The Best Method to Re-Grout Tiles and Bathtub...Say No To Silicone!
91I live in a 100 year old 5 floor walk -up apartment in Brooklyn NY. I have a feeling my landlord doesn't pay the handyman very well because when something goes wrong I have to wait all day for the guy to show and then he does, he does such a god-awful job, it would make you cry and laugh at the same time. So I had to figure out the best way to do my own repairs. Here is a 5 step quick fix with great tips.
Don't use Silicon Caulk Guns!!
I find that using silicon just doesn't last long, is messy for a beginner, has an AWFUL smell and no matter what the label says, it gets moldy and is much harder to remove and repair than just using this simple tile grout with acrylic latex in it. You can find it at any hardware store. The latex in it gives it some flexibility and makes it water-proof after it cures. It doesn't have a smell. Another great reason to use this instead of a silicon gun, is that this product is very forgiving. You can start messy and clean it to pristine smoothness as I will show you now.
Ingredients
Another great tip!
Yup, a spoonula! This costs very little, you can find it at any cooking shop or supermarket and is fantastic for this job because it gives you control when you smooth the grout in place. When this one I used for cooking broke, I stored it in my tool cabinet until this job came up. You see above that I used my painter's small spatula but you can use any small spatula for this job.
How to Hold The Spoonula
 | Amazon Price: $6.66 List Price: $12.99 |
Does your tub look like this?
Step 1
We're gonna have to scape off all the old stuff. You will need the screwdriver and the knife to do this.
First, take the knife and cut into the grout/silicon from above at an angle the whole length and then cut from below the whole length.
Then use the Screwdriver to break up the rest and get the pieces out of the cracks.
Clean away all the nasty bits!
If you still see mold, clean it up with whatever household cleaner you usually use for cleaning tub and tile. Make sure area is nice and dry and looking clean like the photo below before you begin step 2!
Your tub should look like this now
Step 2
Holding the spoonula as shown before, scoop a bit of grout and start pressing, mushing and squishing the grout into the gaps. Don't be dainty, but try to focus in on the gaps! The mess will come up easily, I will show you later.
Focused squishing
Now your tub should look like this
As you can see, step 2 is the messy step, don't fret about it! Step 3 we begin to smooth it out. This really is as fun and easy as it looks but read all these steps before you begin!. OK, on to Step 3.
Step 3
Very important to observe the correct way to hold the spoonula again. This is what will begin to create a nice bead that you will smooth out later. In the photo, I use the very tip of spoonula and calmly swoop down. Not too slow, not too fast. The spoonula will do the work if you placed it correctly over the filled gap.
The excess grout, I scrape back into tub as seen below.
Now it should look like this
Step 4
Take your small spatula and scrape the excess grout from the sides as seen in the photo. Then wet sponge, squeeze out excess water and with the scrubby side of sponge sort of sand off whatever excess remains.
Last step!!!
Step 5 is the last step. Keeping your sponge nice and damp (not wet), press in with fingers as shown in photo and swipe across smoothly with even pressure. Rinse out the sponge well before each swipe.
Finished!! Smooth and Lovely!
Keep it dry for a full 24 hours!
Well that's it, it took me about 2 hours to complete. I really hope this freed you from waiting for the super to show up! If you have any questions feel free to drop a note!
| Amazon Price: $6.66 List Price: $12.99 |
CommentsLoading...
Hey WildIris! I'm so happy my hub may inspire you to give it a try. The caulk I show in my hub (make sure its the one with latex in it) is very forgiving. If you make a mistake, you can rub it right off. That Silicon stuff is nasty! Let me know if you actually do it, that way I can amend this Hub with your feedback if you find I could improve instructions etc..!
the fix~ I am slow, but I will make a point to get back to you when I do the project. Peace!
Thank the Lord I rent.
Great hub
Interesting. I have been researching this online. My question: is this product too rigid and will it therefore be prone to cracking, just as the original grout appears to have done??
Great question. The reason it was cracked to begin with is because I let my idiot Super do it the first time and he used inferior grout that I do not think was even waterproof. Yes, Silicone will not crack, but it will start to separate from the wall and get disgusting. The tile grout that I used in this project has an acrylic latex formula in it to make it somewhat more flexible and water resistant than other grouts. Eventually it will crack, nothing lasts forever. However, I have found this method I illustrate here lasts longer, is easier to use and easier to redo when the times comes. I think I did this project about 5 months ago and it still looks great.
Some people swear by silicone but not me, I can't get the hang of it and it turns out to be a stinky, sticky mess that doesn't last and isn't worth the trouble. The grout I have listed here is super cheap too.
Good Luck with your project Beth!
OK, I did it! I want to say that your directions and photo support were spot on and very easy to follow. The only tricky part was the white on white - alittle hard to see. Now, a couple weeks later, a crack has appeared, mostly along the top between the grout and the tile. I put this down to the gap being big at 3/16, some movement when the tub is full, and perhaps some caulk left on the underside of the tile where it is hard to scrape away. I think I will use the silicone to fill it in. what do you think?
Cool! I am so happy my instructions worked! OK you may have a crack because like you said, the gap was very large. Also, sometimes if your sponge is too wet, you may wipe off too much and/or compromise the grout.
So, you can simply add another swipe of the same grout to fill it.(use your finger to avoid using too much grout. Also make sure that you overlap a bit of the grout from tub gap to tile as seen in picture 18 (yeah, sorry for white on white, it is hard to see it). In other words don't wipe all of the grout-it's a mistake I made when I first was getting the hang of this.
OR you certainly can use silicone to give it an extra layer. If you have never used silicone then beware!! It is really tricky but there are all kinds of tips online about how to use the caulk gun etc. **I would try to give it the extra layer of grout as I have indicated before going to silicone.If you don't think it is enough, then read up all you can before buying the silicone. Hope this helps. But if you do end up using a layer of silicone let me know how it goes!
So, does grout stick to grout? I guess you are saying that it does. If so, then sure, I will give that a try. My hesitation to use silicone is also that when it turns black, as it will at some point, it is a project to get off.
Also, the name of your webpage is kind of misleading as it says "re-caulk" tiles instead of re-grout. I point this out as I spent a bit of time trying to find a "re-grout" website; it took me awhile to find this one!
Thanks for the tip, you are so right! I will change the title...
Yes it should stick fine, just use your finger for an easy touch up. But remember it has to dry or "cure" for 24 hours before you use tub.And yeah the silicone turns black and that black is mold! If you have stubborn mold and it starts to show through grout after a few months. Just touch it up again. Because grout sticks to grout you can eventually just cut out a section of the grout and clean area well with Clorox again and then re-grout that area again without having to do entire tub. I sure hope you have success with this!
Yes, I like the re-name. I did re-grout and it looks great. I'm sold. I'm sticking with the grout. Thanks for the advice! It's worked like a charm.
Awesome! I am so happy! Now just keep it sparkling white by cleaning with Clorox Cleanup Spray and a nice sponge when it starts to turn yellow or moldy. Don't use abrasive bristle brushes on it, they will wear it down too quickly. And just touch it up again with more grout if it starts to crack or look bad!
Cheers!
masking tape or painters tape in line with your desired grout line will eliminate a good deal of the clean-up (both sides of desired grout line, a bit of a pain, but makes for real quick cleanup) Gord
Two tips:
1. Applying silicone caulk is easiest squeezing a line of caulk in and along the gap. Then, dip your index finger in rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) and run it along the caulk line (clip that nail first!). Wipe off excess silicone on a paper towel, and repeat until done. Never fails.
2. Whether you end up re-grouting or re-caulking; fill the tub way with water to weigh it down before you start. It will limit your access somewhat - unless you don't mind getting wet, but it will avoid cracks the first time you fill the tub after everything dried. Leave the water in the tub for the full 24 hrs or whatever drying time your product requires.
WildIris 2 years ago
This a job I've been avoiding for years. You are right about the silicon caulk molding. Your pictures make it look easy, easy enough for me to consider pulling out that old silicon caulk and putting in the tile grout. Thanks for posting this Hub.