Many people would like to darken the color of their grout . . . In these cases there are ways to darken the grout to give it a much darker color and more even looking appearance.

 

 

It is a common problem for the color of the grout to look much lighter than desired. Often times people do not know how to choose a grout color and they rely on the colored paper swatches for picking out their grout color.  Paper color swatches will typically not give you an accurate representation of the color of the grout when it is actually installed.

The installed grout color can come out too light for a variety of other reasons.  Using too much water in the grout mixture is a common reason for the grout color to look too light.  Too much water in the grout can also cause the grout to look splotchy with different areas of dark and light colored grout throughout the grout lines.

In many cases especially with darker colored grout such as black grout the grout has lost its full rich color over time.  In many cases no type of grout grout cleaning products or procedures are available to clean the grout and bring back the original look and color to the grout.  Replacing the grout especially if the grout is a hardened sanded grout in a tile floor can be a time consuming and messy procedure.  In most cases regrouting your tiles should be the last option to consider.  A regrouting procedure is not only a time consuming and messy job but it also has the potential to damage the tiles.

 

 

The first thing that you should do when you realize the grout color is not to your liking is to analyze the grout first. It is important to allow the grout to dry for at least a week to ensure that the grout has fully cured and the color of the grout has fully stabilized. In some cased there may still be a grout haze on the surface of the grout that is causing the grout to look too light. Also in some instances an efflorescence film has formed on the surface of the grout. You should try to clean the grout with water and a mild acidic tile and grout cleaner to ensure that all of the grout haze and any efflorescence has been removed from the surface of the grout. You should then thoroughly rinse the grout and allow the grout to fully dry to asses the true color and condition of the grout.

Stonetech Restore is a gentle acidic cleaner that works great to remove grout haze and efflorescence from tile and grout.  A one gallon container of stonetech restore will clean approximately 1000 sq/ft of tile and grout.

It is important to not do things to darken the grout that could damage the tiles and also cause irreparable harm to the existing grout.  You should never try to seal the grout with an impregnating sealer until you are satisfied with the look and color of the grout. Clear impregnating sealers will initially darken the grout when they are applied but when they dry the color of the grout will be exactly the same as before you sealed the tiles. 

Enhancing sealers will sometimes work well to darken the color of the grout.  Enhancing sealers are impregnating sealers designed to enhance the color of stone tiles. Enhancing sealers were never designed to darken or enhance the color of grout so you should always test an out of the way area first to see what type of results you can expect with an enhancing sealer.  In some cases an enhancing sealer will give you satisfactory results for darkening grout but it is important to test the area first.

A one gallon container of enhancing sealer will generally seal 1000 sq/ft of grout in a typical tile floor installation.

 

 

 

 

Topical glossy or matte type sealers should also not be applied to darken the color of the grout. Topical sealers will not properly adhere to ceramic or porcelain tiles and the sealer can start to chip and flake away. Also topical sealers should not be applied to most types of stone tiles such as marble, granite, travertine or limestone. A topical sealer will not allow these types of stone tiles to breath properly causing the tiles to spall and break apart. In some cases where indoor slate or saltillo tiles have been installed you can apply a topical sealer to the tile installation and this topical sealer will work to darken the grout.  Topical sealers can give slate and saltillo tile installations a beautiful glossy or matte look that is desired by many homeowners.  You should understand though that topical sealers will eventually scuff up and scratch over time and they will need to be stripped away and reapplied periodically.

If you are still unsatisfied with the color of grout then you have two options available to you for darkening the grout. The first most difficult option for darkening the grout is to replace the existing grout.  In some cases where the grout is also cracked or installed sloppily it may make sense to simply remove the grout and install a new darker colored grout. Also after you remove the grout you may consider installing an epoxy grout or a urethane grout instead of a normal cement based grout. Epoxy and uethane grouts have the advantage of being much more truly colored so the grout color swatch that you pick will more closely match the true color of the grout. Also epoxy and urethane grouts will have a much more even color to them so you will not end up with and uneven or splotchy grout color. Other advantages of these synthetic grouts is they never have to be sealed and they are much easier to clean and maintain than normal cement based grout.

The easier, less messy way to darken the grout is to color seal the grout.  Colorsealing grout involves applying a topical colored sealant to the grout. The grout color will take on the color of the color seal and your grout will now have a much more even color than it originally had. A grout color seal will also seal the grout and protect it better than a normal impregnating clear sealer will. In cases where the grout color looks too light you can also use the grout color sealer to lighten up the color of the grout.

 

 

Color sealing grout is a great way to darken the grout or change the grout color to whatever you want.  A color sealer is a lot easier to clean than grout that is sealed with a normal impregnating sealer.  Color sealing grout costs more than a normal grout sealer but the benefits of color sealing grout will pay out over time.  Never having to seal your grout again and having easy to clean and maintain grout will make a color sealer more economical and less work in the long run.  You can read more about color sealing grout here.

 

 

In many cases it is best to let a tile and grout cleaning and restoration company handle your grout restoration projects for you . . . Tile and grout restoration contractors have the tools and experience to get the job done right . . .

You can read more information about how to hire a tile and grout cleaning and restoration contractor at our contractor information page here.