Common Leaks and How to Fix Them – Part 2

Following on from last week’s article regarding leeks caused by Mouldy Silicone Sealant, part two looks at a similar issue and one which I find myself repairing more and more in Edinburgh.

Mouldy and Damaged Grout Around Tiles

The second most common and easily repairable is mouldy and cracked damaged grout around your tiles. Ways to check are similar to above, inspect it thoroughly for hair-line cracks, gaps or pin holes. If you manage to eliminate other causes and think affected grout is the cause then here is how to repair it.

Nip down to your local diy store and pick up some anti-mould grout of the specified colour to match your bathroom, a grout float, mixing tub and one of the various tools you could use to mix the stuff up.

Before you can think about applying the new grout you have to go about cutting out the bad stuff.

To do this I use a bosch 180 E multi tool with grout blade. Other cutters like the dremmel  also work well but I would strongly advise against a grinder as you l end up losing half the tiles along with the grout.

Run the multi cutter along the grout lines cutting down around 50 percent of infected grout until you see the whiteness of the old grout. You could cut it all of the way out but personally once the blackness has gone and the whites back I personally think its fine to add new better grout too before finishing off with a spray grout sealer.

After cutting out all the grout, wipe down with a sponge or wet cloth to remove any dust or debris before applying new grout. Pour some of grout powder into mixing pot, add TINY amounts of water until it forms a kind of thick paste that when stuck to trowel should stick when turned upside down.

Now you are ready to re grout the affected area.

Take your trowel and add a lump of grout onto end of rubber grout float. Start by pushing the grout into the gaps moving in a diagonal fashion if possible, the remnants of the grout that’s not made it into the gaps you can sweep up with the float as you go.

After fully filling all the gaps, try smoothing off the lines by licking your finger and running it down and across the joins.

Now you need to leave to dry for 5 -10 mins before using your sponge, running at a diagonal angle to wipe down the grout and clean up the joins.

After this leave until next day to dry and finish off with a grout spray sealer. A can of spray sealer can be bought from Topps Tiles for around £16. To apply just spray over the grout lines and leave to dry, this forms an extra invisible barrier to stop it ever happening again.

Thanks for reading this, good luck with your DIY work. Please remember if you’re unsure or simply don’t have the time we can help with any Edinburgh plumbing or  tiling jobs.

Contact JHDS Edinburgh Plumbing & Tiling

Just give me a call on 07877 486939 for a free quote or get in touch via our website.

JHDS Plumbing and Tiling accepts no responsibility for damage caused following our guides, if you are ever in doubt please contact a professional before starting a job yourself.