The Grout on this tiled floor in the bathroom of a property near Gipsy Hill SE19 was as you can see from the photo below in a bit of state. Originally White the colour of the grout had darkened to black in numerous areas and was bringing down the appearance of what was a lovely bathroom.
The floor tiles were Travertine effect Ceramic or Porcelain and as you would expect with tiles of this nature in very good condition. Ceramic and Porcelain tiles are not porous and so very easy to maintain, however what tends to happen is the dirt is washed off the tiles straight into the adjacent grout line where due to the rough nature of the grout it gets stuck.
My renovation plan for tackling dirty grout is to start with a strong grout cleaner like Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and if the staining is still evident apply a Grout Colourant. I discussed this plan with owner of the property who were happy that one way or another the problem was about to be resolved.
Cleaning a Natural Black Ceramic Tiled Bathroom Floor
The first step in renovating this floor was to tackle the grout which was clearly the biggest issue with this floor. This work started by applying a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean along the grout lines and then waiting for about ten minutes before scrubbing it in with a wire brush. I also used a 6-inch Black scrubbing pad fitted to a hand-held polisher to clean the tiles which as mentioned earlier only needed a light clean. The floor was then rinsed with water and then dried with a wet vacuum to remove the excess water and slurry from the cleaning.
The grout responded well to the treatment but unfortunately the staining was simply too deeply seated to make it look new again so I decided to adopt plan B and apply a White Grout Colourant. These colourants have the added advantage of sealing in the grout and are very easy to clean.
The grout was force dried and then once I was happy it was dry enough, I started the process of applying the grout colourant to the grout lines. Grout Colouring is a straightforward and involves using a small brush to paint the colourant onto the grout and then wiping the excess off the tile as you go. We find a wet wipe works well for this. Two coats of Grout Colourant were applied.
Whilst that was drying, I stripped out the silicone sealant around the edges of the bathroom and replaced with new. This last step really finished off the transformation and it would have been obvious if I had missed it.
Once finished the floor looked like a new installation and the Grout Colourant should keep it looking that way for many years to come.
Tile Doctor Grout Colourants are available in 11 popular colours and work by forming a waterproof barrier over the grout sealing it in and making it much easier to keep clean.