So, I lost my mind! As you are aware if you are reading this, a bathroom reno is no small chunk of change $$$$. I had put hours of work, planning and waited with anticipation for the shower and shower pan to come together as perfect as it was imagined in my mind. And, no exaggeration- the shower pan was redone twice (ok, maybe thrice but who's counting?!!) to get it perfectly level for the tile install. My shower was finally done and as you will see in picture number one, the BLACK grout was a hazy whitish-grey. I was sick! I envisioned crisp, black grout lines. This wasn't the look I wanted. Why?! Why was my grout so discolored? I scoured the internet and the most accurate information that I could find was that my hard water completely messed me up. I quickly came to the conclusion from my research that the grout mixing process can be affected by hard water. The hard water can cause the trace elements and minerals to develop a patchy, crusted and/or hazy finish. This was not acceptable to me and I knew if I didn't find a solution, I would obsess over this shower pan for years to come....
Full disclosure here, I am presently NOT an affiliate and or endorsing any particular product but....I had used a Mapei grout, color Black. I began looking for Mapei solutions or other products that might solve my problem. I knew that a good old scrub on the grout lines wouldn't change a thing. The grout was discolored through and through. What I did find was a Mapei product called "UltraCare Grout Refresh." I picked up Grout Refresh, color black (it comes in multiple colors by the way) and went to work! I figured I had nothing to lose...the grout lines were making me nuts and I had to take a chance. With a small craft brush, I tested a corner of the shower pan and was pleasantly surprised. The UltraCare was completely transforming the look. This is what I had envisioned all along...crisp, clean, sharp and SOLID black, grout lines. You will see in picture #2, the before and after paint grout lines for comparison. Picture #3 is the completed pan.
As I am a bit cra cra, I found the job to be rather satisfying as I worked my way across the shower pan. The product bonded quickly and...it did not bond to the tile itself only to the grout. I am beyond happy with the results. I followed the directions carefully allowing a short cure time. My other concern, will my feet be black the next time I go to shower lol? I'm happy to say, no black feet! The UltraCare worked perfectly and I now have the look I was hoping to achieve. I do think the product could be used to refresh old tired grout lines as well and/or even change your grout line color. Best of luck! I hope you find this helpful if you too are struggling with a tired tile and grout look!
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