Grout dark when wet

[KingsCup]

To clean up some old cracked grout, I mixed a batch of new grout that I thought to be the same colour and laid the grout down. Looks great. I let it completely dry out and the colour of the new matches the old quite well.

Until I turn the shower on - the new grout goes dark, so that the new stuff stands out completely different from the old. No problem, obviously I need to add a sealer. Well, about twenty layers later, the new grout is still going dark when its wet. Both sealers I've tried are Aquamix, the most recent is Sealer's Choice 15 Gold. If forget the name of the first. At this piont I'm more or less ready to give up, but am worried that if the grout is going dark now, then it will only get worse (and mouldy?) over time.

What did I do wrong? (not that the gf is going to let me ever fix tiles myself again :shake: )

Thanks, John

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[Davestone]

Since the grout was cracked to begin with,i wonder if that particular spot is gettin water underneath that is turning it dark? Tell us the particulars,or post a pic if you can. :)

[KingsCup]

I'll take some photos later this afternoon. Interesting idea about the water coming up from below? Although not particularly heartwarming
That would mean having to do it all agan, right? :twitch:

My other thoughts were that maybe there was still sealer on the old grout so that left a water path between the old grout and the new layer on top. Also there seems to be some kind of difference in the grain size of the new grout. Both old and new grout are sanded, but somehow the grout I've put down looks significantly less smooth than the old grout, so I was wondering if maybe somehow I mixed the new batch incorrectly so that I've left big pore spaces.

John

[Davestone]

You may not have wiped it enough to smooth it good, or the other grout may have lost some of it's top coat of sand.Water always penetrates shower floor tile, and goes into the mud below...now if there is a preslope under the pan, the water tends to constantly drain, but if there is none,it tends to remain damp, and causes the tile and grout to remain damp. :)

[KingsCup]

Wet and Dry. Sure looks like I need more sealer, eh?

Thanks for any advice, regards, John

[doitright]

Hi John :)

Apply more sealer. :nod:

[KingsCup]

Applied the first $7 bottle of grout sealant (TileLab) a little while back. I liked it better than the AquaMix as it seemed more viscous, more inclined to stay over the grout so maybe more likely to soak into the right places. I let it soak for 15 minutes then wiped up the excess and let it partially dry. I gave it half-hour and have now just applied a second bottle. This second application also sank into the grout (evidenced by change of colour, etc).

I'm starting to panic.. My backup plan is to crack open the $92 jug of the same sealant. But before I do so, I guess the fundamental question is that if I keep applying ten, twenty, whatever, coats of sealant, will this finally stop water penetrating the grout??

Should I wait 12 hrs or so for this second coat to really dry before I add more or is it better for the multiple coats to be added in short succession?

Thanks, John

[doitright]

Hi John :)

Tile Lab products have a low solids content. Therefore, may require several coats. I suggest waiting overnight between coats.