Thought I’d pass on two options for reviving grout in ceramic tile flooring. 2 people and 3 active dogs definitely “challenge” our pale grout color.
1) Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (or any of those “foam eraser” scrubbers). All you probably need is water. Scrub the grout lines, rinsing the “eraser” often and wiping up as you go. You will likely need a couple (they disintegrate as you scrub). This works great if it’s mostly surface, ground in dirt, but won’t really help with stains. I did this every 6 months or so.
2) Grout colorant. I spent several hours today applying/gently scrubbing “Grout Renew” into our grout lines. First, you have to clean the grout really well. “Grout Renew” is one brand, made by Custom Building Products and sold at many tile stores and Home Depot (but not Lowes). Since we updated our carpet from grubby grey to warm and speckled creamy beige, I changed our grout color slightly, but still chose a color that blended well with our tile. Many of these colorants are also sealants so they protect the grout from staining ( ^.^d yay!)
After testing the color in an inconspicuous area to make sure I liked it, I applied the colorant with a toothbrush (to be discarded after ;)) and since we have glazed tile I didn’t worry too much about “staying in the lines”. I did the lines around 2 to 3 tiles at a time, then went back with a paper towel and carefully scrubbed the excess off the tile after it had “skinned over”.
You can’t do this with unglazed or stone tile, unfortunately, it will stain the tile. The Grout Renew product is fairly forgiving otherwise, it’s almost like latex paint. There are other brands that are more challenging to work with but are likely more durable. How much to buy? I think I used about 5 capfuls total so you won’t need more than one bottle. We also bought some sanded grout caulk in the same color to caulk the perimeter. I’ll let Steve do that since I’m the world’s worst caulker (even after reading everyone’s great tips).
I recommend knee pads (thanks Steve!), taking the occasional break, and only doing this if you’re not all that concerned about your manicure. Sorry there are no project photos, but I forgot to take them (more like the up-close “before” look of the grout was not something I really wanted to share ) Michelle 2003 U320
Having tiled and grouted a million sq ft in my life I can tell you to still put on a few coats of sealer on top of the colorant. Custom products are good but the amount of sealer in it is very small. There is NO alternative to doing this and it will keep the grout clean and the color will stay. 2 coats every year are needed and it will always look new. John Haygarth 2000 U295 36′