Grout Removal

[Stuart Benoff]

Anyone have any suggestions on how to remove worn out grout from between tiles in a stall shower? Do I need to grind it out of there? Is there a way to soften it up and then scrape it out?

Thank you.

[roger61611]

there's a little tool you can get that helps grind it out, it's laborious. i dunno if a dremel or something would be applicable.

[Kyle Boatright]

On larger gaps, I've had success with a utility knife.

Might work on the smaller grout lines in a shower.

KB

[Art]

A pro told me to use a utility knife. It works ok. The special grout tools they sell are too thick.

[Zzyzx]

I did mine with a dremel & a few bits. This is where I got the bits from:

[Donald Mac Donald]

[Norminn]

Dremel tool has a special attachment for the purpose. I don't recall the diameter of the bit, so you would want to make sure it is not too big.

I removed old grout in our shower stall a few months ago using the Dremel. Worked great. There were a few tiles too close together to accomodate the bit, so it would jump out but didn't chip any tile. There had been no leaks, and the wall was solid - just developing a lot of little pinholes in the grout. Looks like new! I haven't tried a hand tool - grout saw? - but haven't got a lot of muscle.

[Mark]

I just did a grout removal in one of the baths in my house. I used a Fein Multimaster with a diamond disk make especially for grout removal. The disk vibrates back and forth (doesn't rotate as in a saw blade) and hence kept the dust to a minimum. This tool worked wonderfully. Wouldn't do another grout job without it. However, there is one drawback...it's a bit expensive....I think the Multimaster costs approx. $200.00 and the diamond disk another $50 or so. Well worth the investment, I think since the Multimaster does a superb job of sanding also.

Mark

[dadiOH]

You want to remove it all? Hydrochloric acid. Read up on it before using.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[Norminn]

He just wants to remove some grout, not the tile, nails and plumbing fixtures :o)

[Phisherman]

There is a grout saw. It has a short round blade on it. No need to remove all the gout, an eight inch is enough for the new grout to grab onto.