A couple weeks ago I read a post over at Our Vintage Home Love that gave me hope...
Hope that the grout in our kitchen floor could look clean and white once again! Oddly enough, Diana & her family suffered from the exact same problem we had- dirty, nasty, can't-ever-get-it-clean white grout in our kitchen and even though we want to, we are no where ready to take on removing and replacing this flooring yet.
Now, I am embarrassed to show you these grout photos from our kitchen but you have to see them to get an idea of what we were dealing with. Hopefully by sharing my experience it might help someone else out that is dealing with a grout nightmare too!
Now, I am embarrassed to show you these grout photos from our kitchen but you have to see them to get an idea of what we were dealing with. Hopefully by sharing my experience it might help someone else out that is dealing with a grout nightmare too!
Isn't is awful?!? Shock. Horror.
We don't know when or who installed the tile in our kitchen since it was like that when we bought the house. We tried every kind of product to get it clean or keep it clean and nothing worked, even when we tried to reseal it. Our only temporary solution was crawling around on the floor with bleach and a toothbrush to get it pretty clean and whitened up- Which also made our house smell like a hotel pool and burned our eyes. Gross...
Sadly, the bleach clean only last a week and then it got all crudded up again (is crudded a word?). It was so frustrating! We cleaned the floor all the time and because of the grout, it would always just look dirty.
When I read Diana's post, I could only hope that we would have the same success if we gave that Grout Refresh a try. Then last week when I found out my mom and a friend were coming to visit (which is usually when we'd reach for the bleach and a toothbrush for the grout) I ran to Menards instead and got a bottle of Mapei Grout Refresh for $10.98 and got to work.
Now, I too am a believer... It's a Miracle!!!!
I couldn't be happier with the results! Seriously, check out the before and after comparison...
I followed the directions and Diana's tips. Overall, it wasn't very hard to do, just kind of time consuming. I did our kitchen along with the mini-bathroom, back entryway space, hallway that all connect the tile flooring. It was true that you have to be careful not to get it on your tiles because it is hard to get it off. I ended up crawling around on the floor with a file chipping off excess dry white refresh, but at least it did come off.
At least for now, I don't have to feel embarrassed when we have guests over, it really did help a lot!
Now the question is, how long will it last until the next refresh?
Have you used Mapei Grout Refresh before? How long does it last?
Note: Just in case anyone wondered, nobody from Mapei contacted me or compensated me for this post. I just had to try it and had to share my recommendation! Love my floors now!
At least for now, I don't have to feel embarrassed when we have guests over, it really did help a lot!
Now the question is, how long will it last until the next refresh?
Have you used Mapei Grout Refresh before? How long does it last?
Note: Just in case anyone wondered, nobody from Mapei contacted me or compensated me for this post. I just had to try it and had to share my recommendation! Love my floors now!
I'm also interested in hearing how long this stuff lasts so let me know! How long did the process take as a whole?
ReplyDeleteWell I did it in 3 sections, each section was about 15 to 20 minutes applying, then you let it sit for 30 min, they spray it with water and wipe/scrub out excess. So I think I spent 3.5 hours total doing it all but I kind of took breaks and watched Real Housewives during it :)
DeleteCan you seal them now?
ReplyDeleteThe product is a colorant and sealer so it doesn't require the extra step according to the product facts, but like I said, we will see over time and I will be sure to follow up if I am not happy!
DeleteHow exactly does this work? Does it clean the grout? Or does it cover up the dirty old grout. We have almost white tile in our front entry way, with almost white grout. Sadly, most of the grout is a dark brown. It doesn't look too bad, (like the previous owners wanted darker grout than tile) until you notice the edges are white. Uck...It's gross.
ReplyDeleteIt is a colorant and sealer, so my understanding is that it soaks into the existing grout and reseals (but I could be wrong). Grout is porous and basically everything can soak into it over time, even the products you use to clean it. So I guess I don't look at it as covering up dirty grout because you have to clean it before applying the Grout Refresh and then it soaks in and seals it. Hope that helps, I had to do a bit of research to get all the facts together and I hope it is right :)
DeleteNice job Carla... I'm assuming you know that you should also seal the grout after cleaning, to help it stay stain/water resistant? After we tiled our shower, we were told to reseal it 1-2x a year. While it probably doesn't get the same amount of moisture, I would think it would help with keeping it cleaner. Bonnie
ReplyDeleteThe product is a colorant and sealer, so according to the instructions we do not need to seal but like I said, only time will tell and we will see what happens.
DeleteDoes the stuff come in colors other than white? Also, even tho you seal new grout, over the years it "disappears" and the grout begins to get dirty, changes color and becomes a thorn in your side. We put white grout in a MUDROOM of all things! First tile job we ever did. We got so sick of it being dirty, after a very short time, despite being sealed a few times, I got a tool and was going to scrape it all out and start over with a darker grout. Well, that lasted about 3 tiles. It's virtually impossible to get that stuff out. So I live with it, but this may be the ticket. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes, it comes in a lot of other colors. Check a Menards if you have one nearby, they had probably every color anyone would ever need! I am sure I will have to refresh it again, I will just have to see how long it lasts but this was way better than trying to clean it. We also tried to use a dremel tool and carve it all out and put gray-ish grout in. Alex did about 4ft of it and gave up. I'd really suggest trying it if you have the same problem that we did, it really looks nice now!
DeleteI had the same problem with my tile floors. I've used this product and it's great. After about 4 months, a few spots in the kitchen need a refresher, but I won't have to do the complete floor again. Glad you found it!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have an update? How does it work over time... does it stand up well to washing? So far, there's just the 4 months comment - anyone have it for longer, or other experiences?
ReplyDeleteHi! has been 4 months and it still looks nice, I haven't had to touch it up at all yet and it looks good still. I am happy with it, my grout still looks clean and white! I am thinking I might touch it up in a few spots before Christmas, but seriously, I am so happy that the Grout Refresh solved our ever annoying grout problem!
DeleteThe prior owner of our house used this or a similar product in one of our bathrooms; it looked great for perhaps 6mos.-1yr, but it's coming off badly now. Obviously, I can't speak to his techniques, etc. but from that, I think this is a decent short-term solution, but expect to have to redo it regularly.
ReplyDeleteyes, this stuff is amazing. We just used it on a year-old tile job in the kitchen that we hadn't sealed (silly homeowners). I was waiting until we finished the tile in the dining room- I didn't foresee that we'd wait an entire year to get back at it.
ReplyDeleteOurs was an off-white, light beige colour grout but by the time we got to sealing it, it was more brown (yuck). I'd tried different cleaning products to homemade concoctions. One homemade cleaner worked better than I ever would have imagined but then I would have had to scrub every grout line and then still have to go over all the grout again with the sealer using a toothbrush. Instead I just cleaned it with soap and water to take up any residue (saved me the detailed scrubbing) and went over it with a toothbrush and the grout refresh.
It worked perfectly and easy to see it is also a sealer. Once it dries you can see how it repels water vs. the non-sealed grout, that darkens and soaks up water. Since I've used the grout refresh, dirt and spills clean up without effort. I love this stuff.
Next up the white grout in our bathroom with dirt/grime from before we even bought this place. I can't wait to see the difference- nothing better than a sparkly, white floor in the bathroom.
For those looking, I found Mapei grout refresh at Rona in Canada.
Like any sealer, it will wear off over time but there is no alternative. If you have tile/grout it must be sealed and resealed. Either seal it up to begin with and do the maintenance as required OR use grout refresh/sealer to cover up & seal the stained grout and re-do the sealer as required.
I bought this product from Lowe's to redo the grout on my kitchen counters (ceramic 6" square ones). I tested an area and found that I first had to remove the all the sealant to make it stick. I removed the sealant with a small grinding tool on my Dremel. Took some time to do, but I feel it will be so worth it to make sure there is a good bond with the product. Mapae doesn't say anything about applying a sealant, so I guess I won't. It would be so much easier just to re-color.
ReplyDeleteI don't think ours were sealed at all, maybe that is why it applied more easily? We re-apply maybe every 3 months or so? It stays nice and white for quite a while, I am so thankful we found it!
DeleteWe just finished applying to all the tile in our condo and we just cannot believe the difference! It is like a new floor. Our tiles are an off-white and the grout originally white as well. It was sooooo dirty as our condo had been a rental unit and not taken care of very well. It really bummed me out, however this easy remedy has totally transformed the look. It still looks like grout, but spills wipe right up instead of soaking in. Will it last?? Big question. Hopefully, but if we have to touch it up, so be it. Definitely worth the $25 for two bottles. A little goes a long way, still have most of a second bottle left. Love, love, love the new clean look!
ReplyDeleteJust used this product on large white tiles that had stained white grout that could not clean up nicely. After scrubbing and cleaning the grout I wheeled around the floor on a chair with wheels applying this product. I used tin foil to put the pain on and a small sponge brush to apply but not as heavy as the directions state. I wiped up the spill to each tile with a blue work towel as rolled along. I found that a dry towel worked well and a wet one for stubborn spots. Hope it lasts as it is a lot of work but the results are fantastic. The grout looks new again! I am wondering if I use my steam floor cleaner if this stuff will come up. I like the steam cleaner as it leaves not streaking and cleans nicely. Anyone using one of these after using this product?
ReplyDelete