bathroom shower

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courtroom74

courtroom74

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Preparing house for sale. Any one has suggestion to clean the shower grout? I'm also open to replace the grout if I can remove it without replacing the tiles.
Thanks in advance.
 
oldognewtrick said:
Have you tried CLR and some elbow grease?
Click to expand...
Yes, CLR. OxiClean, baking Soda. Used a drill with soft brush attachment to give much more 'elbow grease'. My next thought was to use utility knife to get the grout out, or use vibrating tool (may not be able to find a very thin blade). I'm sure there's a easier way to removing bathroom/shower grout before replacing tiles.
 
You have options ! First, if the grout is really gross it will hurt your sales price, so commit to fixing this. Second, you can use elbow grease with a grout saw to score and/or remove the grout. I see this for spot removal, not an entire shower. It is ugly work.

Third, a multi-tool with a grout attachment will make the job MUCH easier. You can get a cheap version of this tool at Harbor Freight or on Craigslist. Use it, re-sell it, get most of your money back. Re-grout, re-seal the grout, enjoy the profits.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-JobMax-3-Amp-Multi-Tool-Starter-Kit-R28600/202672276
 
CallMeVilla said:
You have options ! First, if the grout is really gross it will hurt your sales price, so commit to fixing this. Second, you can use elbow grease with a grout saw to score and/or remove the grout. I see this for spot removal, not an entire shower. It is ugly work.

Third, a multi-tool with a grout attachment will make the job MUCH easier. You can get a cheap version of this tool at Harbor Freight or on Craigslist. Use it, re-sell it, get most of your money back. Re-grout, re-seal the grout, enjoy the profits.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-JobMax-3-Amp-Multi-Tool-Starter-Kit-R28600/202672276
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion, that sounds good. I already have the cheap version of multi-tool from HF. Not sure there's an attachment specially for grout removal, or are there? Or should I use the scraper attachment for this task?
 
Yes, there is such an attachment. This is THE tool for your job.

You can LIKE me now. :D
 
Consider this, if it's really bad, but you have to be a bit careful. My house showers hadn't been cleaned in years and I tried lots of things. Given that they were 4x4 tiles I didn't want to tool out the grout. I had been retiling the floors and had used muriatic acid to etch them. I used the Green Safer Muriatic Acid from HD which is mixed with water in a garden sprayer. Out of curiosity I sprayed some on the stained grout and it worked like a charm.
Cleaned, rinsed and resealed. Looks like new. You do need to be careful as it can etch metal, so cover your valves and such with plastic. And heed all warnings on the label, especially ventilation in a small space.
Try a small area on your tile to make sure it doesn't damage them. It was no issue on mine.
 
beachguy005 said:
Consider this, if it's really bad, but you have to be a bit careful. My house showers hadn't been cleaned in years and I tried lots of things. Given that they were 4x4 tiles I didn't want to tool out the grout. I had been retiling the floors and had used muriatic acid to etch them. I used the Green Safer Muriatic Acid from HD which is mixed with water in a garden sprayer. Out of curiosity I sprayed some on the stained grout and it worked like a charm.
Cleaned, rinsed and resealed. Looks like new. You do need to be careful as it can etch metal, so cover your valves and such with plastic. And heed all warnings on the label, especially ventilation in a small space.
Try a small area on your tile to make sure it doesn't damage them. It was no issue on mine.
Click to expand...
Ok, I like this idea as well. I already have muriatic acid at home, left over from doing drive way few years back. My grout is not that bad, but because it is "not up-to-date from styling perspective", a clean (well kept) look would help for sure. I'll try this first before I use the tool (already order 1/16" blade) to remove grout as it's more work.
 
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