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+-- Thread: grout problems / need advice (/showthread.php?tid=7354596)
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grout problems / need advice - mlincoln - 04-16-2020
Hello, we're having a problem and I need some advice, please. Had a bathroom redone. We used a well-recommended contractor and his crew seemed to do a good job except for the grout. We wanted black and they did white instead. When we raised the issue, the fellow apologized and had his crew take out the white and do black. Looked much better after that. He told us to wait a couple days before using the shower. We did.
When we took the first shower, the grout started running like mascara. As the water hit it, black stuff ran off and down the white tiles. My wife cleaned it up with paper towels and we took some pictures.
We contacted the contractor and he contacted the place he'd purchased the grout from and the tile place said it is a bad batch of grout. He said that applying a sealer would fix the problem and said he'd do so. I do not know if he applied a sealer before, but to my understanding that's a standard part of the job.
I went up and looked things over and rubbed my finger along the grout lines. When I do, my finger comes away with a dark smudge on it.
We paid a lot for this bathroom (small bathroom, new CI tub, granite counter top, tile on floor and in shower, new vanity and fixtures, $22,000) and I am worried about the long term durability of a sealer. The walls are in 6"X4" tile, but the floor is in a basket-weave pattern that to my thinking makes applying sealer very difficult. I have no idea how he's going to apply sealer under the vanity with its newly installed granite counter top. Doing so would require ripping off the granite counter top and ripping up the walls to get the vanity out of the way and apply the sealer.
So, is a sealer going to stop the running and provide a durable surface that can stand up to cleaning and use and that will give me 20-30 years of performance? We clean the bathroom with the usual cleaners, and I'm worried that a weekly cleaning would strip off the sealer in a few years. I'm also worried about the long-term stability of the tiled floor and walls if the grout fails. What do you suggest going forward?
Thank you for any information you can provide.
RE: grout problems / need advice - stav - 04-16-2020
I think I would push to have it all redone. It doesn't sound like there was enough of the of the stuff that binds the sand together in the grout mix. I'm no expert but I don't see how the sealer will fix that problem.
You might want to contact another tile/grout store and explain what happened and see what they say as a second opinion on the grout.
RE: grout problems / need advice - Phil Thien - 04-16-2020
Huh.
Did they replace the grout, or dye it?
Me thinks they dyed it.
RE: grout problems / need advice - mlincoln - 04-16-2020
Regarding replace or dye, I think they replaced it. The walls were done in white, that's what we complained about, and then redone in black. I saw them with the little grout saws working away on the walls, but I did not closely supervise the work due to corona virus. A neighbor who is a contractor asked the same thing about the dye. I have found a spot or two where when I rub with my thumb, my thumb comes away black and a bit gritty. If I then rub my finger on my thumb I feel the grit of the grout.
that worries me.
RE: grout problems / need advice - Phil Thien - 04-16-2020
Well if you wash an area with a sponge and water and let it dry, does it then transfer less grit and less color to your thumb? Maybe it just needs another ckeaning or two? Black grout would seem to be prone to highlighting shedding.
Also, find that tiling forum and ask there. Someone will be along momentarily to remind what it is.
I'm guessing you're gonna be okay, that the problem will diminish in time and after cleanings.
RE: grout problems / need advice - Roly - 04-16-2020
(04-16-2020, 12:40 PM)Phil Thien Wrote: Well if you wash an area with a sponge and water and let it dry, does it then transfer less grit and less color to your thumb? Maybe it just needs another ckeaning or two? Black grout would seem to be prone to highlighting shedding.
Also, find that tiling forum and ask there. Someone will be along momentarily to remind what it is.
I'm guessing you're gonna be okay, that the problem will diminish in time and after cleanings.
Tile forum https://www.johnbridge.com/, then go to forums ,advice, they are the experts and will answer your concerns. Roly
RE: grout problems / need advice - mlincoln - 04-16-2020
(04-16-2020, 01:01 PM)Roly Wrote: Tile forum https://www.johnbridge.com/, then go to forums ,advice, they are the experts and will answer your concerns. Roly
Thank you so much for the advice. I would ask that you guys keep replying as you seem to be quite a knowledgeable bunch, and I will ask over there as well. Cheers.
RE: grout problems / need advice - joe1086 - 04-16-2020
(04-16-2020, 01:01 PM)Roly Wrote: Tile forum https://www.johnbridge.com/, then go to forums ,advice, they are the experts and will answer your concerns. Roly
That's the place to go. They always have 500 or more users logged on at a time, many of them professionals who should answer your question fairly quickly.
Good luck....
RE: grout problems / need advice - brnhornt - 04-16-2020
(04-16-2020, 01:29 PM)joe1086 Wrote: That's the place to go. They always have 500 or more users logged on at a time, many of them professionals who should answer your question fairly quickly.
Good luck....
+1 on the John Bridge forum! Good luck...I'm going to look for and follow your post over there because I'm curious.
RE: grout problems / need advice - brnhornt - 04-16-2020
Here's a more direct link if'n ya need it:
https://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1