Hi .. am sure many people have posted/asked this before. I did do a search but only had a few results?

So ... I've tiled my bathroom and have grouted with a Sandstone color Grout. The problem is, when the Grout is wet, it looks a better color than when its dry! ... so I've purchased a couple of bags of Grout (Brown in color) ready to re-grout my bathroom.

I've purchased a Grout Removal Tool from B&Q and have started using it.

The Grout Removal Tool requires a hell of alot of hard work and it's not that easy to use.
I've already made a few chips in some of the tiles.
Am I using it incorrectly?
Is there an easier way to remove Grout?
How much of the Grout do I need to take off to re-grout?

there isn't really a better tool without going to a fair bit of expense,you could have tried using a colour intensifier on the grout it would also seal it from changing colour when wet!

the best tool to use is a Fein Multi Master, with a diamond grout removing blade.
A Fein can be hired from most good tool hire shops for around £30 a week. The blade can be purchased from Trade Tiler for less than £30.

Have a look at AQUAMIX grout colourant, could be a lot easier than removing the grout.

piece of wood with a nail on the end...try it

Originally Posted by brian c

piece of wood with a nail on the end...try it

kirkintilloch's weapon of choice lol

thats a bit like using a bricklayers chariot brian(smart thinking)

Originally Posted by david campbell

there isn't really a better tool without going to a fair bit of expense,you could have tried using a colour intensifier on the grout it would also seal it from changing colour when wet!

I'll Google it. I'll see what color intensifier I can get ... thing is, like I said, the color is Sandstone but looks like wet sand color when wet and it's the wet sand darker color I now prefer, as ... when the Sandstone color is dry it blends in with the color of my tiles (too much).

I can't keep my Grout wet 24/7 hence I want to remove all the Sandstone Grout and re-Grout with Brown (nearest match I can get to a wet sand look)

Originally Posted by brian c

piece of wood with a nail on the end...try it

Hmmmmmm ... interesting!
Yes!



I think I'll try that!

Nice thinking Batman!

One guy mentioned the Hardie backer cutter for the boards

Originally Posted by whitebeam

One guy mentioned the Hardie backer cutter for the boards

what is that??

Consider using hand tools such as a carbide tipped grout saw and a carbide tipped grout scraper available from a tile store or home center

Originally Posted by wrl-2

what is that??

Attachment 3039

This is it,

No More Ply have one too like this
Attachment 3040

Originally Posted by brian c

piece of wood with a nail on the end...try it

Tried that, worked ok, easy going up and down the wall. Side-2-Side is hard hard work!

Originally Posted by Sir Ramic

Attachment 3039

This is it,

No More Ply have one too like this
Attachment 3040

I bought a Carbide Grout Scriber tool thing from Wilkinsons today--that is ok, works well.

Went along with Brian C's nail in a piece of wood--that was ok too. Either way, the Carbide Scribe Tool or the piece of wood with a nail is easy(ish) going up and down the wall ... side-2-side is hard work.

How deep do I need to go? My tiles are about 6mm thick.
I guess the Adhesive would be 2 or 3mm thick. So do I need to scrap away all the Grout back down to the wall or will just taking off say 5mm of Grout be ok and would the new Grout bond ok?

i hate removing grout and have found that using a grout scraper just gets all clogged up too quickly, i just stick to using a stanley knife with a new blade, i do have to change the blade around a couple of times depending on how much grout is to be removed, i use a decent stainless steel stanley and you can get the blades cheap.

** update **

I purchased a Plasplugs (pro-series) Tile Scribe which has a Tungsten Carbide tip .. the "main" use for this is to scribe ceramic tiles up to 6.5mm but have found this a great tool for removing grout.

I've used this for more than 2 hours today and after all the work, the tip is still as-new! I gently 'scribe' the Grout up and down and for the horizontal I go from left to right to left .. and so on. After a few light scribes apply more pressure and this takes the Grout clean out.

I'm getting there!

But, I do have one question I'd like to ask you 'professionals' on here ...

My tiles are about 6mm thick and I guess the Tile Adhesive would have been applied approx. 2-3mm thick. So that's 8-9mm of Grout in depth approx?

How much Grout do I need to remove before applying the new Grout? All of it (i.e. right back to the wall) or would taking away say 5mm of Grout be ok?