the
washington
post
.thursday,
november
11,
2021DC
2
Homebatteries among tools. Grout-
cutting blades for oscillating tools
come with either carbide or
diamond grit and generally fit any
brand of tool. One nice feature:
The blades generally have one flat
edge, without grit, so you can cut
grout right up to the edge of an
adjoining surface without
damaging it. (DeWalt’s carbide
oscillating blade is $13.46 at
Home Depot.)
Clean the tile thoroughly
before you tackle grout removal,
and let everything dry. If you’re
working on tile above a bathtub
or countertop, tape on a
protective layer of plastic to
prevent scratches. Then, while
wearing eye protection (and ear
and breathing protection if you’re
using a motorized tool), remove
all the loose grout and as much
sound grout as you can — at least
to a depth of two-thirds. Brush
out the gaps and vacuum up the
debris.
The kind of grout you need
depends on the width between
tiles. Gaps narrower than^1 / 8 inch,
common on walls, need unsanded
grout. Wider gaps need sanded
grout, but check labels, because
grits vary to accommodate joints
of different widths. (Wider joints
need coarser sand.) Both sanded
and unsanded grouts are cement-
based or latex-modified products.
You’ll also find epoxy grout,
which is much trickier to apply
but resists stains and moisture
and thus might be a good choice
for regrouting a shower floor or
countertop. If you opt for epoxy,read the application instructions
carefully and consider choosing a
color that is close to matching
your tiles, so if you leave some
smears, they won’t be as
noticeable.
Prepare the grout as the
package recommends, and mist
the tiles with water if the
directions say to do so. For
cement-based or latex-modified
grouts, it’s safest to work on only
about three square feet at a time.
While wearing rubber gloves,
press a rubber grout float loaded
with grout against the wall or
floor, and work the grout into the
crevices by making passes in
different directions, including
diagonally. Wipe off the excess
with the edge of the float or with a
masonry sponge that you rinse
frequently and wring out well.
Immediately move on to
adjoining areas. When the whole
surface is grouted, wipe down
everything again with a clean,
damp sponge. Allow the grout to
dry until a haze covers the tiles,
then wipe down again. Once you
have let it cure as long as the
grout package recommends, wipe
off any remaining haze with a
clean, dry towel.
Apply a grout sealant to keep
water from penetrating and to
make your new grout easier to
keep clean. Have a problem in your home?
Send questions to
[email protected]. Put “How
To” in the subject line, tell us where
you live and try to include a photo.Editor:
Jenny Rogers
Deputy Editors:
Elizabeth Chang, Amy Joyce,
Mari-Jane Williams
Art Director:
Victoria Adams Fogg
Designer:
Twila Waddy
Photo Editor:
Annaliese Nurnberg
Staff Writers:
Helen Carefoot, Allyson Chiu, Jura
Koncius
Columnist:
Meghan Leahy
Email: l [email protected]
Telephone: 2 02-334-4409
Mail:
Local Living section,
The Washington Post, 1301 K St.
NW, Washington, D.C. 20071
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Ron Ulrich, 202-334-5 289
ON THE COVER
Illustration by Chanelle Nibbelink
for The Washington PostLOCAL LIVINGBY JEANNE HUBERQ: H ow do I repair grout on a
tiled wall or floor?
A: F irst, it’s important to
understand why the grout needs
to be repaired. If a patch of grout
in the middle of a dry floor
crumbles and breaks loose, the
floor might have flexed, and all
you need to do is scrape out the
loose parts, clean the area
thoroughly and fill it in with
matching grout or color-matched
caulk, which will stay slightly
flexible and might stay in place
better.
The other extreme is a
situation where sections of grout
on a shower wall have come out
and individual tiles are loose.
Those are signs that water
probably has gotten into the wall
behind the tile. Especially if the
surface behind the tile is a type of
drywall, repairing the grout is a
waste of time. You need to remove
the tile and start over, or you
could end up with rotting walls
and musty odors that don’t go
away.
Or maybe it’s something
between those extremes: The grout
is intact, but it’s hopelessly stained
and hairline cracks are beginning
to show. In that case, you should
scrape out the old grout and install
new. If you want to patch only a
small area, you might be able to
remove the old grout with a simple
tool called a grout saw, such as the
QEP handheld grout saw, which
comes with two blades (one steel,
one carbide) for $8.45 at Home
Depot. The idea is to start with the
steel blade, which is less likely to
scratch tile, then switch to the
carbide blade to clean deeper and
remove stubborn sections.
Scraping out grout by hand
minimizes the risk of damaging
tile.
If you have a lot of grout to
remove, though, you need to get a
tool with more power. It’s possible
to fit a reciprocating saw with a
grout-removal blade, such as the
Milwaukee grout rake ($13.99 at
Home Depot). But unless you’re
skilled in controlling the tool, it’s
easy to grind into tile. If you have
a rotary tool, often referred to by
the brand name Dremel, it will
also work if fitted with a grout-
removal bit.
But the best option for most
homeowners is an oscillating tool,
also known as a multi-tool, with a
blade designed for grout removal.
Ryobi’s 18-volt cordless model
with a battery and charger lists
for $144 at Home Depot, but if
you already have a battery for
another Ryobi tool, you can get
just the tool for $59. Most brands
offer similar deals for sharingWhen fixing grout, first find the source of damage
THE WASHINGTON POST ILLUSTRATION/ISTOCKHOW TOClean the tile
thoroughly before you
tackle grout removal,
and let everything dry.
If you’re working on tile
above a bathtub or
countertop, tape on a
protective layer of
plastic to prevent
scratches.