Reasons Why You Should Re Grout As Opposed to Re Tile Your Bathroom
Before you decide to go about tearing the tiles off your bathroom wall, you might want to think about merely re-grouting the present tiles to take your washroom back to perfect condition!
Everybody knows precisely what we are referring to – once the grout in between the bathroom tiles begins to turn dark and smell. It might be ugly, be pungent and even cause significant water ingress resulting in considerable damage and even resulting in you being a lot poorer. During the eight years I have been a tiler, mouldy grout and weak silicone may be the primary root cause of major leakages and water damages to apartments directly below.
Once the grout inside your shower area or around your bath becomes mouldy and dark coloured, fractures will develop and start letting water through to the plasterboard behind, which can subsequently soak it up like a sponge creating even more damage, and this could start costing you a great deal more of your hard earned cash. This may go undetected for a long time should you not be aware of tell-tale signals and odours, by which time it’s too far gone and the downstairs ceiling has collapsed! I’ve come across it so frequently and I think the majority of people A – will not understand just how much damage may result and B – will not appreciate just how straightforward it is to repair. These are the two reasons why I’m going to demonstrate the correct way to address the problem. It cannot just help you save money but totally transform your mucky, stinky bathroom back to the way it was all those years back.
I think many people squander a pile of cash on completely re-tiling the areas involved. However re-grouting is often a economical D.I.Y. solution to overcome the issue making your bathroom easier on the eyes and nose. There are various reasons why re-grouting can be a popular alternative to re-tiling, including price, time frames, and also the time frame the shower will be out of use whilst works are being carried out.
The re-grouting procedure is straightforward, takes a couple of hours, makes it 100 % leak-proof and helps make your bathroom appear completely new again, all for less than £100. Sounds good? Well in this post we’ll be looking at precisely how to undertake this project as well as the advantages it offers along with the reason why employing a qualified professional might in fact help you save money in the long term.
Tools Required
All can be purchased through your nearby DIY shop
- grout float
- waterproof anti mould grout for showers and wet rooms
- mixing tub
- mixing knife or mixing attachment to drill
- Bosch 180e multi cutter with grout cutter attachment
- tiling sponge
- anti mould silicone (if sealant looks black and mouldy)
- grout spray sealant from the good tile store
- gloves
- dust mask
- goggles
- silicone (anti mould)
- silicone gun
- masking tape
Re-Grouting the tiling work
Get rid of the old and add some new!
Before starting work you need to wear your dust mask, gloves and goggles. Safe practice at work is important!
1. To get started you need to begin by fixing your grout removal blade to a ‘bosch’ or ‘dremel’ multi-cutter and gradually slice up every one of the damaged grout lines slicing away the grout up until you can easily see the initial colour once again, or if you decide you can actually eliminate all of affected grout back to the plasterboard according to seriousness of problem.
2. Wash down all of the dust coming from the cutting ensuring you get the sponge directly into the grout lines eliminating all the dust and dirt since the grout won’t hold fast if left.
3. Mix up the grout adhering to manufacturers recommendations. Utilizing your mixing knife scoop some grout onto the end or edge of the grout float and begin working in diagonal sweeps pressing the grout directly into the lines covering each line several times to make certain it has loaded the entire depth of line. Not filling up the entire depth may result in cracking not to mention water ingress.
4. Leave for 10-15 minutes according to manufacturers’ recommendations, after that wipe down with rough side of the grout sponge alternatively you can run a finger down the lines making it very smooth.
5. Leave it to dry out for 24 hours, just before completing using a transparent spray sealant which will make it 100% water resistant for many years.
Renewing your silicone sealant around bath or shower
1. Get rid of all old silicone by using a Stanley blade to eliminate the main lines after that a single blade to clean out the remainder. In my opinion I have discovered this for being the most effective way to clear out old silicone.
2. Work with Masking tape to cover the top and bottom of where the fresh lines are likely to go.
3. First cut-off the top of the silicone tube, affix nozzle, determine the thickness the bead has to be and slice a 45 degree angle on the nozzle.
4. Secure the gun with a 45 degree angle whilst gradually pressing the trigger and edge down the lines stopping the gun at any time when needed. This alone is very challenging however the masking tape prevents the bead from going all over the place.
5. Take away the masking tape and lick your finger. Ensuring it’s completely wet, work your finger slowly and gradually down silicone line, stopping and re-licking should any silicone begins sticking to your finger. This will leave a nice sleek water-tight seal.
Why to get a professional plumber or tiler
Many reasons exist why you ought to find a professional to handle the task. To begin with, the expense because they will certainly already have all of the tools necessary to do the job, which can help you save over £100 easily. Second, purely the fact they have in all probability carried out the very same job 100s of times and will usually guarantee the work they do, offering you the reassurance that no downstairs neighbour will likely be rapping at your doorstep yelling about their ceiling leaking water. The professional’s expertise furthermore will leave the job with a top quality finish. Convenience is another main reason. Employing a plumber or tiler enables you to take it easy as there are no necessity for you to add yet another demanding task to an already hectic schedule, since the plumber or tiler will provide you with a precise deadline to when the job will likely be finished. Though working with grout appears moderately straightforward, it is usually difficult knowing the best time to wipe down the grout once placing it, perhaps leaving behind undesirable grout on the face of the tiles indefinitely.
Now you know the fundamentals to re-grouting, you might want to check out your very own bathroom and figure out if you believe you have the self-belief to tackle the task. Or, have assurance that it could be finished for a reasonable price by calling a professional plumber or tiler.