Part 2: Making Your Shower Look Like New

So, what are our choices?  Short of a total replacement (which we will cover in Part 3), there are some things that can be done to the existing grout to improve its appearance and durability.

Let's start with the condition of your grout.  First, examine the grout for separations, cracks or areas where it is missing completely.  If your grout has any of these serious flaws, then replacement and repair of the grout is necessary. Simply smearing new grout over the old will be ineffective, and what does cling will eventually wear off.  So that leaves us with removing the grout completely, or at least significantly reducing it's depth so we can add some new grout.

Now I'm not going to lie to you or try to conceal the truth of this job like some of our favorite home improvement TV shows do... the job of removing old grout stinks.  I'm serious... it is not fun at all! Thanks to technology, there are some new electronic gadgets that make this a little easier.  The Dremel Multimax (see this video), with the grout saw attachment, can speed up this process a lot!  The old grout hand saw... not so much.  

Try to remove or substantially reduce all of the grout in the entire shower.  If you don't, there is no guarantee that the new grout color and the old grout color will match each other (even whites can be different).  Once it is removed, you can install the new grout.  We will not cover grout installation here since there are some good videos on it (see this link).  During the removal process and re-grouting, make sure you have a blanket or towel protecting your tub or shower base and you should wear a dust mask for your protection.

It may also be necessary to remove all of the old caulking where the tub or shower base meet the tile.  There are excellent plastic tools for this at you home improvement stores that will not scratch your tile.  Replace the old caulk after you are done with the grout repairs.  I recommend pure silicone caulk for this application, but please understand that silicone caulk can be challenging to use and difficult to clean up (instructional link here)

Now let's say your grout is in good structural condition but is stained, then I suggest letting the shower dry out for several days.  If you have another shower, use that one for 3-5 days.  If not, hang light weight painter's plastic over the tile when the shower is in use, then roll it up while you are not using it so that it is exposed to the air.  After this drying period, use a strong cleanser on the grout like Aqua Mix HD Grout Cleaner, CLR, Tilex or similar products.  If you are able get it clean, let it sit for another 2-3 days without use and see if the stains return.

If the stains do not return and you like the way it looks, you are ready for the final step, sealing the grout.  This video (click here) shows how this process is done.  As you remember from Part 1, grout is very porous, not matter how well we clean it.  We want to seal the pores and pits in the grout so that future fungal growth is not possible and most importantly, so water cannot reach the tile backer.

If, after all of that effort, you were not happy with the way the grout looked after drying it and cleaning it, there are some newer experimental products like Aqua Mix's Grout Colorant (here).  These haven't been around long enough to test their longevity, but they may be a good way to revitalize your grout if it is structurally sound but aesthetically unpleasing.

Please know that sealing you grout will be an annual process.  Regular cleaning and use of the shower will where away the thin coating of sealant, requiring that you re-apply it.  Finally, if you aren't in the habit already, purchase a shower squeegee so that you may remove all of the water from the tile and grout after every shower.

Is your shower a complete mess and all of this sounds like way too much work just to have the same boring shower when you are done?  Join us for Part 3 on replacing your shower walls completely!