removing a grout colorant & sealer

[tstex]

Hello to all,

When we moved into our current house in Sept 2008, we hired a contractor to paint the inside and the out. What we did not notice until later was that he had also applied a grout sealer/colorant. What he used was Customs "Polyblend Grout Renew" [an all-in-one colorant and sealer].

Since 2008, we mistakenly applied it 2 more times bc it stained. We had a COIT come out and steam clean the grout, but they only removed about 5-10% of the colorant/sealer, so this is why we applied it again.

Bottom-line, we want it all removed and back down to only the polyblend grout. Can someone pls provide a product and process on how to best remove this? We have about 1200sqft, but good news, the ceramic tile are 19.5".

Finally, once this is all removed, what do you recommend to seal the grout, or nothing at all. The natural color of the grout [in a hall closet] is off-white.

If you need any pictures, pls let me know?

Thank you very much in advance.

[MAPEI - Technical Service]

Tom,

You might have luck using either a sealer and coating stripper, or some sort of paint stripper. Most of these colorants are epoxy modified coatings and can be pretty tenacious. Pay careful attention to the dwell times on the cleaner/stripper you choose to go with, as this will make all the difference.

[tstex]

Thank you very much Holden, appreciate it.

When you state “dwell time”, are you referring to how long product stays in grout line b4 it dries? Most of the instructions state applying colorant removal material for x mins, but do not let it dry. If so, reapply it and to do sm areas at a time.

Is there any particular tool (wire brush [toothbrush size], sm towels, etc), that you best recommend to remove colorant?

Thanks again !

[MAPEI - Technical Service]

Tom, yes that is exactly what I meant. They may not specifically call it "dwell time" in the instructions, but the amount of time the cleaner/stripper is left on the surface before scrubbing away.

Wire brushes can damage the glaze on the tile, I would stick with synthetic non-metallic bristle brushes and nylon scrub pads. They also have scrub pad and brush attachments you can use with a drill to give you a little more scrubbing power.

[tstex]

Perfect Holden. Thank you very much.

I’ll post back on some b4’s & afters.

[tstex]

Holden,

I am trying to locate Customs Aqua-Mix Sealer and Coating Remover, but not having any luck on in-store purchases...We used Customs Grout Sealer and Colorant so I called them. They said their "dwell" time is 1 hr bc it's designed to stay down longer. Do you know of any other product that can possibly do the job?

Thank you very much

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Hi Tom,

Off white, porous grout is hard to maintain. It will always slowly darken over time with use because cleaning efforts can’t remove 100% of the dirt/staining liquids that get into the surface like you can with hard, non-porous surfaces. Once a colorant is put on the porous grout, it is easier to maintain due to the reduction in porosity.

Strip the colorant? The real world reality is that colorant is very difficult, if not impossible to remove 100%. The stuff bonds exceptionally well to the rough and porous grout. But, even if you could strip it, you’ll be facing porous grout (harder to clean than the surface of the colorant that you couldn’t keep clean) with old dirty stains on it. How is this better? What’s the motivation to strip the colorant?

Would you be able to share a close up pic or two of what you’ve got? We may have another option for you.

[tstex]

Thank you tool guy.

When i arrive hm later today, i will take some pics. Thanks for your feedback Also, are there any commercial grade devices that i could rent in trying to remove colorant?

[Tool Guy - Kg]

There’s always a way to do something. Seeing what you have is necessary. I look forward to the photos.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

You still there, Tom? Gotta pic?

[tstex]

Thank you and my apologies for going native.

I will take pics today and post them. When you have ALL daughters and in college, there’s a lot of moving and other…boy, I’m getting payback :-(

Thanks again
Tom

[tstex]

Tool guy,

I’m trying to upload 3-4 pics. Every time i select the paperclip, chose the file, then hit “upload”, it states safari cannot upload bc network connection was lost.
I’ve done this 3 diff times.

Any suggestions?

[cx]

Tom, you need to use that paper-clip icon to upload photos from storage on your computer.

[tstex]

Thank you CX.

I was uploading them from my cell phone stored pictures. I’ll email to my computer and then try from there in the morning. Thanks again for your help.

[tstex]

Let’s see if these post: