I had a few outside projects that should have been completed over the weekend, but the weather didn’t want to cooperate. Although I have several projects to complete inside, I started trying to clean the grout in my powder room AGAIN. I’m not sure what the heck happened to the grout, but I’ve been at war with this grout for many, many, many months..maybe years. The looming question was, how can I get rid of ugly grout????
The grout and I have daily stare downs and several weekly battles involving Clorox, CLR, baking soda and peroxide, and a slew of other things in my cleaning product arsenal. In the end, the yucky discolored grout would always win, while I would retreat and plan for another attack. This time, I was going to win. Even if I had to hack my way through all the tile on the floor, I was getting rid of that grout by any means necessary.
Something told me to check Pinterest to see what the rest of the world does to clean grout and TAH-DAH, the skies parted and I was shown the light….GROUT RENEW. Yeah, that’s a real product. I knooooooooow!!!!! I ran to Home Depot for a bottle and then I suited up for battle.
This stuff is basically grout paint. That’s right….PAINT!!!!! You find a color you like and start painting. Poof, new grout! The directions tell you to apply a small bead in the middle of the grout line and work it in with a toothbrush. Ummmmm….no. That didn’t work out for me at all. First, there is no way to apply a small bead with the bottle it comes in. Second, you spend so much time wiping off the excess and you end up having to reapply the paint to the grout over and over.
I tried some of those pointy q-tips and that didn’t work out. Then, I got one of my small paint brushes that I use for my fingernails and it worked perfectly. I poured the Grout Renew on a Styrofoam plate and started painting. It took about two hours from start to finish and was worth every second.
I could hear my ugly, brownish, yucky grout screaming for mercy! Goodbye, ugly grout! Good riddance!
Here is the finished floor! Looks clean, fresh and updated and it only cost about $10 in Grout Renew. You’ll find there are several colors to choose from to suit your project. Next time you are stuck in the house on a rainy day, tackle your ugly grout!
I just discovered this product and I am absolutely itching to try it out! We have dark orange grout in the hall bath and mauve in my huge kitchen. I am not about to take up this tile, either. I love how your project turned out. What colour grout renew did you use? They have Antique White at our local Home Depot….Lord, *anything* is better than what’s on our floors now. Thanks for sharing!
It is the best product EVER! I used Alabaster for this project and it still looks great. LOL, you’re right…any color is better than the original. Just go for it! You can certainly test a small area and if you don’t like it, exchange for another color. It’s really good stuff. This project takes some patience, but it’s absolutely worth it! Good luck!
OMG! I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY THIS!
When I do I will post before and after
Ty
I would love to see it!!!!
yours look great
I am going white
I also just discovered product. I have never liked grout color. So i’m Using this product, my son does tile installation and told me about tile sponge. Game changer it’s made to leave grout and wipe off excess perfect for this job.
Awesome post! Did you seal the grout after painting? Thanks!
Thanks for checking out my post! I didn’t seal it and it’s been a couple of years since. Everything still looks good. I still have the bottle just in case I need to do some touch-up.
Looks awesome! I didn’t even know this was a thing! I read you didn’t seal it but what do you use to clean it? TIA!
Thanks, Marisa! I was so excited to find this stuff because I was about to rip up that floor completely. So, I still haven’t sealed it and I clean with Pinesol, Fabuloso or Simply Green….whatever cleaning product is closest that day, LOL. I figured Clorox or anything abrasive would be bad. Believe me, I thought my whole post was TIA :))) but maybe someone else was fighting the same battle and needed a solution. Thanks for checking out my post!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was just about to paint my tiles (I actually think mine are the same as yours!) when I came across your blog. This product is INSANE! I did my countertops, my floor and my shower tiles!!!! I don’t have to move!!!!! I keep going into the bathrooms to admire my work. It was EASY, no fumes, and literally transformed my spaces. It also doesn’t take very much so I have a lot of left over product. Thank you for posting and the fun read!
You’re so very welcome, Denise!!! I’m glad I could save you the trouble of moving because I made the same consideration. LOL!!!! I still go in that bathroom to inspect the grout just because I was so traumatized by it for all those months. I keep thinking the yucky grout is going to sneak up on me in the middle of the night. Luckily , it still looks great. I’ve been meaning to try it out in my showers, so you’ve inspired me to get to it. Thanks for checking out my blog and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. 🙂
I have a steam mop. Would that grout paint hold up to steam mopping the floors?
Hi Dottie! Thanks for checking out my blog. This product is pretty durable and it’s been probably 3-4 years since I painted my floor. So far, it’s holding up great with me just wet cleaning it with non-abrasive products like Pine Sol, Simple Green and Fabuloso. The only issue I can see using a steam mop would be it wearing down the paint more quickly. In that case, you could just reapply it every year or so. You’ll have plenty left to reapply if needed and it would probably be just a few minor touch-ups.
Thanks for the tip. I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for checking out my blog! You’re going to love the final results!
I used it on my grouted dark slate foyer floor. Actually combined the gray with the black and got a perfect match. (And this house is 45 years old.) Then used a slate/stone enhancer—2 coats. It looks amazing.
WOW! I never thought about mixing the colors to find a perfect match. I bet it looks great for a fraction of the cost of a new floor. Thanks so much for commenting! 🙂
I started doing my bathroom floor with Grout Renew snow white. The actual product is a lot whiter than I expected, and my husband does not like it.
Is there anything I can do? I don’t want to have to buy another bottle. Can I add paint to the product? Or paint the grout afterwards? Help!
Hi Joanne! You can go and exchange the bottle for a different color. That happened to me and Home Depot had no problem exchanging it. Try Alabaster…it’s not a bright white.
I have been painting grout with latex floor paint long before this product came to market.
My grout now stays as clean and stain free as the tile!
Good to know!!!
Ms. Krescent, I am an old 61 year old flipper. An Old Dog just learned a new trick. It works !!! Women think differently, and men need it. Thank you. Popps.
Well hello there, Popps!!!! 🙂 I bet you have a lot of tricks of the trade you could share. Glad I could be of help, even though I only thought of it because I had no clue about replacing tile. So, I needed a way to make it pretty…that’s what it’s all about. You’re right about us women, we are pretty amazing. LOL!!!
Just curious, did you do anything special to clean the tiles before you applied the Grout Renew?
No, nothing special. Just a quick wipe with some Fabuloso.
Thanks
I can’t wait to do it. Please tell me what product to use to seal it because it is on my shower walls.
The product is a paint and sealer in one, so it should be fine. Don’t use a solvent based cleaner…stick to water based. Good luck!!!
Just a note, you can also buy a couple different shades and then mix your own perfect colour. This is what I’ve done.
What a great idea!!! You can really customize it to your needs. Thanks for posting that.
I can’t wait to try this product. Our tile is the same color as yours (in your pictures above). I see that you posted a picture of the bottle showing “Snow White”… is that the color you used? In comments, you mentioned alabaster, but picture shows Snow White. I just wanted to double check, since yours turned out so nice. Thank you so much for your post!
Thank you, Rachelle!!! I appreciate you taking time to read the post. 🙂 You’re going to love the new clean look after you use Grout Renew. It’s Snow White just in case you didn’t see my earlier response.
I can’t wait to try this product. Did you use Alabaster or Snow White on the tile in your pictures? I see your picture of a bottle of Snow White.
You are going to love this product! I used Snow White….alabaster was a little to dingy looking for me. I wanted white white white grout. LOL!
It’s paint guys! I tried it. Looks good after doing the floor, but soon turns ugly. It wears off quickly. You can’t clean it. It’s not a long term fix. It’s a waste of time, energy, knee pain and money. Do it the right way . Regrout and seal is the solution. With tile and grout, there are no shortcuts.
The paint works perfectly for a quick fix. I think I mentioned not having the money to redo the grout or tile in my post. I’ve cleaned this floor for the last 4 years and it’s held up fine, so I wouldn’t say it was a waste of time, energy, knee pain or money. It’s a perfect solution for some, but you feel free to do what works for you. Personally, I’m not spending a bunch of money on regrouting tile that I don’t even like so a shortcut is exactly what was needed.
So glad that I stumbled upon this post! I’m getting my house ready to list for sale and I have UGLY bathroom grout. I’m going for it and trying a darkish grey.
Thanks for the info in all the above comments!
I’m glad you found the post, too! I’m going to try dark gray or black in my bathroom this month. Keep me posted!!!!