Make sure the company doing the work specializes in it. Sounds simple, I know. But there are handyman companies who basically say ‘Yes’ to any household task you want done. That doesn’t mean they have much experience doing regrouting. They might….but then again they might not. How can you find out?

In this case, you have to ask. Yup, just come right out and ask “How many jobs like this have you done?”

If they are counting on one hand, that’s a bad sign!

If they’ve done more than 10, that’s a good sign. Just make sure to get all 10 references, to make sure they’re not spouting baloney.

If you’re dealing with a tilesetter or a tile installation company, you might assume you’re better off, and I’d probably agree in general. But if they’ve rarely or almost never done regrouts, then it means they only do them when business is slow and they may actually resent your business. Reason – the business they really want is large installation jobs that last for days at a time. Regrouting is usually a one day job, so it doesn’t make them a big payday.

The second most important point is to make sure they pull out most of the old grout. This is critical to making sure your job will last! Cement grout doesn’t bond well to itself, so it needs a physical ‘channel’ or hole to stick in to stay permanently.

If they use caulking at the changes of plane (where the wall changes from left to right or horizontal to vertical), that’s a good sign. Caulk will last longer without cracking since it’s flexible.

Our staff specializes in regrouting – we won’t try to talk you into more than you need. If you want a shower regrouted and you live in the metro Boston area specified below, feel free to give us a call or fill out our quote request form and we’ll be glad to get back to you right away.

Towns where Boston Grout does shower building, shower repair, shower floor replacement and regrouting : Boston, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford.
But, what zipcodes go with those towns, you wonder…
OK, OK, here they are!
02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02141, 02141, 02140, 02140, 02163, 02108, 02109, 02110, 02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116, 02118, 02119, 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02127, 02128, 02133, 02163, 02199, 02203, 02210, 02215, 02222, 02283, 02284, 02126, 02129, 02130, 02131, 02132, 02134, 02135, 02136, 02128, 02127, 02215, 02128, 02127, 02420, 02421, 02458, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02459, 02459, 02465, 02478, 02446, 02445, 02447, 02143, 02144, 02145, 01801, 01890, 02155, 02155, 02155, 02148, 01803, 01730, 01731, 01821, 01862, 01862, 01862, 01810, 01845, 01845, 01742, 01742, 01742, 01741, 01720, 01718, 01719, 01720, 01720, 01776, 01776, 01776, 01864, 01867, 01701, 01702, 01701, 01701, 01752, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02169, 02170, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02169, 02169, 02169, 02186, 02186, 02067

Ugly White Deposits on Shower Floor Boston

The first thing we try is to literally scrape it away. In some cases, a razor blade will work, the kind that hardware stores sell for scraping paint off glass. Don’t be surprised if you break a blade or two on this stuff – it’s very dense and surprisingly hard.

In many cases,we end up literally using a sharp chisel and a hammer to dislodge the stuff. It can be that hard!

Point of caution: if your shower floors are marble, be aware that marble can scratch much easier than ceramic, so be ultra careful with the blade.

After you scrape off as much as you can, you are faced with some residue on the face of the tile and the grout.

For the face of the tile, the best remover is an acid based chemical. The deposits are mineral and acid attacks minerals. But again, marble presents a problem – the acid will surely etch the stone and kill the shine. So you may need to hone and repolish or just hone the marble floor after using acid. A better choice on marble is to use the honing process instead of the acid. Not a do it yourself project at all to hone marble, by the way.

Pour or spray the acid on and let it dwell for a few minutes to soften the minerals and then scrub it vigoorously with a rough cleaning pad. Rinse and wipe clean.

For the grout, if it looks good, you’re done. If not, it’s time to regrout the shower floor, which is the next posts subject.

If you do live in the Boston area and you’d like us to do the work , or just talk you through it, you can either call or fill out our contact form below.

Towns where Boston Grout does shower building, shower repair, shower floor replacement and regrouting : Boston, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford.

But, what zipcodes go with those towns, you wonder…

OK, OK, here they are!

02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02141, 02141, 02140, 02140, 02163, 02108, 02109, 02110, 02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116, 02118, 02119, 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02127, 02128, 02133, 02163, 02199, 02203, 02210, 02215, 02222, 02283, 02284, 02126, 02129, 02130, 02131, 02132, 02134, 02135, 02136, 02128, 02127, 02215, 02128, 02127, 02420, 02421, 02458, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02459, 02459, 02465, 02478, 02446, 02445, 02447, 02143, 02144, 02145, 01801, 01890, 02155, 02155, 02155, 02148, 01803, 01730, 01731, 01821, 01862, 01862, 01862, 01810, 01845, 01845, 01742, 01742, 01742, 01741, 01720, 01718, 01719, 01720, 01720, 01776, 01776, 01776, 01864, 01867, 01701, 01702, 01701, 01701, 01752, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02169, 02170, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02169, 02169, 02169, 02186, 02186, 02067

Ugly Efflorescence on Shower Floor Boston

This white stuff that’s forming on your tile shower floor is not going to go away by cleaning alone. The reason is that the way the shower is built is likely the culprit, not bad cleaning habits.

Some people might believe that hard water is the reason this forms. But the Massachusetts water systems, at least most of Boston and the suburbs of Boston, actually have pretty soft water. I think Carlisle may be an exception, from what I recall about a shower we did there a few years ago.

The problem is most likely efflorescence and it comes from the way the shower pan liner is built. Underneath the tile of the shower floor, there is a layer of thinset cement, a tile adhesive about a quarter inch thick. That adhesive cement is used to stick the tile to the ‘mud job’ floor. A mud job is a sloped base made out of a fairly dry mix of Portland cement and sand. We’ve all made sand castles at the beach and we’ve all seen liquid cement pour out of a cement mixer truck. A mud job is not wet like the pouring kind of cement; it’s drier like the sand castle consistency. That’s what allows the installer to form it into a shape, a slight slope to lead the water to the drain of the shower, the low point.

Mud jobs have to be fairly thick, at least an inch and a quarter at the low point and probably two inches elsewhere. Below that is a ‘shower pan liner’, which in Massachusetts is a waterproof material to stop the water from leaking through the grout, then through the thinset, then through the mud job then through the subfloor then through the ceiling below then onto your head when you’re eating breakfast downstairs!

The Massachusetts plumbing code just says the liner has to be waterproof, nothing more.

This is from the code 248 CMR 10.00 which you can access online if you find it fascinating enough. Link is here:

Mass Plumbing Code on Shower Pan Liners

Shower Floors or Receptors:
1. Floors or receptors under shower compartments shall be laid on or be supported by a smooth and structurally sound base.
2. Floors under shower compartments, other than those laid directly on the ground surface or where prefabricated shower base receptors have been provided, shall be lined and made watertight by the provision of suitable shower pans of durable Product-approved materials.
3. Shower pans shall turn up on all sides at least above the finished threshold level.
4. Shower pans shall be securely fastened to the waste outlet at the seepage entrance making a watertight joint between the pan and the outlet.
5. Floor surfaces shall be constructed of smooth, non-corrosive, nonabsorbent, and waterproof materials. [The code spells out elsewhere what those ‘waterproof materials’ are. Massachusetts allows copper, some vinyl products, Kerdi and a few other brands such as Tile Redi. This state is pretty fussy about the exact product you can use compared to other states; each material has to be named specifically to be used.]

So, in essence, what the code requires is just some means of trapping the water that seeps through the grout lines of your shower floor. There’s no requirement to use a system that drains that water away, even though those systems do exist. And there’s no requirement to use epoxy grout for the tile floor or walls, even though that’s the most water resistant grout possible. See our earlier post about: Epoxy grout in Boston area showers

What does this have to do with the ugly white stuff??

This ‘trapped water’ is the major reason why the white stuff forms and you can only get rid of it if you understand why it forms.

Next post is on how to minimize it and how to kill it.

For instant quotes on almost any standard service, just fill in our handy dandy contact form below. One note is that we have not added this as a standard priced service yet, so you can see all our other prices, but work on the shower floor won’t be listed on the email that you receive when you fill out this form. If you have this exact problem and want it solved, then fill out the form along with your phone so we can give you a call about it. Our phone is 617-500-9271

Towns where Boston Grout does shower repair, shower floor replacement and regrouting : Boston, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford.
But, you insist, ‘what are the zip codes that go along with those town names?? Don’t leave us in suspense!’
OK, OK, here they are!
02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02141, 02141, 02140, 02140, 02163, 02108, 02109, 02110, 02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116, 02118, 02119, 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02127, 02128, 02133, 02163, 02199, 02203, 02210, 02215, 02222, 02283, 02284, 02126, 02129, 02130, 02131, 02132, 02134, 02135, 02136, 02128, 02127, 02215, 02128, 02127, 02420, 02421, 02458, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02459, 02459, 02465, 02478, 02446, 02445, 02447, 02143, 02144, 02145, 01801, 01890, 02155, 02155, 02155, 02148, 01803, 01730, 01731, 01821, 01862, 01862, 01862, 01810, 01845, 01845, 01742, 01742, 01742, 01741, 01720, 01718, 01719, 01720, 01720, 01776, 01776, 01776, 01864, 01867, 01701, 01702, 01701, 01701, 01752, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02169, 02170, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02169, 02169, 02169, 02186, 02186, 02067

The more common problems that have easier fixes are covered in this post listed here:

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH UNSANDED GROUT

Now let’s take a look at some of the less common problems.

1. Washed out color: if you are using a grout color and the finished product looks too light compated to the grout color chart, the result can be a ‘washed out’ look. This is usually caused by too many passes with the sponge, allowing too much water in the finished joint.  While I’ve never heard anyone say it happens with white, it can be a problem with darker colored grouts.  The solution is to remove the fresh grout and start over and this time, use less water. Two or three passes over the tile with damp but not dripping wet sponge is better than overwashing it.
2. Powdery grout: if the grout is not firm after it dries, but can be removed easily from the joint using a finger, this may indicate that the batch of grout was bad or that too much water was added when mixing. When grout starts drying up in the bucket, don’t add more water to make it last longer! All that will do is ruin the grout and cause it to be powdery and weak instead of strong. The solution again is to remove it and start over.
3. Cracking grout lines: if the grout is firm and was a new batch, but after it dries, there are large cracks that appear in the grout lines, it’s not likely a grouting problem. It’s more common that the tile wall has too much movement, often from insufficient wood studs or cement boards not secured well to the studs. This movement is almost certain when the cracks follow a long line, probably where two cement boards meet. This is more serious – you need to demo the grout, tile and backerboard and put some real support in before you re-tile. Much more $!
4. Weird color change: I mention this one last because it’s rare and not really all that clear why it happens.  We did a regrout for a lady in Boston once and she called back about 4 months later to say that the white grout had turned yellow. I thought she was exaggerating, but then she sent me digital pictures of …BRIGHT yellow grout! We called the manufacturer and the tech support guys said: “Yes, we’ve had this happen before” I believe they recommended she spray it with Tilex cleaning liquid. She doubted it would work and I did too. She tried it and said it worked like a charm. Go figure. I have no idea why it worked, but for a couple of bucks, if it ever happens again, that will be my first choice.

Of course, if you don’t want to deal with any of the above horrible grout issues and you just want us to do it for you, just give Boston Grout a call at 617-500-9271 and we’ll do the regrouting for you.  Then instead of scraping grout lines, you could be sipping a refreshing can of V8 and realize that you were meant for more important things in life, as you watch us cheerfully grouting away!

For instant quotes, just fill in our handy dandy contact form below.

Towns where Boston Grout does grouting and regrouting : Boston, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford.

But, you demand, ‘what are the zip codes that go along with those town names?? Don’t leave us in suspense!’

OK, OK, here they are!

02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02141, 02141, 02140, 02140,  02163, 02108, 02109, 02110,  02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116,  02118, 02119, 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02127, 02128, 02133, 02163, 02199, 02203, 02210, 02215, 02222, 02283, 02284, 02126, 02129, 02130, 02131, 02132, 02134, 02135, 02136, 02128, 02127, 02215, 02128, 02127, 02420, 02421, 02458, 02459, 02461,       02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02459,  02459,        02465, 02478, 02446, 02445, 02447, 02143, 02144, 02145, 01801, 01890, 02155, 02155, 02155,  02148, 01803, 01730, 01731, 01821, 01862, 01862, 01862, 01810, 01845, 01845, 01742, 01742, 01742,             01741, 01720, 01718, 01719, 01720, 01720, 01776, 01776, 01776, 01864, 01867, 01701, 01702, 01701, 01701, 01752, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02169, 02170, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02169, 02169, 02169, 02186, 02186, 02067

First, make sure to read this link to an earlier post:

HOW TO GROUT WALL TILE

which is all about the basics of using unsanded grout. But even if you do everything right, you can still have these problems:

1. When you open the grout package, take a look at the grout and run your fingers through it. It should feel very dry and powdery, with no clumps or hard nuggets. Sometimes older packages of grout end up absorbing moisture through the paper bag and start to harden up a bit or form clumps where some of the moisture actually hardened the grout in chunks. Especially if you stored an old bag of grout in a basement, sitting on the floor. It can absorb the dampness and be useless within a few months.  Even if you just bought the bag from a store, it still may be old because it sat too long on the shelf. If you use this grout, those hardened clumps will show in the final job and you’ll need to regrout your regrouting job – no fun!
2. Excess grout haze:  after you have washed the grout 2 or 3 times, there will always be a thin film of grout haze that has to dry before you can buff it off with a dry cloth.  But sometimes you let too much haze remain and it doesn’t all come off with the cloth. Smeary hazy grout all over tile is not pretty. But this one is pretty manageable. If the tile is not marble, all you need to do is add some acid to water and scrub the haze off with the solution and fast dry it with cloth towels.  You can buy special grout haze removers which use phosphoric acid, or you can just use a 50-50 mix of vinegar and water. Both work fine. Do NOT use this approach if the tile is marble, onyx, travertine or granite. The acid can and will etch the stone. Instead, use either marble polishing powder or alkaline liquids only. On second thought, if you have this problem, call us so you don’t ruin the expensive stone. If you’re in the Boston area, we’ll do it for you and if you’re outside of Boston, we’ll talk you through it.
3. Pinholes. When the grout dries, you may notice tiny air bubbles that dried in place, leaving what looks like pinholes. This is an easy one, too. Scrape out the section that has pinholes and put some more on. It’s that simple. Problem solved.
4. Streaks of color. This one is not a problem with white grout, but complex colors like browns and oranges seem to get it more. We regrouted a shower in Wilmington, Mass with light brown grout and   then noticed streaks of red on several grout lines. What causes it is red pigment that didn’t get totally blended at the factory or even when mixing the grout in the bucket. Solution again is to scrape out a section and just re-grout wherever you see the streaks. They will probably be small so the fix won’t take long.

Next post, we’ll talk about some of the less common but more serious problems with unsanded grout.

Of course, if you don’t want to deal with any of the above tasks and you just want us to do it for you, just give Boston Grout a call at 617-500-9271 and we’ll do the regrouting for you.  Then instead of scraping grout lines, you could be sipping a crisp glass of Chardonnay and realize that you were meant for more important things in life, as you watch us cheerfully grouting away!

For instant quotes, just fill in our handy dandy contact form below.

Towns where Boston Grout does grouting and regrouting : Boston, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford.

But, you cry, ‘what are the zipcodes that go along with those town names?? Don’t leave us in suspense!’

OK, OK, here they are!

02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02141, 02141, 02140, 02140,  02163, 02108, 02109, 02110,  02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116,  02118, 02119, 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02127, 02128, 02133, 02163, 02199, 02203, 02210, 02215, 02222, 02283, 02284, 02126, 02129, 02130, 02131, 02132, 02134, 02135, 02136, 02128, 02127, 02215, 02128, 02127, 02420, 02421, 02458, 02459, 02461,       02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02459,  02459,        02465, 02478, 02446, 02445, 02447, 02143, 02144, 02145, 01801, 01890, 02155, 02155, 02155,  02148, 01803, 01730, 01731, 01821, 01862, 01862, 01862, 01810, 01845, 01845, 01742, 01742, 01742,             01741, 01720, 01718, 01719, 01720, 01720, 01776, 01776, 01776, 01864, 01867, 01701, 01702, 01701, 01701, 01752, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02169, 02170, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02169, 02169, 02169, 02186, 02186, 02067

Related posts

• Why You Don’t Want Mastic In Your Tile Shower Unless You Want Tile Repair Bills! (0)
• What’s the Right Type of Caulk to Use for Showers? (0)
• The Right Way And Wrong Way To Grout Wall Tile (1)
• Get Boston Area Tile Showers Regrouted! (0)
• Can Marble Showers Be Regrouted? (0)

Regrouting around jacuzzi tub tile

Unsanded wall grout is a very consistent product that will work for you every time and look great for years….if you don’t make a few common mistakes. Here’s what to do and what to avoid.

1. First, make sure you are using the right type of grout for the size grout joint. Unsanded grout is made for thin joints, from miniscule up to 1/8^th of an inch. It can go a bit larger, but it’s not recommended. Why? If it is put in wider joints, it shrinks too much as it dries. It can look ugly if it’s shrunken down.
2. Second, make sure you bought powder form grout, not the premixed kind. Premixed is a low end product that is not worthy of your attention. Mixing is not that hard. You add water and stir. Kind of like cake batter. Anyone can do it.
3. Most grouts sold today have an additive called polymers. Pure cement doesn’t have polymers, but they are an improvement. They force the cement to dry a bit slower, which makes it harder and more durable. Plus they permit some degree of better bonding and elasticity, which also helps the cement work better as grout. The only company around the Boston area that doesn’t have these polymers that we know of is Hydroment. Not that Hydroment is bad grout, just that you need to add your own polymers, which is also easy. It’s called a latex admix, and it’s sold by the same dealers as the grout. It is a liquid that looks exactly like milk, which is its nickname. When you use Hydroment grout, instead of water you just use their milk. Is this an unnecessary burden? No, technically Hydroment is making a slightly better product than the others. Reason is that liquid latex performs a bit better than the powder form the other manufacturers use. So by not adding the powder in advance, they allow you to mix a stronger batch on your own. Conclusion: if you buy Hydroment grout, also get the milk that goes with it.
4. Clean out the grout joints before grouting. If it’s a regrout, that is much harder. If it’s a new installation, then the only thing that needs to be cleaned out is the thinset cement that oozes up between the grout lines. A utility knife and vacuum should work fine.
5. Get 2 buckets – one for mixing and one for clean water. In the mixing bucket, add some water first and then the grout powder. The best thing to mix a small amount is a margin trowel. If you have less than a whole shower to grout, you’ll need less than a solid gallon of mixed grout to do the job.
6. It should mix up to the consistency of peanut butter, somewhat spreadable but not drippy. (How’s that for scientific language!)
7. After you mixed it the first time, let it sit for about 10 minutes to absorb the water better. This is called slaking the grout and it helps make it stronger.
8. Using a grout float to push the grout in to each joint. It takes a few passes at varying angles to force it in and pack it down well. 45 degree angles work best, but that won’t always work on corners and edges.
9. After you finish applying grout to an area about 2 feet by 3 feet,  stop and wipe it with a damp sponge. This has to be a tile sponge, not a household sponge. It will take at least 2 passes to get the majority of the grout off the wall. One important thing at this point: minimize the water content. Wring the sponge as dry as possible before wiping the wall. That means wring it twice after washing it in the clean water. The clean water will get cloudy almost immediately, but don’t worry, you can do a 50 square foot area easily with one 4 gallon bucket of water.
10. Flip the sponge so you don’t keep using the same surface. One clean sponge can get flipped 4 times, and then both sides are used and need a rinse.
11. If you’re doing this for the first time, you might find it surprising that you can’t get all the grout haze off with the first 2 wipings. Or 3. Or 4.  This can get annoying and make you think you gotta go at it like Godzilla and keep going till you win. Don’t bother. Each time, just use a bit less water till you’re barely dampening the surface. The key to getting the last part is; you let it dry for about 45 minutes and that last bit of haze comes off with a dry buff towel or even a paper towel. If you keep wetting it, you keep bringing more haze from the joints.

The next post will cover problems that you may find during or after the process.

Of course, if you don’t want to deal with any of the above tasks and you just want us to do it for you, just give Boston Grout a call at 617-500-9271 and we’ll do the regrouting for you. Then you can relax and we’ll handle it for you while you sip hot chocolate and think how smart you are to avoid all this work!

For instant quotes, just fill in our handy dandy contact form below.

Towns where Boston Grout does grouting and regrouting : Boston, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford.

But, you cry, ‘what are the zipcodes that go along with those town names?? Don’t leave us in suspense!’

OK, OK, here they are!

02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02141, 02141, 02140, 02140,  02163, 02108, 02109, 02110,  02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116,  02118, 02119, 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02127, 02128, 02133, 02163, 02199, 02203, 02210, 02215, 02222, 02283, 02284, 02126, 02129, 02130, 02131, 02132, 02134, 02135, 02136, 02128, 02127, 02215, 02128, 02127, 02420, 02421, 02458, 02459, 02461,       02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02459,  02459,        02465, 02478, 02446, 02445, 02447, 02143, 02144, 02145, 01801, 01890, 02155, 02155, 02155,  02148, 01803, 01730, 01731, 01821, 01862, 01862, 01862, 01810, 01845, 01845, 01742, 01742, 01742,  01741, 01720, 01718, 01719, 01720, 01720, 01776, 01776, 01776, 01864, 01867, 01701, 01702, 01701, 01701, 01752, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02169, 02170, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02169, 02169, 02169, 02186, 02186, 02067

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• What’s the Right Type of Caulk to Use for Showers? (0)
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• 4 Problems With Unsanded Grout And How To Avoid Them (1)

The confusion comes from the fact that both types have silicone in them. Silicone is a rubbery, waterproof, durable adhesive. It’s a good thing.

But pure silicone caulk has two problems about it, despite its durability. One is that that it comes in a very limited range of colors. Black, white, dark brown and maybe gray. That’s it. If you are planning a custom shower installation, you don’t want to be told that your color choices are that limited.

The second problem is that it’s very, very, VERY difficult to use correctly and make it look good. The only guys I’ve seen who consistently manage to make it look sleek and professional are the shower glass door installers. They use it all day every day and usually get it right. The average homeowner….not so much!

Trust me, the really truly ugly caulk jobs you’ve seen were usually homeowners who wandered into the hardware store, asked for caulk, bought pure silicone and went out and tried the stuff themselves. It can’t be ‘tooled’, touched in any way after you dispense it from the caulk gun. If you try, you just make it worse. It’s so horribly difficult, we don’t even try. There are special techniques for using it, but they are awkward and time and money consuming.

The kind the store should sell you, the kind we use and almost every professional tile company uses, is sold at tile stores. It’s called siliconized latex caulk. Much, MUCH more user friendly. It’s water soluble before it dries, so you can sponge it to look smoother and smoother until it looks perfect. And it comes in every color of the rainbow, to exactly match the grout color. And clean up is easy with water. It still has silicone in it, to make it waterproof after drying. But it has enough latex to make it ‘workable’ and clean up-able, if that’s a word.

Unlike pure silicone, it also comes in two varieties (sanded and unsanded) to match the texture of the nearby grout. Tile stores sell both sanded and unsanded latex caulk. Big Box stores like Home Depot and Lowes usually only have a small selection, but most real tile stores have the full line of colors and textures to match your tile the best.

If you live in the general Boston area and want a recaulking or regrouting job done, you can do it yourself or have us do it for you. For instant quotes, just fill in our handy dandy contact form below. Or if you prefer to talk to us directly, our phone number is 617-500-9271.

Towns where Boston Grout does re-caulking : Boston, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody, Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford.

But, you cry, ‘what are the zipcodes that go along with those town names?? Don’t leave us in suspense!’
OK, OK, here they are!
02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02141, 02141, 02140, 02140, 02163, 02108, 02109, 02110, 02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116, 02118, 02119, 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02127, 02128, 02133, 02163, 02199, 02203, 02210, 02215, 02222, 02283, 02284, 02126, 02129, 02130, 02131, 02132, 02134, 02135, 02136, 02128, 02127, 02215, 02128, 02127, 02420, 02421, 02458, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02459, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02459, 02459, 02465, 02478, 02446, 02445, 02447, 02143, 02144, 02145, 01801, 01890, 02155, 02155, 02155, 02148, 01803, 01730, 01731, 01821, 01862, 01862, 01862, 01810, 01845, 01845, 01742, 01742, 01742, 01741, 01720, 01718, 01719, 01720, 01720, 01776, 01776, 01776, 01864, 01867, 01701, 01702, 01701, 01701, 01752, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02184, 02169, 02170, 02171, 02171, 02171, 02171,
02169, 02169, 02169, 02186, 02186, 02067

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• The Right Way And Wrong Way To Grout Wall Tile (1)
• Get Boston Area Tile Showers Regrouted! (0)
• Can Marble Showers Be Regrouted? (0)
• 4 Problems With Unsanded Grout And How To Avoid Them (1)

The short answer is yes; marble tiles can be successfully re-grouted and add years of life to the shower or bathtub shower. In the Boston area where we work, we’ve worked on hundreds of marble showers over the years.

There are a few special concerns, of course, but not too many, so let’s show what they are:

1. Normally tile installers use unsanded grout for marble installations, with fairly skinny grout joints, maybe 1/8 of an inch or less. This is the kind of grout that works well with regrouting – sanded grout with fat joints is much, much more difficult. If you’ve had a shower installed with much fatter joints and the grout feels rough and scratchy to the touch, that’s going to rule out regrouting, since there’s too much damage to the wall during the sanded grout removal process. If you’re not sure, don’t feel bad. It’s not always easy to tell one from the other.
2. Since most marble scratches fairly easily, the contractor doing the work has to be more careful to avoid having his tool slip and scratch the tile. Of course, you always want to be careful, but even more so with marble tile.
3. With most ceramic tile, the grout sealer we use after the process does little to help seal the tile itself, mostly the grout. But with marble, the stone itself is also porous, not just the grout. So the marble itself benefits from the sealer. This makes sealer application even more important than with a ceramic or porcelain tile shower.
4. When cleaning the marble shower, it’s important to use a cleaning product that has absolutely no acid in it. When we clean the tiles before grouting, we make sure the product we use is non acidic so no acid etching happens with the stone. Even with lots of sealer applied, marble still can etch if exposed to acid.

Those are the items that we think of when someone wants a marble shower regrouted.

Can it be done? Absolutely!

If you’re in the general Boston area and you’d like a price quote on the cost of regrouting a marble shower, all you need to do is fill out this handy dandy form below and we’ll instantly email you one immediately, so you don’t have to wait to get the pricing. If you’d like to move forward and get the work done, all you need to do is email us back and say so or you can just call us at 617-500-9271 and we’ll schedule it on the phone if you prefer.

Don’t worry – we’ll take very good care of your marble!

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• Why You Don’t Want Mastic In Your Tile Shower Unless You Want Tile Repair Bills! (0)
• What’s the Right Type of Caulk to Use for Showers? (0)
• The Right Way And Wrong Way To Grout Wall Tile (1)
• Get Boston Area Tile Showers Regrouted! (0)
• 4 Problems With Unsanded Grout And How To Avoid Them (1)

But there are times when it makes sense.  Sometimes the copper shower pan liner (the most common kind in the Boston and Eastern Massachusetts area) traps the moisture inside the cement under the floor and keeps oozing out either a moldy black stuff or a white deposit called efflorescence.  Now, it’s not fatal or not making the shower leak, but it’s ugly for sure.

For regrouting shower floors, we have to use power tools to cut the grout out and then we recommend epoxy grout to replace it. It’s best to keep to a similar color that was in the floor to start with (unless the terrible color choice is the whole reason for regrouting in the first place!)

The reason we prefer epoxy grout is that it’s much, much less porous than regular cement grout. It’s a tough material that makes the grout lines almost as waterproof as formica, since it’s chemically similar to plastic. It’s much stronger than cement grout. But mainly, it won’t allow as much or maybe even won’t allow any more water to go through the grout lines to saturate the deck mud cement below.

Plus, it’s much easier to clean. If you scrub it, it responds much better to the cleaning than cement grout.

More on what brands we’ve used and how we liked them later.