How do you remove dried grout from tiles?
by
Aleda Fraser
+11
Recently had a bathroom reno. There is dried grout on the tiles. I understand that when you grout between the tiles, you wipe them down with a sponge or whatever, well my contracter did that but left residue on the tiles. My shiny smooth tiles are not smooth or shiny. How do I remove this gritty mess?
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Step 1
Fill an empty spray bottle with hot water. Saturate the grout residue spots with the water.
Step 2
Scrape as much of the dried grout from the tile with a wooden stick. Keep the dried grout wet while scraping.
Step 3
Sweep up the largest pieces of grout with a broom and dust pan. Wipe down the tiles with a rag and water.
Step 4
Fill a bucket with water as hot as you can tolerate. Dip a nylon scouring pad into the water and scrub the grout residue. Use plenty of water when scrubbing. Rinse out the scouring pad in the bucket of water frequently while scrubbing the tile.
Step 5
Wipe down the tile with a damp rag. Dry the ceramic tile with a soft rag.
Step 6
Discard the bucket of water and rinse it out. Fill it with 1 gallon warm water. Add 1 cup sugar to the water and allow it to dissolve.
Step 7
Pour this solution onto any remaining grout residue or grout haze on the tile. For wall tile, saturate several paper towels with the solution and lay them onto the grout spots.
Step 8
Allow the sugar water to sit on the tile for a minimum of two hours. Scrub the tiles again with the nylon scouring pad. Apply more sugar water and allow it to soak for two more hours if grout residue is still on the tile.
Step 9
Rinse the tile with a rag and plain water. Buff with a dry cloth.
Hi! A scraper like this will save you some time:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076BBW1WM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_1RQSXZPTT9XPGKZT28DF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Aleda,
Yes, wiping off the thick excess of grouting while it is still wet is part of the installation stage. Washing the floor/wall tiles afterwards is generally not considered to be part of the installation labour.
Depending on the type of tiles you have and how well the tiles are washed after the grouting has thoroughly dried, there will always be some need of going over the area repeated times until it is clear of any residue.
Follow Mogie's instructions until you are satisfied with the results.
Hello Aleda,
Call the Contractor back to fix the mess!
I agree with John. The contractor should fix this. It's a labor intensive job and that is not right. We've installed our own and had it done professionally as well and never had this issue.
I would call the contractor and find out what to do.
There is a product called a grout haze remover. That will work.
Agreed with the above, the contractor should come back to clean it up
I use Krud Kutter
I wonder why your contractor didn't do this? Can't you get him to come back and finish the job?
Sorry I should have included this as well. If you do have to do it yourself, maybe this video will help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDOFDCaSAtI
Use some vinegar and a plastic putty knife. Vinegar dissolves grout so be careful not to get it anywhere you want to keep it.
https://youtu.be/Pf01A7G44M0 saw this and thought that this video might help you out😊