want to dye grout

[mpanelli]

I tiled my kitchen and dinning room 2 years ago with ceramic tile then grouted and sealed it with Miracle 511. The grout has always been to light for my liking and now I have decided to dye it a darker color. I have a few questions before starting.
What should I use to strip the sealer?
What is the best cleaner to use after the sealer is stripped?
At the risk of opening up a can of worms....what is the best product to use to dye the grout?
As always thanks for the help.
Mark

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[Davestone]

To strip the sealer you need to know what the manuf. of the sealer recommends.Any commercial cleaner preferrably an acid baced to open the face of the grout,like sure clean i would think,then rinse well.I've never stained grout myself,so i don't know how.

[CSIguy]

I changed the color of my grout with a colorant (it stains and paints) the grout the color I wanted. Didn't have to strip the old color at all, just the sealant. It goes on like a paint in the color you want but looks like a stain. Anyone else try this? I got it from a local independent store but it states "color fast industries" on the bottle.

[lou432]

Mark, I`ve done only a handfull of these colorant jobs ,but this is what I used each time . http://www.installerstore.com/product.php?productid=1769&cat=35&page=1


It was great to work with & the results were fantastic. Just follow the directions , that is once you clean & strip the sealant off the grout to be colored.

Good Luck!

[tileman2000]

I've used the same colorant as Louis,with the same good results.You'll need scrubbing pads because once the colorant is applied,you let it sit for a few minutes and scrub the excess colorant off of the tile.Read the directions carefully,don't remember exactly how long you have to wait before scrubbing.

[Davestone]

I finally figured out how to get input in the resto forum....i say i don't know how and everybody chimes in. :clap1: :yeah:Yes, the stains and colorants generally work well, the Dirtygrout forum has good tips on this. :tup2:

[lou432]

Yea Dave, us little minnows that can`t retain as much info as you ,and most of the big fish round here. So we are eager to jump in & impress :yeah:

[Davestone]

Retain? Hah, i spend most of my time lookin things up. :shrug: :yeah:

[mpanelli]

Thanks for the input.
Davestone, Where is the "dirtygrout" forum?

[HotinOKC]

I had issues with my first tile job (my entryway) years ago. I bought some colorant from groutdye.com

It's been a few years and the grout is perfect to this day.

It's not a dye, it's just the name of the company and the colorant is made fresh to order.

[az]

http://www.dirtygrout.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/grout-colorsealing-59.html

I would recommend having the floor professionally cleaned first. If not, clean it as best you can and hit it with acid cleaner (available most anywhere). Then rinse the floor very well, and let dry. "Paint" the grout lines with a color sealer applicator, the easiest one has a toothbrush tip. I like to do about two linear feet and then wipe the tile edges before it dries using the corner of my thumb and a wet rag. It dries quickly so get a feel for it before getting too far.

I hate color sealing personally. It should only be done on grout that cannot be restored professionally or looks very discolored from age. Once you color seal it, there's no going back. The sealer eventually wears off and must be touched up. The more you touch up, the more it looks "paisty" and painted. Also, if you do not clean properly before applying it, it will easily peel off.

good luck.

az

[claycarson]

I like color sealer. It's true it's not forever, but it lasts a long, long time and solves problems like yours. And makes the grout more cleanable.

Most every brand I've used works well.

I'd go for it. But it does take hours and hours on yer knees to do a kitchen floor. Longer than grouting the floor, for sure.

I agree, the Dirty Grout Board is the awesomest place to learn details on the stuff. I refer them here for tile knowledge. Kinda goes together...

[az]

"This old Grout" is the brand I use. Local boys, good company, great product. I used to color seal a lot, don't do it anymore unless the grout is beyond repair.

az

[mpanelli]

Thanks for the help. I spent a few hours looking ay the dirtygrout site. Wow, between that site and this one I may never make it to work!

In your opinion is this something I can do myself with good results?

[claycarson]

Mark, yeah, you can do it yourself. We'll talk you through it. Or the Dirty grout boys can....(I'm one of them, too!)

This Old Grout is good stuff.

But! One important caveat!

Is the surface of your tile rough and scratchy, or smooth? Maybe even a bit slippery?

We turn down jobs on tile that are rough and scratchy. WE love jobs on slippery tile.

Which do you got???

[mpanelli]

I have the "slippery" kind. :yummy:

Yeah I would think that the rougher the tile the harder it would be to do a good job..