My tile installer prepped , installed and grouted my tile . They sponged the floor and bathtub 'skirt' , but didnt do the wall tile ( 3'x6' standard white subway style with 4' mosaic band )contacted them and have never returned , to get paid or finish . So i sponged off the wall tile area to get it caught up with rest of tile but cant get it completly 'shiny' . All the grout 'haze' is off, but its like the tile is almost stained or something by the grount being left so long .I dont want to try any cleaners because grout isnt sealed yet untill haze is off and final sponge etc ?

Oh and the type of grout is Polyblend Non-sanded Bright-white
#381

thanks for any help really need to get this finished
Chris

Try a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water solution first. Buy one of the white scrubber pads made for tile cleaning.
Apply the solution with a sponge and then scrub it with the white scrubber pad. Make sure you rinse the tile really well with clean water only after all the scrubbing is done.

If that does not work then you will have to go to one of the tile specific grout haze cleaners. Just make sure you read the manufacturers instructions and follow them to a T.

Thanks alot RC , ive been reading about the Vinegar but thought it might be past that. I will give it a try right away and see how it works , thanks again .

Chris

Worked great , a heck of alot of rubbing and sponging but alot better than before , that grout was really ingrained on the surface .

Now I need a timeline how to finish properly.

-Wall tiles are good , just need to seal grout
-Black granite tiles around tub and skirt im not happy with grout color , wanted as dark as possible still are wht/gry
-floor tile is looking good another sponge and should be good

Need white caulk around tub
Black grout in granite
Clear caulk for Schluter on tile base and around tub tile

So like with other construction practices work top down ?
white caulk tub first , black grout touch-up next ,clear caulk around baseboard , then seal to finish ?

thanks again

Chris

Top down, bottom up, doesn't really matter for what you have left to do.
I would do all your grouting and final clean-up before doing any caulking.
Be careful with that black grout as it will stain the white grout or anything else for that matter that it comes in contact with.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions on timelines for applying grout sealers. It usually can be anywhere from 24hrs to 72 hrs.

Do i have any other options to color the black grout , since it is already filled properly , or do i scrape out whats there and regrout (ugh) ?

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There may be some efloresence on the black grout. This can happen with black grout mixed with mineral rich water from a well. You could try wiping with vinegar or even muriatic acid as a last resort. There are grout coloring agents out there, though I have never tried any. If this was my place i'd be trying permanent marker in an inconspicuous spot.

Thanks pistol and Randall , i tried scraping/scratching the layer of white off the black grout areas and that worked pretty good , if i cant get it dark enough ill try the dye . Kinda really annoying that i cant get jet black grout , only charcoal is sold everywhere .

Depending on how painful the grout sealing will be i might be back for more advice, thanks again

Mapei makes a pure black grout (the charcoal is a brownish black) it's not normally special order, you may just have to try phoning around.

I found the Mapei black today ( thanks ) , unfortunatley have to buy a $ 20 bag for 10 tiles . Was curious if a waterbase paint would work then seal with grout seal . I not one for cutting corners or need to be cheap, but for the amount i need , it makes me crazy.

And about the grout seal , are they always just brushed on the grout lines , or is there something you can apply over entire surface ..? I have 3"x6" subway tile with mosaic band in the middle = way to many grout lines !!

And being just a soaker tub with hand shower/wand , not full shower should i do the floor as well ( thankfully 12"x24" ) ?

thanks again

for subway tiles I usually use a spray bottle and give the whole thing a soak. Let is absorb for about 10 minutes and then carefully buff out all excess. You can run into trouble if the sealer dries on the tile and you already know about the amount of work it is to get haze off. So do smaller areas at a time. Phone the manufacturer, they usually know best.

Sealer does not make things permanently water proof, so water based paint might still leach out over time. You could try a very dark wood stain (miniwax sells really small containers), worst case you re-grout in the future.

IMO grout should always be sealed simply because it keeps it looking nice longer, especially on the floor. for best results you should seal 3 times at 6 month intervals, after that the benefits of re-sealing are negligible.

Hey Pistol ,

I was hoping i might be able to do something like that ,and yes ill do small areas top to bottom , not gonna go through that again ! The skirt tile and floor are 12"x24" so ill just do the grout lines on there , about 80 sqr ft so not to bad .

As for the black grout , its basically just a bit hazy from all that white grout washing right above it i was doing . I scraped the top layer off and its back to charcoal , gonna just be happy about it seal er up and good to go heh

And seems like sound advice about the 3 times at 6 month intervals , give it time to soak in and wear a bit .

thanks again