cheap tiles - hassle

[sm_jamieson]

I've tiled my bathroom in tiles, which were cheap but seemed pretty good when I looked at them. Later when it was too late, I realised they were bowed slightly, which made fixing a hassle. Now grouted some, and of course the brown biscuit has become an issue, since it is grinning though on some grout line edges. Most people would hardly notice, but this just spoils the job which is supposed to be clean and white. The tiles are not consistent in the edge profile, and I also wonder about waterproofing of these unglazed corners where the grout is very thin. Still, can't change now, so I need to make the best of it. I need some type of "paint" that will just "catch" the grinning bits and soak into the biscuit slightly in these areas to pigment them. I will then seal the thing with grout sealant and it should be OK. Any ideas of how to deal with this ? will grin (sic) and bear any comments made in hindsight. Note: I've now read the horror stories about such white tiles suddenly turning bright red when water is upon them - not sure whether to believe this or not. Wish I've spent more on white biscuit tiles, preferably glazed around the "corner". Cheers, Simon.

[Steve]

Some sort of paint would, surely, make the problem worse in the long term as it will eventually discolour and stand out against the tiles even more.

I'm sorry to be negative but I can't think of a way around this.

Steve

[John Rumm]

Sounds like the best bet would be a combination of keeping the grout lines as deep as you can (i.e. not shaping or sponging off to much during application) and then final sealing with something like Lithothin grout sealer. This will stop the grout and exposed edges from discolouring later.

[Brian L Johnson]

John Rumm wrote

It seems to be called 'Lithofin' by the manufacturers.

AFAICT, it's only the Bristol Tile Company that calls it Lithothin -- even though their website has links to the

website!

[John Rumm]

Indeed, I stand corrected. I usually order from these folks:

[Andy Hall]

Lithofin is a German manufacturer of a wide range of very good tiling treatment products for both wall and floor tiles, with different things for different tile types

Their products appear to be relatively expensive but the quantities needed are small and the effectiveness very good.

If you look on the Lithofin web site there is a search tool based on application which will lead you to the correct product. There are many and it''s important to choose the right one. Certainly don't just buy "Lithofin" - it could be anything.

[sm_jamieson]

The places I had grouted where it showed the most are now behind a bathroom cabinet (luckily I had only grouted one wall). And the trick is - I am painting the tile edges before grouting with a grout pen (one by "International"). It soaks into the biscuit just enough to be permanent (I've tried on a spare tile and I cant scrub it off with a scourer), but any overlapping the actual tile can be wiped off before it sets (or scraped off afterwards). I'll seal the whole lot with grout sealer before use. Cheers, Simon.