Help with this grout

[daniel@procarpet]

What am I dealing with here?

Customer emailed me some pics of tile that was regrouted two weeks ago and no water has been turned on. She says it is grout bleed back. Can I just apply some color seal over this or does it need something else?

 

[danbrown]

Assuming the grout and caulk were in terrible condition when you did the restoration, there is moisture in the pan that is wicking through.

Were I in your shoes I would color seal it and sleep soundly that night. Its funny though, acrylic showers always end up coming back to bite me in the ass in one way or the other, so much so that I am going to start excluding them from any shower advertising we do.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Good advice.

 

[Mikey P]

Unsanded grout :!:
Color seal wont stick and even if it were sanded the last thing you want to do it trap moisture underneath with colorseal.

It'll peel off in less than a year.


Put a air mover in there for a few days to a week to dry it out than put the priciest solvent sealer you can find


Dry Treat preferably.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Unsanded grout :!:
Color seal wont stick and even if it were sanded the last thing you want to do it trap moisture underneath with colorseal.

It'll peel off in less than a year.


Put a air mover in there for a few days to a week to dry it out than put the priciest solvent sealer you can find


Dry Treat preferably.

Better advice

 

[Bee Busy]

like Dan said..there's moisture underneath...can't be fixed until pan is fixed

 

[Vivers]

This is exactly what I was going to say. Un-sanded grout will not hold the color seal. On shower pans with un-sanded grout we re-grout all the pan. Shower pans suck!

 

[alazo1]

I agree that there's a moisture issue. Nothing you do on the top will resolve the issue.

 

[Mikey P]

maybe pulling that silicone edge out and using those hard wood drying plates would help

 

[danbrown]

I like the drying plate idea.

Who's to pay for all this extra work nonsense? Likely you Daniel.

The grout will probably be discolored from the fetid water underneath. If you're going to throw a fan (hope you get a rental fee....) in there you might as well pull the grout out first.

I have personally done ~300-400 shower restorations in the past 5 years and a large percentage of them have been unsanded white 4x4 installs. In defense, most of the pans are usually plastic/acrylic. Color seal will stick to unsanded. I do use Grout Perfect if anyone asks.....

 

[Hoody]

I'd rip out the caulking and put a small LGR dehu like the Evolution in there to dry it out, just an air mover may work but baking it out would work a lot faster, and ensure better drying.

 

[Mikey P]

Color seal will stick to unsanded. I do use Grout Perfect if anyone asks.....

in a shower that's used twice a day?

for how long?

How new does the grout have to be?

Do you offer a guarantee?

 

[danbrown]

Color seal will stick to unsanded. I do use Grout Perfect if anyone asks.....

in a shower that's used twice a day?

for how long?

How new does the grout have to be?

Do you offer a guarantee?

I prompt all clients to have service at least once a year so we can make sure they have brand new looking floors/showers year round. Realistically I see people who do call for shower maintenance cleanings on a 12-15 month basis. Floors even longer.

Curveballs to watch out for are when the shower has been regrouted and lines are the height of the tile, or have been caulked. Both of those situations are better suited for complete regrouting.

Who offers a guarantee in showers? I do not. If they have any installation issues, they know the number to call. Can and do callbacks happen? Yes. Do they happen frequently? No.

A maintenance cleaning usually involves a simple pressure washing with the truckmount, followed by minor color touchup (usually from the blasting of the pressure lance), and minor recaulking as needed. It really isn't rocket science, hell we rarely use a cleaner of any sort on the initial restoration aside from super heated 1k psi water from the El Diablo.

 

[Mikey P]

Dan your website and featured photos of your work are real impressive.


What is your enhancer of choice, especially on slate?

 

[danbrown]

Thanks! The website was revamped only 2 months ago give or take. Still needs some content tweaks but I'm too busy to be arsed atm.

We use Aquamix Enrich N' Seal because it's easy to grab at Lowes, and I have been impressed with it's low odor compared to 511 Enhancer (cant remember the exact name) that I used to use. I'm always ready to try the next best thing.

 

[Mikey P]

So what are your feelings about the longevity of AM gold?

Will it withstand alkaline/turbo type cleanings like Dry Treat does?

 

[danbrown]

I rarely clear seal, when I do I use Dynachem Ultra. I've just seen way too many issues with clear sealers that are more topical causing more problems than they solve. Including stripping jobs that nearly stripped my wallet in addition to my lungs. As for the longevity, I tell people that the Dynachem will hold up to 1-3 professional cleanings, and color seal they never have to fully reapply again.

The only time I prompt someone to clear seal is when they have issues with the tile holding onto dirt. This is another rarity, and the usual culprit is left over grout residue in the pits of the tile that gets removed through an acid wash.

 

[Mikey P]

So this was color sealed?

and enhanced?

which went 1st?

 

[danbrown]

That one was stripped, acid washed, and enhanced. If I recall the slate was pretty smooth and the grout lines were the right depth for CS but she didn't like the combo price so we just went au naturale

I would have colored first. I find the enhancer will tend to eat up light amounts of color seal haze.

 

[Johnny]

That one was stripped, acid washed, and enhanced. If I recall the slate was pretty smooth and the grout lines were the right depth for CS but she didn't like the combo price so we just went au naturale

I would have colored first. I find the enhancer will tend to eat up light amounts of color seal haze.

You acid washed natural slate?

I did a slate floor in a restaurant that had been mopped with an acid cleaner that caused etching in areas.

 

[danbrown]

Test first obviously. I have never encountered an acid sensitive slate in my neck of the woods.