hi all, just wondering if anyone could help me. I've got to quote a customer for a re grout. The area to grout is 14m2 and the tiles are 200 x 400mm with 2mm grout lines. My question is how long should this take roughly? its my first re grout so not sure on the time so dont know what to charge. Any help would be cool!! cheers

id defintley go day rate with this personally ive never done a re grout job. It will probably take you a full day to rake out and re do.

should take no longer than a day,and as above i would charge your normal day rate!

watch you dont chip the tiles as those are small grout lines.What do you intend using to remove the grout m8?

i thought day rate. will i be able to get grout out with grout rake? what else could i use? cheers

grinder or fein grout remover,on second thoughts maybe grout lines are to small for the grinder!

Originally Posted by david campbell

grinder or fein grout remover,on second thoughts maybe grout lines are to small for the grinder!

remove 20 sq m in a day ?
Even with a fein ?
Are you sure ?
And re grout as well ? Sounds optimistic

I agree Tina.

if you've got an old pad saw, try that, I had to replace a tile recently (plumber had broken it screwing towel rad in), didn't have my grout rake or a fein, but my pad saw was handy so I used that to rake the grout out. It did it without chipping and it was a lot more comfy in the small of your hand

20m2 Doug lol....might be ok for small areas but i think the guy is being unrealistic if he thinks he can rake and regrout in one day(24hrs maybe)

I hate regrout jobs,but wouldnt knock it back if its all i had.

Sure its only 14m2 brian, im same, hate re-grouts, got one next week, dont do them that often.

without a doubt Brian, I'd go at least a day to rake out 14m2 and a half day to re-grout

Originally Posted by doug boardley

if you've got an old pad saw, try that, I had to replace a tile recently (plumber had broken it screwing towel rad in), didn't have my grout rake or a fein, but my pad saw was handy so I used that to rake the grout out. It did it without chipping and it was a lot more comfy in the small of your hand

if it was me i would be pushing for a refit.

might be a stupid question but have you tried a good grout cleaner. It will still take a day to do so its still chargable but might be less hastle.

Icjohno just asked for advice on a re-grout...

Tile Doctor | Pro-Clean Tile, Stone And Grout Cleaner - Stripper & Degreaser

two days stanley knife then a morning to re grout and silicon

i do three a year no more usually ends up costing the customer the same as it cost for the monkey to tile it in the 1st place but they pays their money they take their choice and standard of work

i did one last year about 30 sq m big bathroom took three weeks two days per week to get the grout out (grout rakes do not work on 2mm gaps and a fein bounces too much so its a stanley knife) they were vv v happy witht the work and basically gave them the bathroom they wanted after mr builder but i can tile had done his work

got a call last month can i go and tile their kitchen floor about 28 sqm because of the effort i put in on their bathroom i did not even for to quote just find them the tiles and i can get on with it to suit my diary

Still not sure if it was worth the pain from those days scraping away

i use a hardie backer cutting tool, ive a feeling that it is 2mm wide so take care not to pull any tiles off

it took me two days to do 14m2

and my arms and shoulders were killing me

Is the "Grout Grabber" available in the UK? It's a bit nerve-wracking to use (trying to not damage the tile), but it is easier than cutting is all out by hand.

YouTube - Grout Grabber Grout Removal Tool

thanks for the input guys, i'll talk to customer and explain the time its gona take and ask what they want to do, if you saw the tiles you'd wonder why they want re grout. I'd like it if they did re tile but money is tight for everyone at moment, including me so i cant turn the work down! cheers again folks

Have to agree with previous posts, regrouting is one of least liked jobs. Very time consuming and not much to show for days work. In past have been caught out when quoting fixed cost, always go for hourly/day rate. Do take your time as only one slip with whatever tool you use can result in much aggro for you if a tile is chipped or damaged. Fien tool is fairly good but corners need extra care. Dremmel have 1.6mm drill bit for grout removal (and one slightly bigger for larger than 2mm lines) again watch out for hand shake as rotation is mega fast.