Grout is no fun. The word even sounds unhappy. And the bright white stuff shows Every. Little. Blemish. It’s porous, hard to get to, easily stains—the list goes on. But fret not, here we have it: some helpful tips to make your least favorite chore a little more bearable.

While it’s essential to thoroughly clean bathroom tile grout to prevent the build up of dirt and grime, it’s equally important to maintain the lifespan of your tile grout by minimising use of harsh chemicals.

Harsh chemicals aren’t always the first step to keeping a clean bathroom, sometimes these products may, in fact, damage your grout – and the fumes aren’t too pleasant for the family and pets either.

So, start off simple and work your way up with these five easy and practical tips for cleaning mould from your bathroom tiles and grout.

What Color Grout To Use With White Tile

Using coloured tiles can be a little daunting for some so if you want to err on the side of caution why not add a burst of colour through your grout choice instead? We look at ways in which coloured grout can complement your tiling whilst making a statement.

In simple terms, a coordinating grout (one that almost matches your tile colour) will help create a seamless and blended approach and is most commonly used in country, classic and muted interior schemes. A contrasting grout, a colour opposite to your chosen tile colour, will emphasise the edges of your tiles and sometimes create a more modern and graphic finish.

Grout colour is a great way to change the feel of your tile choice, perhaps you love a crackle tile but don’t want it to look too old fashioned next to your streamlined kitchen units. Or maybe you’ve chosen a modern subway tile and want to give it more of a rustic edge. Using a coloured grout is also a great way to inject the latest interior trends into your space without dedicating a huge portion of your budget to something you might want to change in a couple of years’ time.

White Subway Tile With Black Grout

Black grout can be seen in modern farmhouse bathrooms everywhere. The contrast dark black grout creates next to white subway tile is absolutely stunning and considerably elevates the look of plain white tile.

As we planned our master bathroom renovation, going with black grout and white subway tile for our shower was a no-brainer, but now, after living with it for over a year, I have some regrets.

Black grout is timeless. Whether you choose to pair it with white tile or black, you can be sure that it will never go out of style.

To me, going with black grout next to inexpensive subway tile helps make the space look “richer.” The subway tile we chose for our shiplap bathroom renovation was incredibly cheap, and in my opinion, pairing it with anything but a darker shade of grout would have just made it look too plain.

The contrast black grout lends itself to when paired next to white works perfectly; especially if you’re going for a modern farmhouse look.

Some may think going with a darker like black helps to hide dirt, but keep reading my friends–we have found this to not hold true!

What Is The Best Grout On The Market?

Tile is tough stuff and can look great for years or decades after installation. Grout, on the other hand, doesn’t always perform as well. It can stain, discolor, crack or erode. In the worst cases, it allows water to enter walls or floors, which leads to much bigger problems. Bottom line: Your choice of grout is at least as important as your tile selection. Learn these grouting tips and tricks to make your grout job last.

Home centers carry high-quality grout, but they don’t make choosing it easy. Luckily, Dean Sorem, our tile expert, has tried all the options and offers clear recommendations based on decades of experience. Here’s what you’ll find at home centers and flooring suppliers:

Ready-to-use grout

All the formulas in this category let you skip the messy mixing process, and some offer excellent durability and stain resistance. But they can be tricky to use. Some harden very fast; you need to work quickly so they don’t harden on the tile before you can wipe them off. And Dean has found that they can stain porcelain tile that has a matte finish.

Best grout choice: Top-quality cement grout

The three products shown here are superior formulations of traditional cement grout. Dean considers them the best choice for DIY projects and for most of his own jobs. Here’s what makes them stand out:

• The particles, or “aggregate,” in the powder are much smaller. That makes the grout less porous and more stain resistant. Dean has tried to stain these products and found that every stain—even red wine—disappeared with a little detergent and light scrubbing.
• There’s no need to seal the grout. Stain resistance is essentially built in.
• Unlike standard cement grout, there aren’t “sanded” and “unsanded” versions. The same product can be used on walls and floors, with narrow and wide grout joints.
• This type of grout achieves better color consistency, with very little blotchiness, even with dark-colored grouts.

Dean has one warning about these grouts: They harden fast—not as quick as epoxy or some of the premixed products, but faster than standard grout. To avoid hardened residue on the tile, mix up smaller batches, have your sponges and water buckets ready to go and don’t delay the wipe-off phase of the job.

Removing Grout From Tile Surface.

for either wall or floor tile, dries very quickly and can be a very frustrating and time consuming job to remove but don’t despair! A very popular question that we receive here at DIY Doctor is: I have left the grout on my tiles for too long and now it’s hard. How can I remove it?

There are essentially only three things that can be done to remove the hardened grout from your wall or floor tiles:

• Scrape, scratch and rub the Grout off the tiles
• Dissolve the grout (without affecting the tile)
• Replace the tile(s) if you can’t get the hardened grout off

You shouldn’t need to get to the last alternative but you will probably have a long and frustrating job ahead of you. In practice, to remove the grout from your tiles you will have to use a combination of both scraping, rubbing, and dissolving the grout.

Grout takes time to become fully hardened, so the quicker that you can get to the better. The main ingredient of most grouts is Portland Cement so it will set very hard indeed. Avoid the temptation to chip it off quickly; this is likely to result in damage to the tile.

What Is The Best Adhesive For Pool Tiles

When it comes to swimming pool tile installation, using a high-quality pool grout is equally if not more important than your adhesive.

As well as the threat posed by chlorine, detergents can also directly affect the longevity of your grout. That’s why our pool tile grouts are all engineered to have strong chemical-resistance, helping you build a durable, long-lasting swimming pool. 

The smart solutions in our range of swimming pool grouts also work to combat high humidity, erosion from water movement (to which grout at the waterline is particularly exposed), as well as chemical damage cause by vigorous, deep cleansing procedures.  

When Bostik pool tile adhesive and grout is used, your pool will be watertight and will maintain the utmost levels of adhesion and flexibility.

Best Grout For Shower Floor

The following reviews will help you select a grout for your shower that will perform to your expectations. We’ve looked at some of the best tile grouts the market has to offer and provided you our overview. This is what we like best or least. You can get started on your shower remodel by choosing the best shower your tile work needs, without having to deal with loose shower tile later on.

How To Remove Mortar From Stone Tile

Maybe the tile project had to be halted in a hurry to care for the little things that get in the way of big projects. Maybe the project got away from you and the mortar has stuck to your otherwise pristine tiled surface. No matter the reason, removing dried mortar from slate tiles isn’t a difficult task to complete. Depending on the time it has had to dry and the area of the job, there are a few ways to remove dried mortar and let those slate tiles shine.

First Line of Defense

If you don’t have a large area or the mortar is just a few hours or days old, there are many ways to wipe away the dried mortar in a small amount of time. A cloth can be used to rub away the dried mortar, but that can add up to hours of tedious work. A Dremel rotary tool with different sized bits can get into the crevices without damaging the surface of the tile or cracking it due to pressure from the tool. If you use a Dremel tool, be careful around the edges. A 1/16 or 1/8-inch carbide rasp or diamond-coated blades are preferred over the wheels to expedite the removal and lessen the probability of scratching or cracking the surface of the slate tile. The bit can wear down the sides if they are exposed or are not sealed. If the mortar is relatively fresh, less than a week old, a razor blade can whisk away dried mortar in a few simple swipes.

Serious Mortar Removal Tools

When the job of removing dried mortar seems more involved, there are a few tools you should consider using. A wire brush can be used to scrub away dried mortar from the area, but that can take quite some time if you do it by hand. A wire brush attachment for a hand drill cuts the time in half and gives the slate a clean surface in no time. Simply attach the wire brush bit to the end of the drill, clamp it down and remove the mortar gone from the surface and any nooks and crannies that can be problematic when using handheld tools.