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

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• What’s the Right Type of Caulk to Use for Showers? (0)
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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)

We get calls from folks all over the Greater Boston area with concerns about leaking showers and bathtub surrounds. A typical homeowner has already called a plumber, but the plumber has not been able to find any leaks in the pipes. But they notice that some of the grout lines are cracked or missing. Can this cause the leaking? Will regrouting and recaulking solve this problem for sure?
Yes, and ….likely.
A lot of water can go through a grout line on a wall, enough to damage the backing material if it’s made of plaster, sheetrock, and even supposedly water resistant greenboard. While the water alone won’t damage any brand of cement board that I know of, cement board without waterproof coatings will allow water to pass through to other building materials, especially if it’s a lot of water. That’s not good for your house, especially wood that holds up the floor and walls.
When we regrout these tubs, it solves the entire problem most of the time. Almost no one calls us back to replace the entire shower and most report that the regrouting worked just fine.
But it’s also possible that the leaking is due to structural defects in the way the shower was built, which no amount of regrouting can even affect. So it’s not a surefire method, but it’s definitely a lot less money than replacing an entire bathtub shower, for sure! And it only takes one day to do the work.
If you’re concerned about leaks, why not just fill out this quote form and get your valid quote on regrouting your tub shower now? It’s fast and you have no obligation, but it may solve your problem for good. If you’d rather talk to a real person, give us a call at 617-500-9271.