I finished tiling my living room very late last Sunday, and have been chipping (literally) away at removing the grout residue from the surface of the tile after work all week, but it's proving to be a lot more difficult than I can remember from the last tile job I did. It's like trying to scrape dried concrete (reminds me of the "911 driver with more money than brains" thread) off of something. I'm using heavy duty grout remover at full strength, and a piece of wood to literally chip off the thicker areas. Anybody have any tips for a magic solution that will dissolve this stuff without damaging the tiles, or a particular tool or technique? I'm making progress, but it's very slow - there has to be a better way. Thanks.
This is new tile you just put down? What type of tile is it? Floor grout or wall grout? Sounds like there is a thick covering, rather than just grout haze. A picture would help. You can try muriatic acid diluted of course, dilution will depend on tile type. The product your using now is propably a diltued muriatic acid. Full strength it can be dangerous stuff to handle.
It's new porcelain tile that I just put down. In hindsight, I should have done the grout in small sections, and wiped it off the surface while it was still fairly wet after completing each section. Instead, I grouted the whole 400 sq ft room at one time, and consequently now have week-old dried grout on the surface. I'm finding that scraping it off square inch by square inch with a piece of hardwood and then wiping the surface with a wet rag is actually the best method, as counter-intuitive as that may sound. I'm about 2/3 of the way done. At least the weather is lousy right now, so there isn't a whole lot else I could be doing, at least not outside.
You tube shows either a nylon cup brush on a drill or vinegar and baking soda. - just google it.
I've done tons of googling, but nothing that has been suggested has worked very well. This stuff just laughs at anything I throw at it. Been at it 20+ hours, and I have at least another 10 to go. Brutal. I'm ready to buy some dynamite...
Maybe you should go for a drive!
[quote name='Rap' timestamp='1386470067' post='153383']
Maybe you should go for a drive!
[/quote]
Yeah, to pick up some dynamite.
Muriatic acid is the answer, but if it is too strong it will damage the glazed surface. You wipe it on, scrub and then right away rinse off with clean water and a rag. Make sure to change the rinse water bucket regularly.
Scotch brite disc on an angle grinder with water works.
Thanks to everyone for all the tips. After trying every solution I could find on google, the one that seems to be working best is vinegar. I was hesitant to try that one, because there were some reports of it damaging the surface of the tiles, but that doesn't seem to be happening in my case. Hopefully I'm finally in the hope stretch.
AS am ex Contractor of 27 years. after one wipes off the excess grout there is always a haze left. You must leave the tile/grout alone because if you continue to wipe you might take the grout out between the tiles. The next day using 100% white vinegar, yes it is very stinky, you wipe off the haze. The white vinegar actually is an acid strong enough to penetrate the haze. Then after this mop the floor and you are done.