Verbo - I'll check Truffle out. Thanks!

As to ugly grout and using Renu -- as with wall paint, and using TSP beforehand - is there a product that's good to use before Renu? Thank you!!

Kgmp, Jean suggested removing the curtain. I would be concerned about privacy without something to block the view, especially at night. If you are going to paint the door, that indicates to me that the door isn't all that valuable. Have you thought of just replacing it and with a door that doesn't have a big window? Just throwing that out there. Maybe you love the door, and I wouldn't want to suggest you get rid of something you love.

I have used Grout Renew in both my last home and my current home. The reason I did not bring it up as an option here is because it is not the same as new grout. This is a paint that goes over the grout. It is a bit shinier than grout, it is also not a forever fix - it wears off.

I also don't know how well it works on the newer grouts with silicone. Both of my homes were old and had 30-50 year old grout that needed repaired in some areas and I recolored all of the grout. The kitchen in my last home had to be done twice. I did it the first time and the area near the stove lifted (assume I did not get all the grease removed. I rescrubbed and cleaned with again with the acid based cleanser and re-did that section. The colorant lasted for 3 years before I moved, but I did some minor touch up right before selling and most reviews seem to say it lasts from 3-5 years.

I think it is a wonderful solution when you have an older home or older tile install and you want to recolor old grout that hadn't been sealed and got discolored over the years. If I had to accept this on a new tile job where I should be able to seal annually and never get discoloration issues I would want a substantial discount. I also wonder how well it will adhere to newer grout that has additives to seal and protect the grout. Like I said, a small amount of grease residue near the stove caused the product to not adhere properly so it lifted within a few weeks.

Jennifer - The builder has said that if he removes the existing grout, in order to redo it, the tiles could be damaged in the process, and he isn't sure that colorant will adhere since the grout he used is stain resistant. He thinks recoloring will not work. He told me that if I really want to try to change it I should find someone else to do it, because he doesn't want to be responsible if it doesn't look good. I'm concerned that I'm going to be stuck with this grout.

If the tile gets mangled during the correction effort, why would he not just rip out the tile and replace it on his own dime since he is the one who messed up the grout color?

I don't see how he can say he matched the edge of the tiles, since there is a lot of variation from end to end within each tile - unless he's talking about the raw edge. Have you looked at your contract to see what it says about resolving disputes? Perhaps you should get a bid from a tile professional to see how much it would cost to replace the grout. That would give you a feel for whether it would be worth it to consult an attorney. Or go back to the builder and suggest you will outsource the work but deduct it from your remaining balance. Of course, that has the potential of backfiring if it causes him to cut corners on whatever work remains. But if he cares about his reputation, he might consider that a good solution.

Blueskysunnyday - I agree with you. He should be responsible for redoing the grout and for replacing any damaged tiles, but he made it very clear that he won't be doing that. I feel that he should at least give us a discount on the work he has already done.

L.D.Johnson - Yes. He matched the grout color to the raw edge. When he said he was matching the edge, I assumed he was talking about colors found on the edge of the top of the tile. When I spoke with him about this I asked him what the point was in matching the grout color to the raw edge that wouldn't even be seen. He didn't have a good answer. I'm concerned about pushing this issue too much right now, because it has already taken him 4 months to do drywall, install 80% of the flooring, and prime the new drywall joints. (He is using leftover paint to prime and not actual primer). We still have to have the entire house painted, and two bathroom vanities, vanity lights, and toilets installed. Also there are french doors and a side door to replace. The house in uninhabitable right now, and we're tired of living in hotels and our family's spare rooms. Here are pictures of the grout color the contractor used (rolling fog), and the color suggested by the flooring consultant (winter gray). I really don't like either color with the flooring tile. I would have preferred walnut or new taupe. He did not like the winter gray (said it was too blue), and said he would stay dark or go even darker. There is no way he could have thought his choice was as dark or darker, since he admitted he was matching the raw edge. I expected him to show me the grout before doing it. He told me that our house is his last residential contracting job, so I suspect he is using leftover materials from previous jobs.

Jennifer - Wow! Thanks for taking time to put together such a well thought out post with a lot of great information. I know exactly what you are saying about the way women are perceived. Actually, I am a 60 something year old woman myself. I am a strong woman, and it really pisses me off that I have to have my husband deal with certain issues, because he will be listened to. Back in the 80's, when I worked in the corporate world, I remember being very aware of how I presented my ideas during meetings . If a man was confident and presented his ideas assertively, he was considered a leader and one to groom for management. If a woman presented her ideas the same exact way, she was thought of as a nasty woman. So instead of coming on too strong, we woman would often use the passive voice in our presentations, and we would be ignored and our ideas would be stolen by the men they were grooming for management. We were useful for making coffee, buying gifts for the bosses wife, and planning the company Christmas party. I really hope things have changed for our daughters and granddaughters.

You are absolutely correct about the contractor trying to bully me into accepting his choices. He has told us that our home reconstruction is his last job as an independent contractor. I'm pretty sure this means that he is using leftover materials from previous jobs to get rid of them and save money. Instead of using primer on our walls, he told us he is using leftover white paint. I did learn a costly lesson. You must be forceful and firm with him. After the grout debacle I approached him about my choice for a fireplace surround. I didn't give him a chance to oppose it. The first words out of my mouth were "Here is the fireplace design that I expect." His response was, "yes, mam!" He did try to change the design, and told me my choice wouldn't look good. I told him "That's on me. This is what I want. If you can't do it I'll find someone else."

I wish I had the luxury of watching the contractor closely. This was not a remodeling job that we chose to do to upgrade our home. We had a massive water heater flood in July (the water heater is in the attic) and 9,000 gallons of water came through our bathroom ceiling damaging 80% of our home. The house had to be completely gutted and our belongings were placed in a storage facility. We have been staying at our son's house 5 1/2 hours away for the past 4 months and periodically returning to our town to check in on progress (which has been painfully slow). In addition to all of that, we were diagnosed with Covid and were long haulers, so moving and making decisions was especially difficult. Thankfully, the fatigue and mental fog is finally lifting and I'm back to my old feisty self. It's becoming extremely obvious that the contractor has been taking advantage of our absence.

Here is my floor tile with different grout alternative colors. I'm undecided as to whether to make the grout blend in with the colors of the tile or use a little darker color to create the illusion of the gaps between real hardwood floor planks. I think I'm leaning towards either the Walnut or the New Taupe. My husband likes the Sable Brown. The other grout colors have been suggested by friends and folks on this forum. I'd like to know what you all think. The Rolling Fog is the grout color the contractor used that I want to get rid of. The Winter Gray is the color that was suggested by the flooring consultant. The contractor told me that he was going to stay as dark as the winter gray or go even darker. That is why his choice of rolling fog totally baffled and upset me.

K.L. - I am concerned about privacy, since the window in the front door that faces a very busy street provides a direct view of my family lounging in our living room. I like the style of this door, and would be sad to replace it with a solid door. I will probably find some other window covering that is more contemporary.

My vote is walnut!

Wow….that is crazy….Rolling Fog is most definitely way off, imho. The suggested option is still not what I would have chosen, but you are getting there! I truly wonder what went through your contractor’s head…..

Coray - Unfortunately, I think the idea of using leftover products and saving money went through his head, since our house is the last one he is going to do as an independent contractor. Also, he doesn't have to worry about us writing a bad review, since he will no longer be an independent contractor. When I told him I could not live with the choice he made, he said that he would clean up the dust and it would look so much better. No amount of cleaning will change the look of that grout for the better.

What a story. Unfortunately, it’s all to common for a contractor to make a design decision for you and then get childish when you tell them it’s not what was discussed and agreed on. And yes, sexism still exists in many arenas - construction and renovation being staunch holdouts. You’re getting great advice from @Jennifer Hogan. (I am also suspicious his suggestions are based on his leftover materials.)

As for the replacement grout, I am not a pro but the sable brown looks like it would have been the right choice based on the look you said you wanted. Perhaps a pro can weigh in on these options.

It sounds like you’ve been to hell and back with your house flood, COVID and it’s persistent symptoms, being 5 hours away and now a difficult contractor. You certainly didn’t need this additional aggravation.

I would consider a brighter colored door than black. It would work with your interior for sure but what does the outside look like? You can always do one color outside and a different inside but can we see the front of your house?

The hard lesson we all learn is that contractors have poor design skills. Remember that when discussing paint colors. Bring your questions here first!

That is just unbelievable….we have built and renovated houses, but this is a first! To save money on a bag of grout?? Incomprehensible…

Kgmp, for privacy, this may be a solution:

https://www.amazon.com/Privacy-Premium-Material-Daytime-Reflective/dp/B092JBNGTL?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

Or something along those lines. I used one that looks like stained glass.

RedRyder - Thanks for your words of encouragement and understanding and for your vote on grout colors. Jennifer Hogan has been wonderful; going above and beyond what I hoped to learn from this site. I'm sorry that you are still dealing with these outdated gender biases in 2022. Wait til you get into your 60's, like me, and everyone thinks you are a senile old person! (just kidding!) Here is a picture of the front of our house. The stucco in the entryway appears darker in this picture than the rest of the stucco, but that is just shade. It is the same color as the rest of the stucco. The exterior of the front door used to be stained a dark cherry color, but the door is badly weathered so I'm not sure it will restain very well.

Jennifer Hogan gave you great advice, And he has very little motivation to address your concerns since he is getting out of the business. I do hope you have read the fine print of your contract to know what options and obligations apply to both parties for resolving disputes.

"I feel he should give us a discount" is not likely to work in this situation. If your contract is silent on that topic, it's going to be another expensive lesson, I fear. Best wishes for better health and outcomes in the near future!

I like Walnut the best, and then sable brown. Aw man, I feel for you! We’re getting ready to renovate our kitchen and floors. I’m also planning on tile wood look floors.

I vote walnut. Sable brown could work too but walnut has more of a grey undertone to it like your tile. You can buy some privacy film for your front door to give it a frosted or rain glass look. It will distort any views of the inside of your home while still letting light in.

Ashley - Take this lesson from me. Make sure the contractor shows you everything he is planning on doing, and make it clear that he is not to change any materials without your approval. Also, you might want to get one of the grout sample kits from home depot like I ended up doing, so you can look at all of the colors yourself. Hope your renovation goes smoothly and you get the new kitchen and flooring that you absolutely love.

Contractors are not decorators! It is your job to pick the materials used, including the grout and paint colors. It is his job to fulfill the contract as written. The contract should have a clause on how to resolve conflict. If not, then negotiate. Your clout is to not pay til he gets the job right according to the contract. His clout is to file a mechanics lien on your house for the amount you owe if you don’t pay him. It sounds like he consulted you on grout color and you agreed without actually seeing the grout color with the floor sample - your beginner mistake - and I am not sure you have any recourse to make him redo the grout at his cost since you agreed to the color. However, call the grout manufacture and ask if another grout layer can be applied over it. As tired as you are with how long the renovation is taking, do not feel pressured or rushed about just getting the rest of the renovations done quickly - you will be in this house a long time and you want to take time to get everything else done right. I agree with contractor the color of the door is too reddish/garish for the gray floor, but black is not your only color option.

Have you considered grout colorant for the existing grout? Since you want to got darker, it might be a reasonable option and if your guy won't give you a break on the price, it would be an easy DIY.

If you think the film I pointed out is too "cheap" a fix, there may be better films you could have a pro install. I like my stained glass look well enough, but it is cheap, and next time I will have a mirrored film there instead. That way I have the privacy and can see others very clearly and decide whether I feel safe opening the door. I've read it's amusing to watch people primp themselves in the mirror before you open the door.

I'm really sympathetic towards your plight with grout color. I thought it was possible to re-grout tile without ripping it up…cut grooves in it, then add grout https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-regrout-bathroom-tile-1822629#:~:text=Regrouting is a two-step,it up with a sponge 

And if tiles break in the process… not sure why they would but ok… better now while more tiles are available than later when they are not. And if you end up removing all the tiles, which seems extreme but ok… consider installing radiant heat (electric) underneath just because it is wonderful, and so much nicer than the aches I get with a cold floor. Maybe use a different installer if you lack confidence in this one getting it right, but it's not that hard. If you already said, I apologize, but does this tile cover the entire first floor? Just the entry? Entry, parlor and kitchen? How big a job are we talking about?

You didn't ask, but you included a picture, so… Are you at all concerned about those two pine trees behind your house? I don't know where you are, but they look close to the house and like they grew in a forest that was cleared for building your neighborhood. I am guessing ice storms may happen in your area, and those trees may come down on your house. Now I am a tree-hugger, so it pains me to suggest bringing them down, but that's what I am saying. I hope I am wrong. 

Also, I'm guessing you are in termite country like me? If so, the typical practice of running a line of mulch around your house in an area that was full of forest not long ago isn't recommended. And those cute bushes are nicely done, but too close to the house and will need pruning soon. The front of your house is bricked almost all the way to the soil line and doesn't need a foundation planting. It's very nice on its own. Your entry is already nicely accentuated and doesn't need those columnar shrubs. I assume they all were recently planted and could be moved easily? IFF you were concerned about how close they are? I mean, feel free to ignore me. You can just leave them until you get tired of pruning them and they grow up above your window sills and mold starts growing if it's on the north side of your house. That will be a couple years, so you have time. Time will tell you how you might like to use your outdoor space, where you want deciduous trees, where you want conifers. I'd be thinking about plantings to frame your home and reduce the acreage that has to be mowed, but planted much further out and much wider. You'll need time to see how bad the deer get too. I only bring it up, because of the termites. The shrub placement isn't necessary but requires mulch to keep weeds down, and that attracts termites.

Instead, when your ground settles you might think about widening your front walk a little and expanding with a deeper  patio in front. If you do have ice storms, these also can have radiant heating underneath… Also good under a short driveway like yours, but too late for that now. Just nice to think about as we age in place. People think it's expensive, but it's the flooring or sidewalk or driveway that's most expensive, not the actual radiant heating. And not expensive to run it either; a company selling it can provide costs for both installing and using it. Sorry to bother you if you have no interest. Just ignore anything I throw out there that doesn't click for you.

L.D. - Yes, I'm already sensing this is going to be a painfully expensive lesson. I know it is a rookie mistake, but I assumed this is the type of thing the builder's insurance covers. I reread the contract, and there is nothing in it about how conflicts are resolved.

Christina - I will have a look at the privacy film for the front door. Thanks for your suggestion.

Marylut - I will call the grout manufacturer on Monday. I also have a retired floor installer who lives next door. I'm going to give him a call and have him take a look at it.

Olychick - I am considering colorant, if it will adhere to the stain resistant grout that he used. I am tempted to do it myself, but I am also afraid, with my inexperience, that I won't do a good job.

KL - I appreciate all of your suggestions...

I will definitely check out the window film you suggested. I just don't want it to look like something that has been stuck on the window. Ultimately, it might be worth buying a new door with frosted glass.

I'm going to call the grout manufacturer and speak to our neighbor (who is a retired floor installer) to see what they have to say about staining the grout, removing the existing grout and regrouting, and laying new grout on top of the existing grout. You are absolutely correct about the difficulty of finding matching tile later.

The picture I shared of the front of our house is a few years old. All of the pine trees in our yard have been removed. We still have some live oak trees in the yard and a bald cypress tree. We decided to do that after a hurricane brought one of the pine trees down on our roof. The tree came through our master bedroom ceiling. Afterwards, whenever we had a strong wind and those tall pines would sway, I would get very nervous. I love trees too, and I hated to see them go, but I sleep better knowing this won't happen again.

We have an annual termite contract. Just had the annual inspection. We keep the bushes pruned back a couple feet from the front of the house. The inspector said it was fine. We also had termite bait stations installed around the perimeter of the house several years ago. We have a yard service that mows for us, so I'm not really concerned about reducing the acreage.

There has been 1,050 sf of the wood look tile that has been installed and grouted (living room, kitchen, dining room, and master bedroom). I've told him to stop installation on the remaining 400 sf (3 bedrooms) until I tell him the direction I've decided to go. I'm deciding whether to tell him to go ahead and grout the remaining 3 bedrooms using the new grout color I've chosen and then try to match the color with a colorant in the already completed rooms or ripping up the completed rooms and starting again. The remodeling calculator that I found online claims that it will cost around $30,000 to have the existing 1,050 sf of grout removed and redone. That seems exorbitant. Can anyone on here confirm this price?

I appreciate this discussion. Jennifer, your post was great. Kjmp, you can take a one page statement to him that he is to only use materials you have approved and you both sign and date it. Then follow up with any materials used in writing as in an email. It’ll make him take notice. I hope you find a solution. You have a lovely home.

Motupeg - That is a great idea! I really loved the way my house looked before the remediation. I'm concerned that instead of upgrading our house, he is downgrading it. I imagine if we tried to sell the house, with the contractor's grout color, flooring would be an issue, and buyers would expect a large allowance for new flooring. The inside of the house is very traditional, with 10-15 foot cathedral ceilings and crown molding. The contractor's vision leans towards contemporary. I've told him that I want to maintain the traditional look of the house, and he has been fighting me on this. He says an eclectic look is more popular now. Ultimately, it is my house and I'm the one living in it, so it doesn't matter what he thinks.

1. No question that Rolling Fog was far lighter than your original choice and would not be considered a dark color by a reasonable person.

2. I like the Walnut based on the pictures, but I have learned long ago that you need to look at colors as they will be viewed when the project is complete. I would take 2 tiles and set the grout testers between the two pieces of tile. Take them outside in natural daylight to look at the colors next to one another - best lighting to see minor color differences. Look at them next to each other and eliminate one at a time until you decide on the perfect match. The picture below shows the Winter Gray and walnut without the shadows cast from the grout swatches.

3. Please tell me you have a dozen or more spare tiles so that you don't have to replace the entire floor when you drop a hammer and destroy a tile. (I was in earth quake country and had a row of tile crack across a hallway after a good shake.)

If not get another box or two of tile while still available.

You will also want at least one spare piece that you can take with you when you shop for furniture.

4. I got rid of curtains and put up window film on several of the windows in my home. Used it on the lower windows in my foyer to keep the squirrels obscured. (yes, there are cat deterrent spikes on the sill right now. Someone figured out she can put her front paws on the sill and the squirrels are clearly visible.)

Did this in the spare bedroom (again, obscuring squirrels)

Covered the windows in the bathroom, laundry room and garage with the same design as I used on the two lower foyer windows. The only rooms that have curtains are the bedrooms. I have roses and windchimes outside the windows and like to open the windows, but still have some level of privacy.

5. Termites... - I have lived in Southern California where everyone was termites, but they are not the subterranean termites, eat slower and cause far less damage.

In PA where I live now there are subterranean termites. My house was just treated this past summer when I discovered termites in my bedroom. I caught it early and was able to eradicate the issue before they caused any major damage.

I had actually purchased this product and was planning on using it to provide early detection of termites. Getting rid of them ran $1 k, but I have known people with 10s of thousands in damage. Monitoring termite stations will let you know that there is an issue before the termites can do any major damage and there is no reason that you cannot do the monitoring yourself. I didn't want to use anything that attracts termites or poisons them (don't want them to become resistant to pesticides). but wanted to be able to find out if they are colonizing near my home.

https://www.amazon.com/HexPro-Termite-Monitoring-Baiting-stations/dp/B01G8592P4

6. Front door color - what colors are you using inside your home? I painted my front door the same as my trim on the inside, but my foyer is busy. Brick wall and slate flooring.

If my room was not so busy, adding color to the front door can really help tie the color scheme from the living room into the foyer area.

Picture From Houzz. Love that the foyer colors and the colors in the room next to it tie the two rooms together.

2014 Parade Home - Lehi · More Info

Kgmp, so your contractor thinks he owns your home and makes the decisions. Funny.

Kgmp, this is what our window film looks like from the inside and outside. We needed something temporary to give us privacy but we will have to take it down when I paint the door and windows on both sides. Pretty easy to put up just need a small squeegee and spray bottle. An exacto knife and a surface that has lines for measurement will be helpful too.

We had glass replaced on our side panels it cost me about 500 dollars but added privacy. my door is in good shape though.

IMHO I don't think the grout looks that bad. Wood tile is never going to pass for hardwood anyway. If it bothers you that much, I would have the grout darkened with grout stain, much simpler and you will more likely get your contactor to agree to do it VS tearing it all out. As time goes on the grout will probably darken on its own anyways. I also wouldn't fret about resale because you can't read future buyers minds and have no idea what they will like or not like. Remodeling is stressful and sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and try to relax. When I built my house i got worked up about things that no longer matter.

rip out and redo tile & grout is a HUGE mistake - costly, not adding any value. changing grout in remaining rooms is mistake - use the same grout everywhere the tile is and make it look like an intentional design choice. If it comes to a law suit, contractor will claim he met the written terms of the contract and judge will agree.

Thank you all so much for your advice and expertise. The contractor has agreed to take partial responsibility for the grout issue and is going to pay 2/3rds of the cost of staining. We decided to test 3 different grout stains before redoing the entire floor. It seems like one of the most common complaints people have with their wood look tile is that the grout color is too light and not what they expected. I would suggest testing several grout stains or grout colors to anyone about to stain or grout, because there seems to be a lot of variables affecting the outcome. We immediately eliminated the Mapei grout stain, only because it is not a Custom Building Product. The Prism grout that was used is a Custom Building Product. We were afraid there might be compatibility issues. We narrowed our choices down to "Aqua Mix Grout Colorant" in New Taupe and "Aqua Mix Grout Colorant" in Walnut. The porcelain floor tile is Caesar Whisper Forest porcelain wood look tile. The flooring installer used "Aqua Mix Grout Haze Remover" on the entire floor before testing the grout colorant. After testing, we decided that we liked the look of the New Taupe color better than the Walnut. The Walnut seemed to have a little too much yellow tint. I'm posting a picture of the grout stain test. After the floor is finished, I'll post a before and after picture.

good luck! if you are not happy get an estimate to make it what you want and withhold money from the final payment . Do that for any punch list items [things that are not done right or incomplete .

a fellow female senior

Sounds like you are a great negotiator and your contractor is customer-focused. happy y’all found a great solution instead of ripping out the tile. test both colors in several places in each room where the floor is very noticeable (not under rug or furniture or in corners).

Thanks for the update! New Taupe looks like it will work really well. I’m looking forward to seeing it all finished (I’m sure that you are, too!). Best of luck.

@jemimabean Yes! I'm very interested to see the finished work and move our furniture back into our house. Seven months is much too long to be displaced.

Hard to really know when we are all on monitors and not in the room with you, but the New Taupe looked good to me immediately. So glad your contractor cares about making you happy.

It's nice to have validation that this color is going to look good.

The grout has been stained. I think the flooring looks much better. Our dog approves and even the contractor admitted it looks better. He did pay 2/3rds of the cost of staining, which was a relief. I'm posting pictures of the wood look porcelain tile with the original grout and after staining with the new taupe colorant. Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Much better!

@RedRyder Thanks! It looks totally different (thank goodness!). Shows how important it is to choose the right grout color.

@kgmp and what a feeling when you walk in and see the difference that grout color makes, right? Relief! Looks great, am happy for you.

@Amy10N Thanks for understanding! Every time I saw those white grout lines I could just about feel my entire body tense up. Pretty certain I would never have felt any different. I'm really happy with the outcome and feel a huge sense of relief.

I love a renovation story that ends well