After energizing a bit at breakfast this morning, I decided to scrape out what I think is "crud" on top of grout on the counter:
As soon as the wife saw me digging away, she wryly reminded me of all my mistakes from the past, and suggested that I go and find something to fix anywhere else - but not in "her" kitchen:
She wasn't convinced at all that this is pure crud, not grout:
Isn't it?
maybe. probably. you might use a brass brush to remove it, or a plastic tool of some sort. i wouldn't use that metal screwdriver, as if you scar up the underlying grout, it'll look worse, and you'll then be asking how to remove grout so you can do a regrout job (which i don't look forward to because it'll be another 500 post thread).
Grout comes in all kinds of colors. Looks like black grout to me.
Ever consider that you might be at least a little OCD?
What's confusing is that the black stuff is soft, and grout, I would think, would be rock hard - yet - I would also think that a countertop should be smooth and not have crevices for crud to inevitably get trapped in.
Do any of you have a similar countertop?
Is yours smooth across the edges of the blocks? (I'm not sure what material it's made of. Granite?)
I'll also look at a countertop store; but they'll only have new stuff, and not stuff that has been in use for years.
Who me? :)
Check it out:
Can't hurt...MUCH.
"Its sufferers commonly share personality traits such as high attention to detail, avoidance of risk, careful planning, exaggerated sense of responsibility and a tendency to take time in making decisions."
sandless grout is softer than sanded grout. i have 1' granite tiles with very thin grout lines. grout should be just below the surface of those tiles, and smooth. either it was a bad job, or it's crud.
you might put a paper towel over the lines, dampened with a strong gleaner (409 or such) for a while. see if it gets really soft. if so, it's crud.
this is why granite slab is so popular, btw. no grout.
"Its sufferers commonly share personality traits such as high attention to detail, avoidance of risk, careful planning, exaggerated sense of responsibility and a tendency to take time in making decisions."
Can't be me because I don't have an exaggerated sense of responsibility!
I'll try that (when the wife leaves the house), and report back.
I must agree. It's crazy to have places that will just trap crud.
Same thing with the edge of the counter behind the sink; it should be a smooth curve!
OCD comes in mild, hardly noticeable all the way to can't go outside debilitating.
If you think you might have some of the symptoms (and from here you seem like you might), the best thing to do, is learn to listen to your wife when she tells you to worry about something else.
Meanwhile, if you can avoid annoying others, you can use it to your advantage. Sounds to me like you're getting lots of things accomplished.
Go tell your wife thanks.
Danny D wrote in news:ko5g1e$h23$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
Looks like grout to me. What makes you think it isn't?
Looks like grout to me. What makes you think it isn't?
It would be OCD if he did it every day, whether or not the crud was there, but every once in a while? I do my grout with Simple Green and a toothbrush every hour. :-)
Considering the color of the countertop and the evenness of the color, I'd say it is grout. It may pick out easy, but if not careful, you'll f-up the entire counter. It may need sealing or regrouting.
If that grout can be scraped out with a small screw driver like that, then it wasn't done properly from the start. I would have been soft and easily scraped away since the tiling was done.
If the grout does scrape out easily like that, then I'd regrout that top.
If there are tiles on the backsplash and floor tiles on the floor, I'd check the grout in those places as well.
Hmm, I'd steam clean it fisrt and see.
It's probably algea. Tiled worktops/counters are extremely unhygenic, people get food poisoning from bugs living in the cracks which can't be properly cleaned,
All I really want to know, is if it's crud or grout. I'll run the 409 test, and report back.
If it's grout, it stays; if it's crud, it goes.
It's soft. It's cruddy. When I scraped it away, a beautiful "V" shaped crevice resulted.
On the other hand, the "v" crevice isn't flush with the material.
BTW, is this granite or fake granite or what? How can I tell?
Danny D wrote, On 5/29/2013 2:05 PM:
If its crud you don't need a screwdriver to remove it. If it's crud, some soapy water and a brush will remove it, do they?
Danny D wrote in news:ko6vhv$36f$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
When compared to a steel screwdriver, grout *is* soft. As for "cruddy"... maybe it wasn't a very good grout job.
When you're scraping it out with the corner of a screwdriver, what else would you expect??
Of course not. You scraped some of the grout out.
Try to gouge the granite -- on the underside -- with your screwdriver. If you can, then it's a synthetic composite material; if the screwdriver gets worn down, it's probably real.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required