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balsamic vinegar as grout color

12 years ago

Our installer just grouted a brand new tile job in the kitchen/dining,entry area yesterday morning. The wet grout color was perfect, and looked just like the sample I had chosen (Camel, a medium brown tone). After it dried I was appalled! It's almost white, except for a pink hue. Our tile had pits and the grout is imbedded in it. Looks HORRIBLE! (Our tile is terra cotta... mainly brown and dark brown with some red tones.) Trying to find a solution by searching for grout stain... and learned that balsamic vinegar stains grout. What if I *want* it to? I tried a sample spot and it's a huge improvement. Will it last? Could I apply it and seal it in 24 hours? Any thoughts? Since balsamic vinegar is acidic... how about soy sauce, which isn't?

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Comments (7)

Circus Peanut
12 years ago
Carly, I should think you'd have better, more sanitary results using an actual grout stain? The AquaMix line is often recommended by professional tile installers around here.

About the grout embedded in the tile - that's an installation quality issue, and one I'd definitely take up with your tiler. Sounds like it either wasn't sealed properly before grouting, or not cleaned carefully enough afterwards.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Aqua Mix grout colorant
brickeyee
12 years ago
The color is not likely to be as long term stable as actual grout stain.
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Oh, please don't throw it out. You could send it to me! Seriously, here is what Wikipedia says about Balsamic vinegar: "Only two consortia produce true balsamic vinegar, Modena and Reggio Emilia. Modena (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena) designates the different ages of their balsamic vinegar by label colour. A red label means the vinegar has been aged for at least 12 years, a silver label that the vinegar has aged for at least 18 years and a gold label that designates the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more[1]. Reggio Emilia (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale de Reggio Emilia) uses a similar system to indicate the age of their balsamic vinegars. A white label means the vinegar has aged for at least 12 years and a gold label bearing the designation extravecchio to show the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more[1]." Also, have you ever seen a vinegar "mother?" You are supposed to be very lucky to develop a mother. You can use it to grow more vinegar. Don't know where I learned this little tidbit, but the best balsamic vinegar is grown in ancient (centuries old) wooden kegs. When they become so ancient they are leaking or beginning to fall apart, they simply build new kegs/barrels around the old ones. So basically we are pouring dissolved oak/ash/chestnut/juniper over our tomato/mozzarella/basil salads! Here is a link that might be useful: Vinegar
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I buy it by the gallon also. My mom use to use it all the time, but me being of the 60's generation or maybe I was just not smart back in the day abandoned vinegar and used store bought cleaners and such that my mom used vinegar for. I came back full circle when I got wiser, in my mid thirties..I think that is when I realized mom wasn't so dumb after all. LOL
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The least expensive aged Balsamic that I currently have is RomanticA Gran Riserva, and I paid about $30, but the price has been reduced. I thought it was a bargain at $30, and I did taste it before buying it. It's very thick and sweet, and I generally serve it drizzled over apple or pear slices, but also sometimes with strawberries. I also have a bottle of Fondo di Trebbiano that I paid $60 for recently and had bought before for $48. The price on this one keeps going up, it seems, but it is only slightly better than RomanticA, IMO, but it is definitely thicker and somewhat sweeter. When I run out, I will probably just replace it with RomanticA, but it depends on what there is available the Surfas Restaurant Supply, where I can taste before I buy. Cavalli looks excellent as well. For the sauce you are making, I would not use a bottle that is cheaper than $15 - the cheaper ones have a harsher, less mellow flavor, and that comes through even in a berry sauce. I only use the cheaper ones in certain salad dressings where I want a sharp flavor. I like keeping a range on hand for different uses. I consider them a good investment. Lars
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tim45z10
12 years ago
I recently had the same thing happen on the same color of grout. We ended up staining it. It took two coats. The unused potion of the grout stayed brown but the installed grout changed color.
brickeyee
12 years ago
"The unused potion of the grout stayed brown but the installed grout changed color."

If by "unused" you mean the powdered grout, the two items are NOT the same chemically.

Grout that has been mixed and used as re-hydrated as part of the curing process. Grout does not harden again by simply drying put, it hardens (like all Portland cement products) by hydration, chemically using permanently trapping the water in the new physical structure.

Rapid drying out (from high temperatures) can actually prevent propoer hardening.

If you remove the grout and grind it up and them kiln it again (to drive off ALL the water) it would work like new..
tim45z10
12 years ago
The grout that I mixed, and was extra at the end of the job stayed dark brown just like the powder. I dug it out of the trash can to look. The grout installed with the tile turned a tan color when dry.
brickeyee
12 years ago
"The grout installed with the tile turned a tan color when dry."

Probably the thinner sections in the tile joints.
clg7067
12 years ago
I learned about grout the hard way. I used too much water removing the excess and ended up with almost white grout, like you. The excess was the correct color. I had to go with the Aquamix grout colorant. I think that's your best bet.

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