Grouting over thin/ older grout?

JulesH · Post by **JulesH** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 4:39 pm

A chap re-tiled our bathroom a year or so ago and did a pretty poor job but we got a good price so never brought it up with him. The grouting is uneven and thin in places and I want to re-apply newer stuff over the top of the offending areas to make it more flush with the tiles and prevent water collecting in the joints and hopefully stop mould forming so quickly (all problem areas are within range of shower spray region unfortunately).

Is it a good idea to grout over (cleaned/ dried) old grout or am I safer digging all the old stuff out and starting from scratch?

Would a tiler likely be happy to come and do the whole bathroom as a small job or would it not be worth their while?

cheers

Jules

tictic · Post by **tictic** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:50 pm

i dont take jobs like this on.. de-grouting..some might, call a few tile fixers and ask "dont ask dont get".

for removing old exsisting grout, the tool i would use is the fein multimaster "exspensive" peice of kit mate.

or you could use a grout remover..most tile shops and sheds will have them, if its a small area? you will want to get as much grout out as possible then i would use either a flexi cement based grout or epoxy grout colour to match exsisting grout.

best of.

kintangoman · Post by **kintangoman** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 7:23 pm

alternatively, you could buy the Bosch PMF 180E, from BnQ. Now selling at £50.

kintangoman

JulesH · Post by **JulesH** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:05 pm

OK thanks chaps, will take a look at those suggestions.

JulesH · Post by **JulesH** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:10 pm

Hi folks,

I appreciate the info above but I never really got a full answer to my original query- can I grout over thin older grout to make it flush with tiles or am I best to de-grout offending areas and start again?

Also- having just read another chap's thread on his own tiling job, am I best to silicon in the corner join where 2 walls/ columns of tiles meet rather than re-grout- as it is done with G just now and is such a thin gap I can't get into the crack to clean it properly so its gone black, (interior bathroom so gets damp easily and hard to dry out).

Frankly I'm tempted to get the whole thing re-done from scratch as it was a pish job in the first place!

Thanks very much in advance

Jules

royaloakcarpentry · Post by **royaloakcarpentry** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:31 pm

You really need to rake the old stuff out. Unless he grouted that badly to begin with then it won't be deep enough to grout. Cement based grouts aren't going on in a thin coat.

Corners should be siliconed.

As you are willing to do so, it is probably worth having the whole lot out and getting it done again. especially as you have black mould which could mean you have water penetration rather than a condensation problem.

Even an internal bathroom should be absolutely no problem to ventilate by means of an extractor fan. A good extractor isn't going to be got for £20 it will cost you a lot more, by the way. You also need a fan with an overrun so it keeps running up to 20 mins after you finish your shower. Have it linked to the lighting circuit so it comes on when lights are turned on. You also should have an isolator switch situated outside of the bathroom.

You haven't got a fairly modern flat, have you?

JulesH · Post by **JulesH** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:41 pm

Hi there, thanks for replying...

Flat is a cheapish new build (12yrs old). Yep I have an extractor fan which comes on with the light but won't stay on unless the light is. We try to leave it on for 15-20mins after showering but obviously this isn't always practical. I also try to make sure I use a water scraper on the tiles and wipe off all the nooks and crannies after showering to get rid of excess but it doesn't make much difference. Frankly the guy did a p*ss poor job of tiling and clearly didn't plan it well or we wouldn't have so many places for water to collect and the lack of grout means some adhesive is very slightly exposed and has stained in the damp- although we didn't figure this out until a good while after the job... I am worried as I think theres a small hole forming in a little section of grout right behind the taps which is in the firing line of spray- so really need to pull my finger out...
I have considered getting a better extractor- would an elec. be willing to come and sort this- assuming it fitted in the existing cavity?

cheers again

royaloakcarpentry · Post by **royaloakcarpentry** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:22 pm

You need a part P registered electrician for the extractor as it is in a bathroom.

An electrician will fit it for you and add isolator switch. Well worth getting the extractor that has an overrun on it.