Might be a bit of an odd question...as I have seen posts asking how to "lighten" grout...but mine is how do I "darken" it slightly...as we have found that after the grout has been applied and dried over the last day or so it has seemed to dry lighter than we expected. I bought some Tilelab sealer and dabbed some where the stove is to be placed,,but have found it to dry clear and made no difference....any suggestions ? Should I use a different sealer ? A shade or 2 darker would be great...as we are somewhat dissapointed in the "shade" of the grout. The grout is the Polyblend brand from Home Depot.

Hi
If you switch to Stone Enhancer sealer, it will leave the joint the same colour as it is when it's wet. OR you could use a grout colorant..but the enhancer sealer works really well.

Hi Brian,
Thanks...whew !..this sounds like we have an option then. The Stone Enhancer sealer..is this made by Tilelabs as well ?..and if not where would I purchase this, Home Depot ? Much appreaciated, Thx

Yup..Home Depot has it. Don't forget to try it in a hidden area first(like a closet) to see if it gives you the look you are after.

I bought some of this on Brian's suggestion and tried this and , yes...it does seem to "darken" the grout nicely...but after some additional research..the lightness may be from what I understand could possible be hard water mineral deposits or efflorescence. If so, was there a way to prevemt this ? Also...what should I do to remove it...Sulfamic Acid Cleaner was suggested on the Tilelab web site...any luck with this product or suggestions for something else...? It seems that in one area the grout has dried to a satisfactory colour and I will assume now that this is what I could get if I maybe clean it properly. Any suggestions on what I did wrong and what I could do to correct it would be great. Thanks

Hi
Yes the sulfamic acid crystals will clean up any efflorescence..and it's a somewhat safe acid, since you really can't make it too strong..it will only disolve to a certain strength.
Efflorescence has been a problem ever since they started adding polymers and latex to the grouts(not to mention the zillion different colours they make now). All the "stuff" they add to grout now days can rise to the surface of the joint...sometimes because of the amount of water used during mixing, or during clean up, or..it goes on and on. It happens to everybody. If you want to try the acid wash, that would be great..but you should still seal the joints afterwards.