04-16-2020, 12:09 PM
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.
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.
