RE Grout tiles and sealing bath - Easy??

loopyloouk

Hello all,

If possible could someone advise me on the best way to solve this:-

The seal around the bath has eroded away and needs re sealing, we currently have mosaic tiles the whole of the wall which have not been re grouted since we moved in.At present we are unable to afford a new bathroom to our tastes, can i re grout the tiles? is this easy? What is the best way to do this?

Many thanks for reading, as you can probably tell i am a novice at this

Grenage

You'd scrape the old grout out, and reapply - which isn't a difficult job; but do you need to do so? If the grout is dingy, you could simply clean it.

loopyloouk

It does need cleaning but i am not sure if water is getting in the tiles (if that makes sense) as water is getting in somehow.

Ebe_Scrooge

Yes it's easy. It's best to scrape out a bit of the old grout first, then apply fresh grout on top. Polish off any overspill from the tiles when it's partially, but not completely dry, Bob's your uncle.


But it may be worth trying one of the many grout cleaners first - or even just a bleach solution. This can often get rid of a lot of muck, and will save the effort of re-grouting.


For sealing around the edge, again it's not difficult. The important thing is to remove the old sealant completely, and make sure everything is totally clean before you start. Fill the bath with water first, otherwise the first time you fill it afterwards it will settle and pull the sealant away.


Run two parallel strips of masking tape above and below where the sealant is going to be - this'll give you a nice neat finish. Apply the sealant, then run over it with a finger dipped in a mixture of water and washing up liquid to smooth it off. Carefully remove the masking tape, leave it overnight to cure, then empty the bath. Job done

loopyloouk

Many thanks for the advice.

Do mosaic tiles become permable after a length of time?

Also do you have idea what i could do with a cracked tile to stop water passing through?

Ebe_Scrooge

loopyloouk wrote: »

Do mosaic tiles become permable after a length of time? Highly unlikely, but it's fairly common for the grout to crack/deteriorate and let water through over time, especially if poor-quality grout was used in the first place.

Also do you have idea what i could do with a cracked tile to stop water passing through? You really need to replace it - carefully scrape away the grout from around it, use a hammer and chisel to carefully break it, remove it, replace with a new one. But be aware that if you don't happen to have a spare one available from the original batch, then you're unlikely to get an exact colour match if you buy a new one.

My replies above

loopyloouk

Many thanks for all your replies, i will give it a go and let you all know how i get on

bob_a_builder

then run over it with a finger dipped in a mixture of water and washing up liquid to smooth it off.

But aim to only touch it ONCE, it never works trying to correct it
(in my experience)

Ebe_Scrooge

bob_a_builder wrote: »

But aim to only touch it ONCE, it never works trying to correct it
(in my experience)

I have to agree with you there ! :beer:

SplanK

For removing grout use a decent power tool that's designed for the job:
https://www.hss.com/hire/p/tile-grout-remover-trim-saw


I hired one of these to do our ensuite shower cubical. Yes, it still took 2-3 hrs to complete the job, but much quicker and less labour intensive than anything else. You *MUST* use a good quality dust mask, eye protection, ear protection and rigger gloves. Its a loud tool that generates lots of dust and vibrates like a !!!!!!!


The ones you can buy from DIY sheds are a little lame to be fair, using a manual tool will take you forever, and any other method is a bit of a bodge