Grout clean up

[slikt]

Hi Guys (and gals)

I have been asked to look at a job for a friend and basically the person who did the tiling and grouting did it disgustingly wrong, they have grouted what looks like a shovel and it is all over the tiles, I mean lumps, some of the tiles have no tiles showing, its just grout. Never ever seen anything like it. I've been asked to sort it, question is, how the hell do I clean them up, its more than a grout cleaning pad for sure?

Cheers

Sorry they are round the wrong way but you get the idea

 

[Tony73]

:yikes: that's bad, very bad

 

[slikt]

:yikes: that's bad, very bad

Yep you see what i'm up against lol

 

[CJ]

If thats wot I think it is (ready mixed grout) then you are going to have trouble taking it off.

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

wow diluted brick acid and scourer with ppi, :yikes: i have never seen any-grouting that bad

 

[barrytiler]

you were asked to look at this by a friend?

 

[John Benton]

I think it was grouted and he went to another job, forgetting to wash off the excess. :mad2:

 

[Del W]

:yikes::yikes::yikes:. Stanley scrapers,diluted acid,wood chisel ? What a mess. I think if you clean up the area in pic 3 the tiles wont be level. Good luck.

 

[DHTiling]

So.... why did your friend not ask you in the first place..

Just to say, it looks like that was done quite a long time ago..??

 

[EverDon Tiling]

it dose look like it was done ages ago Dave imo. You might get get away with a scraper to get it off and use a bit of rolled up sand paper for grout lines but i doubt it will ever look good.

 

[slikt]

So.... why did your friend not ask you in the first place..

Just to say, it looks like that was done quite a long time ago..??

He has just bought it to rent out, he doesn't have the cash to replace it all, so he called me in to try and rectify it. I did just think about scraping it off, but I know the tiles will end up being marked, just wasn't sure if there was 'another' way :mad2: I've done 100's of sqm of tiling but never in my life ever seen anything like this and its a first for me. . . hmmmmmmm

 

[slikt]

I think it was grouted and he went to another job, forgetting to wash off the excess. :mad2:

I think they must of used a rubber glove and just smeared it on lol

 

[slikt]

Yep and wished I hadn't now lol

 

[Olz]

Nip down to the local hire shop and get yourself one of these, it will get it off easily..........................................

 

[slikt]

Haha trust me, thats what I want to do, i'd rather rip it all out and start again. . lol

 

[slikt]

Just throwing a thought out there. . what about using a steamer, sounds crazy I know, but i have used one many times taking off wallpaper and it has always softened plaster and some cements, just wondering it might be worth a shot??

 

[wikey]

brick acid fairly strong , try it on a small area out of line of sight to start with

 

[AliGage]

Oh..........................................my..........................................................GOD!!!

Are you charging your "friend"? If you are surely you'd charge less to re-tile? Don't envy you!

I have a suggestion though. If it's just a rental and he needs it done "temp" so people can move in. Why not try a local plastics merchants that does hollow soffit. Glue it all over the top as a temporary measure. Cost in materials would work out about £3.50 to £4.50 per square metre.

Just a thought.

 

[slikt]

Oh..........................................my..........................................................GOD!!!

Are you charging your "friend"? If you are surely you'd charge less to re-tile? Don't envy you!

I have a suggestion though. If it's just a rental and he needs it done "temp" so people can move in. Why not try a local plastics merchants that does hollow soffit. Glue it all over the top as a temporary measure. Cost in materials would work out about £3.50 to £4.50 per square metre.

Just a thought.

Hmmmm.. . maybe worth a thought 🙂

 

[AliGage]

You can get some nice finishes on it nowadays as well. Cheap and smart enough for a rental job until the revenues there to give the whole room an upgrade.

 

[Stef]

As Del said. in pic 3, once that is cleaned up you are going to end up with a major lip on those tiles, i reckon you could be close to 8/10mm.
Probably the thickness of the tile next to it.

Good luck.

 

[prceramics]

think i would walk away from that one friend or no friend 🙁

did he pay for that job ?

 

[Straightline]

For the labour costs involved in 'trying' to rectify that lot with no guarantee it will ever look right it might be worth putting together a quote to re-tile over ?

 

[DHTiling]

He has just bought it to rent out, he doesn't have the cash to replace it all, so he called me in to try and rectify it. I did just think about scraping it off, but I know the tiles will end up being marked, just wasn't sure if there was 'another' way :mad2: I've done 100's of sqm of tiling but never in my life ever seen anything like this and its a first for me. . . hmmmmmmm

It would be 10000% cheaper to knock em off and re-tile..

 

[White Room]

For the labour costs involved in 'trying' to rectify that lot with no guarantee it will ever look right it might be worth putting together a quote to re-tile over ?

looking at the state of the tiling I'd be concerned how well it was fixed...

 

[Turkish tiler]

Lithofin MN Power-Clean should do the job

 

[kilty55]

lol hes either upset his tiler or hes tried to do it himself either way its a rip out.

 

[Muse2k8]

Surely if he can buy a property to rent out he can afford to take the hit to have it retiled? Even if it means that the first months rent will be sacrificed to do it.

 

[qualitywork]

I think David and Goliath could have done a better job with a slingshot !!!!

 

[AJPlumbing]

So.... why did your friend not ask you in the first place.. Just to say, it looks like that was done quite a long time ago..??

Exactly!

 

[prceramics]

Surly cilit bang will clean that up a treat