Category: Grout Cleaning & Maintenance

I have spent twenty-five years on my knees with a trowel and a moisture meter. I have seen every mistake in the book. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t…

Permanent Pigment Protection Strategies for Residential Tile Grout I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor would not click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound, thinking the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I see the same lazy logic with grout. People think color…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet, and that same level of obsession applies to your grout. Last week, a homeowner walked into my shop clutching a piece of light gray porcelain. She was nearly in tears because a leaking radiator had…

The lie of the plastic color wand Matching grout to a floor installed decades ago requires a deep understanding of oxidation and chemical staining. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound and think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. That same lack of attention to detail is what ruins dark grout. I have seen countless homeowners drop five…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. While I was working in that dusty basement, I noticed the homeowner cleaning the upstairs bathroom with a mixture of white vinegar and water. It is a common sight. People believe that natural cleaners are…

I remember a job in a high-rise downtown where a homeowner spent twenty thousand dollars on a custom-cut marble mosaic. It was a masterpiece of geometry and precision. Then, the apprentice on the site-prep crew got impatient with the post-installation cleanup. He grabbed a bottle of muriatic acid from his truck, thinking he would just…

Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That same job had a massive grout spill on some expensive Italian porcelain. I had to get that cement…

I spent three days grinding a foyer in a custom home last month because a homeowner thought that natural meant vinegar was a safe bet for cleaning. They followed a viral video suggesting a mix of vinegar and baking soda to scrub their grout lines. By the time I arrived, the 24 inch polished Italian…

The chemistry of calcium stearate buildup To clean soap scum from grout without bleach, you must use an acidic solution like distilled white vinegar mixed with dish soap or a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. These agents break the calcium stearate bonds without eroding the cementitious matrix or the pigment of your grout…