This One Tile Hack Will Help Revitalize Your Bathroom
Does your bathroom feel dingy? One way to bring new life to your bathroom is to regrout your tiles. Instead of spending money on redesigning your entire bathroom, regrouting the tile with a new grout color can make a huge difference. Grout gets dirty after time, and no matter how much you clean it, it will never look as good as when it was brand new. For example, white grout will eventually look gray after years of wear and tear, especially if it wasn't properly sealed. You can make the space feel new without having to do expensive renovations by regrouting.
Regrouting the tiles will benefit your bathroom other than aesthetically. When old grout cracks, it allows water to run into other parts of your bathroom, according to Shower Sealed. This can lead to mold growth in the walls of your shower and floors in your bathroom. Regrouting the tiles in your bathroom will give you the opportunity to brighten up the space with clean white grout or a bold pop of color.
Remove old grout
The first step to grouting the tile in your bathroom is to remove the old grout. To do that, Tile Bar explains that you will need to use a utility knife or chisel to hit the old grout lightly. Just be careful to avoid hitting the tiles themselves. Once all the old grout is removed, clean the area and apply a pre-grouting sealer. You can purchase grout premixed or mix it yourself. Using a float, apply the grout to the gaps in between the tiles, pressing it in. When all the grout lines are full, use the float to remove any excess grout from the surface.
After 10 to 15 minutes, the grout will be set, and you can clean off the tiles. Use a damp sponge to wipe down the tiles. Then you will need to wait about a day for the grout to be completely dry. Applying caulk to the gaps between tiles is an important step in waterproofing the area. The last step in updating the grout is to apply a grout sealer so it will stay looking new for longer.
Use epoxy grout
Choosing which type of grout to use can be difficult. The most common types of grout used are sanded cement grout, unsanded cement grout, epoxy grout, and furan resin grout. The Tile Doctor recommends using epoxy grout to regrout a bathroom because it will make the process easier. If you use epoxy grout, you don't need to remove all of the old grout. Instead, you only need to remove 2 millimeters off the top of the old grout.
Although, before choosing to use epoxy grout, you need to know what type of tile you have in your bathroom. If you have porous or unglazed tiles that aren't sealed, epoxy grout can stain them, according to The Balance Small Business. There's no need to worry if you have these types of tiles already in your bathroom; before applying your new grout, you will have to do an extra step. This step is applying a tile sealant to keep them safe from the grout.