Cleaning grout from tile surfaces

[Huge]

I'm presently grouting the tiles in our bathroom, and I'm having trouble cleaning the grout off the tile surface.

The tiles are 33cmx33cm 'Peronda' with a glazed surface, made to look like mosaic, with the tessarae about 1.5 cm square. I'm using a made-up powdered grout recommended by the tile supplier, with a flexibility additive (which looks and smells like PVA). The grout is great stuff, sticks well and so on.

I'm applying it with a rubber faced grouting float, then scraping the excess off with the edge of the float, then cleaning the surface of the tiles with a sponge after the grout has gone off slightly.

The only problem is that this leaves a film of grout on the tile surface which seems to be very hard to remove. It sets long before the grout in the tile grooves, so sponging it off doesn't work, and when it dries, the tiles (which are the colour of vanilla ice cream) have a thin film of dried grout over the surface.

I can clean it off with a nylon pan scourer, but it's bloody hard work and there's square metres and metres of this stuff.

What am I doing wrong?

[John Rumm]

I would guess it is the additive that is bonding the film to the tiles... perhaps you should use less.

Last lot I did, I found that if I did what you describe (i.e. squeegy most of with the rubber faced float, then sponge), leave it for a day or so and the remaining residue wiped clean off with a bit of kitchen roll.

What happens if you try a bit without the additive?

[Huge]

[20 lines snipped]

Dunno.

But SWMBO is bashing away with the pan scourer as I type this and they're coming up quite well, so perhaps I'll just let her get on with it!

[Ian Middleton]

Had this problem in our shower, just leave to soak/wett for an hour or two or longer (keep on wetting, washing up liquid in water aids the wetting) and just wipes off using nylon pan scourer.

[Huge]

Thanks, I'll try that with the next lot - it's quite hard work otherwise.

[Andy Hall]

You could try using a plastic pan scourer together with a random orbital sander if you have one, set on low speed, again with wetting of the scourer. I did this on the last set of tiles I fitted to good effect.

[quisquiliae]

If all else fails you can get grout remover solution:

[Capitol]

Use a "Golden Fleece" and water, much faster than a nylon scourer. Wrapped around a block of wood as required.

Regards Capitol

[Old Bill]

Go to a tile shop used by "pros" they have 2 strengths of grout film/adhesive remover. These work well for me in difficult situations. Mind you they aren't cheap and you have to be careful as they can be acid based.