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Cleaning Tips Design Dilemma Bathrooms

Stained grout - not mold

4 years ago

Hi Houzz Peeps:

I have an issue with the grout in my newly remodeled shower. The top photo is a close-up of discoloration in the grout, which has been there since the first time the shower was used (about 6 months ago). This is not mold, but discoloration within the grout. The bottom picture is from further away, just so you can have perspective. The close-up is taken of the area right below where the squeegee is hanging, although there are spots like this throughout the grout (including the niche), but only on the blue/gray hex, not the white wall tile.

I have tried everything I can think of to fix it: bleach, vinegar, baking soda, commercial cleaners, Magic Erasers, dish soap...nothing fades or affects it.

I'm in the process of contacting my contractor to get this repaired, but I'm hoping to get some ideas from you folks as well. What I don't want is for him to use a product that essentially paints/coats the grout with an epoxy, which is only a temporary fix since it will eventually fade/chip. I've asked him to let me know what the plan is, but he hasn't yet, and I'd like to get advice so I have options.

Please help.

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Comments (2)

PRO
Beth H. :
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
who tiled that? they were stingy w/the grout (or they wiped too much of it away w/the sponge) I don't think the grout has discolored, I think what you're seeing is the gray mortar that was used to set the tile. (and if you tell me he used white mortar, then I guess it's not the problem! sure looks like gray thinset though)

take an exacto knife and try to scrape it. is it hard like cement mortar?

can you get another close up of the discolored part?

what kind of grout was used?

not enough grout is between the tiles. you should not see obvious dips or be able to fit your nail in between the tiles.

needs to be regrouted

my other question is , "why did you wait 6 months before bringing it to the attention of the tiler? "
Betsy
Original Author
4 years ago
Beth H. - thanks and I think you're right. That's good if it is just slapping on a little more grout and fixing the cause of the problem.. Whew! Our master bath was the last step in a 3-1/2 month reno and I guess the hexagon tile was challenging to put in (lots of cutting), so the tile guy probably rushed the last part a bit. He also was probably not too happy we had him redo the niche since it looked funky the first time.

I contacted our contractor a couple months ago but had to be a shade persistent in getting a response. I didn't go into the back and forth with him in my initial comment because I wanted to be as succinct as possible.

Again, thanks and this aligns with a real fix instead of some slipshod bandaid.
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Check with the tile experts to be sure, but I believe that I have read that you do not want to be the first customer that your tiler has ever used epoxy grout with. Let him experiment elsewhere and know what he is doing before doing yours. That said, Marty 180, everything I have read in my research on redoing my bathroom leads me to believe that if you are going to have tile in a shower, epoxy grout is the only way to go! Personally, I am not going to have tile. I am not a good enough cleaner to deal with it. My lungs can't use most cleansers and my hands and wrists can't scrub. I give in. Solid surface, here I come!
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If the grout joint has a consistent height around the tub of 3/4", and alternative to a huge caulk joint could be to use something like a tile trim or liner piece to fill most of the gap. There are certainly restrictions going that route, ie, there might not be a proper material in the back of the gap to bond the liner to. If you do go the "all caulk route", look at backer rod as millworkman suggested. Backer rod is a foam rope that comes in different diameters. Backer rod gets stuffed into the gap to act as a filler for the deepest part of the gap. It greatly improves the performance of caulks when they are used in large- or deep-gap situations, as a large slug of caulk. If you filled a large gap with a single large slug of caulk, as the caulk cures and shrinks, internal shrinkage can cause the caulk to pull away from the edges, or even crack in the middle of the joint. Backer rod allows a Thicker depth of caulk at the edges where you need adhesion, and a thinner depth of caulk in the middle of the joint where you need flexibility.
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I am not a professional but have built, waterproofed, and tiled my own shower based on expert advice from this site and from local tile stores. When I look at your in progress picture, I see no waterproofing between the tiles and the wall or even in the pan. It looks like they tiled right onto the substrate (hardiebacker?). I would expect to see Kerdi (pale orange sheets) or a roll on waterproofing product like Redguard (bright red) or Hydroban (green). When a shower lacks a waterproof barrier behind the tile, over time water will get back there. Then once water is behind the walls or under the shower pan, it stays wet and creates the perfect environment for mold. I had an old shower (built in the 1970s) which eventually started leaking behind / under the tile. We did not realize there was a problem except that the shower simply would not stay clean. Eventually the failure was so bad that the floor became soft. When we tore everything out there was a significant amount of mold behind and serious damage to the wall framing and the plywood subfloor. It was a huge amount of work to repair all of the damage. I just wish we would have addressed it earlier. Good luck!
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I have epoxy white grout in my shower and I wipe the walls down after each days worth of showers. Usually just me though. I have not had to "clean" my shower, (except the shower pan, which is cast iron) in a year. I have "cleaned" my shower probably 3 times in 5 years (except of course for the floor, which I don't wipe down after showers). I use a large auto detailing microfiber towel, one layer thick. It dries with in 12 hours. I always use a vent fan. I have enough space under my room door to account for makeup air so the vent can work. Drying all the walls and caulking has worked for years for me. In my 3x5' shower with glass doors, it takes 70 seconds to wipe it all down along with the fixtures.
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