water stain in 2 year old tile

[dpbj6]

I have been reading over this site for about 2 weeks now getting ready to start my first tile project. Great Site and has been alot of help but i have a question about my tile i have in my bathroom. When it was put in about 2 years ago we did not seal it with any kind of sealer. Now from getting in and out of the shower water has gotten on the grout, and it has darkend up a lot. But around the premeater of the room it is it natural color. is the any thing i can do to get it back to its natural color. or do i need to try to stain the rest of the grout and then seal it. i would like to get it back to its natural color if possable. Thanks for all you help

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[dpbj6]

I have been reading over this site for about 2 weeks now getting ready to start my first tile project. Great Site and has been alot of help but i have a question about my tile i have in my bathroom. When it was put in about 2 years ago we did not seal it with any kind of sealer. Now from getting in and out of the shower water has gotten on the grout, and it has darkend up a lot. But around the premeater of the room it is it natural color. is the any thing i can do to get it back to its natural color. or do i need to try to stain the rest of the grout and then seal it. i would like to get it back to its natural color if possable. Thanks for all you help

[doitright]

Hi DP, Welcome! :)

Sorry, I missed your first name. :shades:

Can you post a picture? :shades:

[dpbj6]

By the way my name is brandon sorry about the poor quality of pics

[dpbj6]

here are a few pics sorry about the quality

[Jaz]

Welcome dpbj6,

Please give us a first name 'cause I'm having a hard time pronouncing your nic. :D
Even sealed grout will get dirty. You should get a tile and grout cleaner at your local tile shop. Once cleaned, apply a couple coats of a good quality penetrating sealer. Many good brands, should set you back about $30/quart or a bit more.

Hard to tell for sure, but the grout looks worse in pic # 3 & 4. Is that near the shower or curb? Could be a leak thru the tile/wall and collecting on the subfloor then wicking up?

Jaz

[dpbj6]

my name is brandon

any ideas on how to get rid of the water stains.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Hi Brandon,
You missed what Jaz suggested. I'll give you some specific names to help even more. Go to this page in the TYW Store (http://www.stonetechstore.com/). Then under the "Cleaning Section" look at the product decriptions for KlenzAll and Restore. The KlenzAll is a highly alkaline product that will clean up the organic dirt, and the Restore is an acid cleaner that will clean up hard water deposits, soap scum....and nuetralize the effects of the alkaline cleaner. After this 2 step cleaning approach is taken, take a look into sealing the grout with something like Heavy Duty Stone Sealer. :)

[dpbj6]

thanks fo your help

will one of these products even out the color in my grout, or will i be better off trying to stain the rest of the grout to match and then seal it?

thanks brandon

[jadnashua]

If it is actually dirty, cleaning may restore it all to one color. If it is from accumulated moisture in the pan, then no amount of cleaning will change it. Does the amount lessen as you go away from the drain? Do you know if your weep holes in the drain are clogged? Did you do this yourself, or have someone else do it?

[dpbj6]

i had some one else do this. the pictures are not of a shower but of the floor in my bathroom. the grout got wet from stepping in and out of my shower. where it got wet, it is now a darker color.

[Jaz]

Brandon,

You have to clean the grout regardless of what you do after that. Once cleaned you will know the results. A slight variation from traffic pattern to edges is normal and usually not unsightly.

Once your are happy with the cleaned grout you will seal it. A penetrating sealer does not change the appearence, while a stone sealer/enhancer will darken it. Kinda like when it's wet.

You need to stop the source of water though, whether from the surface or from below.

Jaz

[jadnashua]

Again, if it is dirt, a good cleaning will probably restore it. It still could be moisture, which darkens the grout. You might have a leak. In an area where it is not darkened, lay a wet wash cloth on it for a half-hour or so, then compare the colors.

[Davestone]

Up at the top of the page is Stonetech, they have a couple products.One you can try a regular grout cleaner first,if that doesn't get good results you can use the acidic cleaner to slightly etch off the grungy layer of grout and get to the real color.

[doitright]

Hi Brandon :)

I'm with Dave on this one. After all that, it is possible that the grout may not lighten up (next to the shower). Be sure to give it plenty of time to dry. After it does, be sure to give it a good coat of sealer.