Cleaning grout from tile surfaces
 

Huge wrote:

I'm presently grouting the tiles in our bathroom, and I'm having trouble
cleaning the grout off the tile surface.

The tiles are 33cmx33cm 'Peronda' with a glazed surface, made to look
like mosaic, with the tessarae about 1.5 cm square. I'm using a made-up
powdered grout recommended by the tile supplier, with a flexibility
additive (which looks and smells like PVA). The grout is great stuff,
sticks well and so on.

I'm applying it with a rubber faced grouting float, then scraping the
excess off with the edge of the float, then cleaning the surface of the
tiles with a sponge after the grout has gone off slightly.

The only problem is that this leaves a film of grout on the tile surface
which seems to be very hard to remove. It sets long before the grout
in the tile grooves, so sponging it off doesn't work, and when it dries,
the tiles (which are the colour of vanilla ice cream) have a thin film
of dried grout over the surface.

I can clean it off with a nylon pan scourer, but it's bloody hard work and
there's square metres and metres of this stuff.

What am I doing wrong?

I would guess it is the additive that is bonding the film to the
tiles... perhaps you should use less.

Last lot I did, I found that if I did what you describe (i.e. squeegy
most of with the rubber faced float, then sponge), leave it for a day or
so and the remaining residue wiped clean off with a bit of kitchen roll.

What happens if you try a bit without the additive?

--
Cheers,

John.

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"Huge" wrote in message
...
John Rumm writes:
Huge wrote:

I'm presently grouting the tiles in our bathroom, and I'm having trouble
cleaning the grout off the tile surface.

[20 lines snipped]

What am I doing wrong?

I would guess it is the additive that is bonding the film to the
tiles... perhaps you should use less.

Last lot I did, I found that if I did what you describe (i.e. squeegy
most of with the rubber faced float, then sponge), leave it for a day or
so and the remaining residue wiped clean off with a bit of kitchen roll.

What happens if you try a bit without the additive?

Dunno.

But SWMBO is bashing away with the pan scourer as I type this and they're
coming up quite well, so perhaps I'll just let her get on with it!


Had this problem in our shower, just leave to soak/wett for an hour or two
or longer (keep on wetting, washing up liquid in water aids the wetting) and
just wipes off using nylon pan scourer.

On 19 Jan 2005 14:03:13 GMT, (Huge) wrote:

John Rumm writes:
Huge wrote:

I'm presently grouting the tiles in our bathroom, and I'm having trouble
cleaning the grout off the tile surface.

[20 lines snipped]

What am I doing wrong?

I would guess it is the additive that is bonding the film to the
tiles... perhaps you should use less.

Last lot I did, I found that if I did what you describe (i.e. squeegy
most of with the rubber faced float, then sponge), leave it for a day or
so and the remaining residue wiped clean off with a bit of kitchen roll.

What happens if you try a bit without the additive?

Dunno.

But SWMBO is bashing away with the pan scourer as I type this and they're
coming up quite well, so perhaps I'll just let her get on with it!



You could try using a plastic pan scourer together with a random
orbital sander if you have one, set on low speed, again with wetting
of the scourer. I did this on the last set of tiles I fitted to
good effect.




--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Huge wrote:

The only problem is that this leaves a film of grout on the tile surface
which seems to be very hard to remove. It sets long before the grout
in the tile grooves, so sponging it off doesn't work, and when it dries,
the tiles (which are the colour of vanilla ice cream) have a thin film
of dried grout over the surface.

I can clean it off with a nylon pan scourer, but it's bloody hard work and
there's square metres and metres of this stuff.


If all else fails you can get grout remover solution:

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/P...ProductID=1814


--
David Clark

$message_body_include ="PLES RING IF AN RNSR IS REQIRD"

Use a "Golden Fleece" and water, much faster than a nylon scourer.
Wrapped around a block of wood as required.

Regards
Capitol

Huge wrote:
I'm presently grouting the tiles in our bathroom, and I'm having trouble
cleaning the grout off the tile surface.

The tiles are 33cmx33cm 'Peronda' with a glazed surface, made to look
like mosaic, with the tessarae about 1.5 cm square. I'm using a made-up
powdered grout recommended by the tile supplier, with a flexibility
additive (which looks and smells like PVA). The grout is great stuff,
sticks well and so on.

I'm applying it with a rubber faced grouting float, then scraping the
excess off with the edge of the float, then cleaning the surface of the
tiles with a sponge after the grout has gone off slightly.

The only problem is that this leaves a film of grout on the tile surface
which seems to be very hard to remove. It sets long before the grout
in the tile grooves, so sponging it off doesn't work, and when it dries,
the tiles (which are the colour of vanilla ice cream) have a thin film
of dried grout over the surface.

I can clean it off with a nylon pan scourer, but it's bloody hard work and
there's square metres and metres of this stuff.

What am I doing wrong?


Go to a tile shop used by "pros" they have 2 strengths of grout
film/adhesive remover. These work well for me in difficult situations.
Mind you they aren't cheap and you have to be careful as they can be
acid based.