I should probably include pics of the entire kitchen, too. Sorry!

Here is a link that might be useful: My kitchen

Beth, the grout's not perfect, But I'll tell ya, it's not that bad, either. The reason you're seeing it is because of the stark contrast (and the fact that you did it yourself), and unfortunately, there's only two ways to remedy it. Either use a white colorant and loose the effect that you like (as do I, and many others in here), or remove all the grout. If you do remove the grout, you might want to think about going with a softer gray, though, so it doesn't jump right out at you.

Beths96: I sent you a separate email about the "fix" I used on my white tile kitchen counter grout that was 30 years old. It worked beautifully until we changed out the counters to Caesartone earlier this year.

beth, i think you would be happiest with the result if you regrout. you've learned a lot by your first attempt so your second will be more uniform. but, as you now see, the closer to white you pick, the less obvious any slight differences will be.

where you buy tile...even lowes or hd...find a grout scraping tool. it makes the removal of old grout easier. sort of a saw-toothed little tool. when i did this in my bathroom (not the shower part), i didn't even get every last bit of grout out and the new grout held nicely. the room gets real steamy and it's been about 5 years now.

Thank you, everyone, so much. I guess you are right, Bill, when you say that I notice it because I did it myself and because of the dark contrast. Thank you for saying you like the effect it has, though (dark and white tile). At my daughter's birthday party last month, I pointed out the uneven grout to a couple friend of ours who are total perfectionists with their home, cars, kid, etc...and they had no idea it was uneven until I told them, and I believe them. They are very honest people. That did make me feel a bit better, but I still feel like I need to fix this.

Teedup - thanks, I'll check my email!

Jessie - so you really only have to buy the grout scraping tool? I really thought there would be a lot more to it and I was afraid. I bet there will be a ton of dust, though, huh? Maybe if I did just a little bit at a time, it wouldn't be so overwhelming, right?

Thanks, everyone. I wish I could put up a vote, though...if I scrape out the dark grey grout, should I go with a lighter grey or a white? Hmm?

Beth

Beth,
I have been admiring your kitchen from the FKB since it was posted. It looks amazing, like pros did it. I can see where you aren't pleased with the grout, but it is really not that hard of a fix. If it makes you unhappy(especially since your kitchen is so homey and functional) just regrout. A little OT: Do you like your corner sink? I am considering moving mine from under a window to better use the space in my kitchen and many people are trying to steer me away from that choice. I think it makes for a very functional space in your kitchen though. I have to admit, I really like your color choices too.
G

I want to Vote: Not white!

I really like the gray grout, it looks so spiffy in your kitchen. If you need to lighten it, ok, but I like it the color it is. It gives a nice texture without jumping out at you. And I think you did an awesome job. :)

Oh wow, thank you guys! Just when I'm having a bad day, I jump on here and get complimented, and it makes my day! :)

G - thank you! I didn't know people even looked at my kitchen on the FKB anymore since it was such a long time ago. I do enjoy my kitchen and still feel like it's brand-new. I can't stand clutter on my counters so I have to constantly clean, because I want it to stay new as long as possiblw! yes, I just love my corner sink. I also moved our sink from under a window to the corner, and it was a wonderful decision. I probably have 24 inches between the sink and the stove (to my left) and three feet between the sink and my dishwasher (to my right), so it's in a perfect position. If I would have had to sink under the window, I would have had to drip water on the floor all the time moving from the stove to the sink, know what I mean?

It's been perfect, and I wouldn't have it any other way, seriously. It's great! You will love it!

My mom still gets annoyed when she comes over because she's old school and does dishes in her sink, and hates my single sink. I love it though! It's nice and roomy.

Email me if you have any more questions. I'd love to help!

Claybabe - thanks! Okay, no white then, huh? I admit the grey grout I have now matches the counters perfectly, so I'm kind of reluctant to change it. but I have to do something. There are places where the grout is missing, so I guess I have no cnoice but to re-do it, or at least mis some up and fill in.

Thanks, guys!
Beth

Okay, BethS and Bill V., "fix" emails sent to your inboxes.

well, it isn't exactly "easy", but isn't horrible either. i was using a screwdriver, various putty knives hit by a hammer, razor blades...anything i could find. and my hands hurt doing it. but when i found the grout scraping tool, it did go a lot easier. it won't be the kind of dust from removing plaster board....i.e. very fine and profuse. most of the mess will be on your countertops, although some will shoot across the room. still, sore hands for a couple of days. but when you clean up and regrout, it's worth it.

BUT i have to say my grout was in worse shape than yours. many blocks of missing grout and grout lines that were way too narrow. my fix job looks more like the one you want to fix!!

by the way, your kitchen is so pretty!

Beth, I copied two of your pics to my hard drive so I could upload them to my photobucket account and post them here, so people could see the dramatic difference a grout colorant can make. It's absolutely another option. I won't get rid of the differences in the grout lines, but it will make them less noticeable with a lighter gray color. This is actually more dramatic that what you'd see going from the darker gray to a lighter gray:

Before:

After:

By the way, nice work with the undermount! :-)

wow, that's gorgeous! forget regrouting if this is all it takes!

I screwed up-- those are teedup's pics!!

It's been a long day!!

Bill V., I'm glad you thought my "before" and "after" grout-fix pictures were worthy of posting here in Kitchens. Thanks so much for doing that for me. (Geez, one of these days I'll take time to learn "how to post pics" from info shared here numerous times)

One thing about the grout colorant option, if you don't like the way it turns out, you still have the other option - dig grout out and replace it. There's very little time, money (less than $30) and effort involved in recoloring old grout.

BethS: I hope you'll consider this easy fix for your beautiful kitchen backsplash.

About that nice undermount sink work...we've been in this house since new and bought before foundation was poured in 1975. The builder of this 600-house tract of well-built homes obviously used a great tile installer. Imagine, doing 600 kitchen counters all in white 6-inch tile with white grout (yep, all 600 got white tile ones)! No cement board under there either -'twas all screen and mud back then.

SWEET!!