Help please+advice on tile grouting in new bathroom

[allthefives]

Hi all! As an ordinary customer (not professional tiler!) am I glad to have found this forum! Some advice please :- we are having new bathroom installed; it's almost finished, white tiles on floor and walls, except for one which is mosaic tiled. It's a kind of cross between a wet room and a walk-in shower; have a shower screen but not having a bath installed.

Anyway, shower part went in about two weeks ago and work proceeding round it. I am doing best to keep it clean bearing in mind that I am very pleased with it and work is still continuing as we are having upstairs and downstairs toilets done too.

The bathroom guy suggested using a squeegee for the floor and a shower spray to keep it nice. I have been using Lakeland daily Shower Cleaner and also Lakeland Scrub Free. however I've noticed that grouting is starting to get discoloured/slightly limescaled. I've tried Viakal and scrubbing with an old toothbrush without any joy, and was wondering about scrubbing grouting with neat bleach next but it seems too soon after installation to start with this.

Any advice please? Thanks so much.

 

[Alan.P]

As Above, grout needs 2 to 3 weeks to cure, if your using it before hand and / cleaning, chances are you have discoloured the grout, as for cleaning chances, depends on the extent, maybe a grout cleaner will work, maybe not, it might have to be a re-grout, I would be chasing the tiler for the costs for not informing you of the curing time in the first place.

 

[enduro]

This will cure your problem. Re-colours the grout and seals it, really easy to use. www.csigrout.com

 

[allthefives]

Morning. The grout was Mapei Ultracolor Plus in white. From website:-

"Ultracolor Plus can be applied to heavy duty areas, wet areas including power showers, timber substrates and under floor heating for joints between 2-20mm. "

I called a guy in the Technical Dept there in Birmingham who was puzzled and said that cleaning products shouldn't affect it, it is fine for purpose, and wouldn't need longer than usual curing or sealing.

About to give up. Maybe I have unrealistically high expectations?

Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 9966]

what colour has the grout actually turned? does it look more like a mushroom/beige/grey colour?

I had problems with ultracolor plus in white, but it was noticeable from the day after I grouted. I was told by Mapei that the pigments hadn't been mixed sufficiently (I hand mixed the grout, rather than used a mechanical whisk) and that's why I ended up with a patchy mushroom colour.

 

[allthefives]

Thanks GirlRacerRed! It is a bit mushroomy - well sort of generally a bit discoloured. Anyway our bathroom guy did some regrouting (not the whole lot) this morning and told me to be very careful what and how i clean it and suggested that I keep J cloths well away from it as he reckons that they 'bleed' colour into the grout a bit. So have put some cheap plain white microfibre cloths from Tesco.

Does my head in and I feel that I now know more (though not enough) about grouting than I did before. Feel like the Miss Marple of grouting - trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of 'why did the grouting go off colour'!:lol:

 

[White Room]

When say off colour, did it go a light grey

 

[jay]

was a waterproof membrane used during construction

 

[allthefives]

Morning and thanks for feedback.

I would say that the bits of discoloured grouting are greyish (sort of looking grubby). Don't know about waterproof membrane as the builder isn't here at the moment to ask. I feel that that problem is either the grouting material or the way it was applied.

 

[jay]

any chance of some pics to help

 

[allthefives]

Morning everyone. Latest news is that builder regrouted one tile late Friday afternoon (well away from shower and basin in unobtrusive area which stays dry) with a Dunlop grout - said he went into a tiling supplies he deals with and asked them for the most brilliant white grout. DH and I can't decide whether it is better or not.

And DH noticed on the existing grout (Mapei) that it goes greyer when wet, and whiter when it dries out. He wondered if it looks a bit greyer against brilliant white of tiles and bathroom fixtures (i.e. extractor fan, bathroom cabinet, towel rail). Is this normal for white grout. Going to ask DD to take photos of grout and put them up (too technical for us, lol!) a bit later.