scrape off the excess. Tedious but looks great.