Oh No! My grout won't cure in the shower

[Richard]

I can screw up the simplest jobs sometimes.

I regrouted our shower. I started on the floor, worked my way up the wall. Working in the shower roughed up the new grout between the floor tiles so at the end I put more on the floor to smooth and fill the bad places. I really don't know if it was a bad thing to put grout on wet grout.

Now two weeks later there are places on the floor where the grout is still gray instead of turning white. Maybe 10% or so of the grout on the floor. Some scattered around the floor, a few places where there are lines of gray. All the grout feels hard, even the gray stuff.

I still haven't sealed it, hoping it will finally dry out. Has anyone ever seen something like this happen? Am I going to have to regrout the floor? Or, curses!, have to call someone who actually knows something about ceramic tile.

Any suggestions or experience will be appreciated.

Thanks, Richard

[jtnospam]

You may have applied grey grout instead of white grout, check the container.-Jitney

[G Henslee]

One or the other, or live with it.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

What type of grout did you use?

[Jennifer]

Option #3 - Use a golored grout sealant like the one from AquaMix. It applies like paint.

[Frank Boettcher]

Several months ago I put down a tile floor and it was my first time to do so. I grouted with laticrete 1500 tri-poly sanded grout, parchment color. I ended up with the grout lines being somewhat variable in a dark/light manner.

I was told that the mistake I made was not being extremely consistent when I sponged the grout with regard to the amount of moisture in the sponge. If it is more moist the grout lines come out darker, more dry, they come out lighter. The sponge really has to be squeezed very dry each time you rinse it to insure consistency.

If it is any consolation, over the ensuing two months the grout lines seem to be getting more consistent in color or at least shade to the point that I'm going to continue to do nothing and hope for further improvement. It looked just OK initially and much better two months later.

Frank

[Sherman]

Fans and heat lamps.

[Doug Miller]

Then it's cured.

After two weeks, it's as dry as it's going to get.

Different brands of grout, or even different batches of the same brand, can be different colors. Also, using too much or too little water in the mix can change the color slightly -- not much, but enough to be noticeable when you're seeing them side-by-side.

You might be able to bleach to gray parts...

... but this sounds like your best bet.

[dadiOH]

Hard = "cured"

[Richard]

Thanks, I was hoping there was such a product. I will get to the tile store this weekend. For the other people who responded- all the grout I used was from a single 10# box of Polyblend non-sanded grout, antique white color. Richard

[G Henslee]

Some "antique white" grouts are anything but white.