Freshen up your tile without regrouting. Here's how.
Time A full day
ComplexityBeginner
Cost$51–100
Introduction
If your tile grout is dirty and stained but still sound, consider whitening it with colorant. It's an easy, inexpensive four-step process.
Grout is the material that fills in the gaps between tiles. It’s most commonly white, though it can be other colors depending on the scheme you want to go for. You can even custom-mix your own grout colors if you can’t find the one you want to perfectly match your vision.
Like any part of the home, grout can get dirty. That once white material will look dull and take on other, undesirable colors. If it’s in the kitchen, this can be partly caused by the grease from cooking. If it’s the bathroom, the culprit can often be soap scum and other grime.
No matter the cause, the grout will need cleaning. But sometimes, the dirt is really packed in.
When cleaning isn’t enough, the usual cure is grinding it out and regrouting. But here’s an easier approach: DAP Kwik Seal Grout Recolor Kit, available at home centers or online. It lets you whiten grimy grout by putting a fresh coating over it in a few hours.
It’s a four-step process. First, you clean and prep the grout with DAP Pre-Treat. Next, apply the Color+Seal coating. Remove the excess, then buff off the haze. The kit contains everything you need and covers about 100 sq. ft. of 4-in. tile. Smaller tile will have more grout lines and require more material.
Tools Required
- Clean Rag
- Sponge
Materials Required
- DAP Kwik Seal Grout Recolor Kit
Project step-by-step (4)
Step 1
Pretreat the grout
Sponge on the pretreat solution and let it sit for five minutes. Then scrub the grout with the supplied brush. Afterwards, wipe it clean with the chamois.
Step 2
Apply colorant
Squirt a thin bead of colorant on the grout lines in a 2-sq.-ft. section. Then scrub the colorant with the grout brush included in the kit.
Step 3
Remove excess colorant
Wipe the excess colorant from the tile using the chamois. Wipe only the tile, not the grout lines. You don’t want to undo your hard work. Then let it dry for 30 minutes.
Step 4
Buff to remove haze
Apply a light mist of glass cleaner, then buff the tile with a clean rag or chamois. Let it dry for a full 24 hours before exposing it to water.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully learned how to whiten your grout!
