How to Repair Shower-Floor Grout

Fix the grout in your shower floor to protect the tiles.

If the grout in your tiled shower floor is chipping or cracking, it must be repaired. Grout is an important part of the shower floor in that it keeps water from getting behind the tiles, which can lead to bigger problems down the road. Fixing damaged shower floor grout involves removing the damaged grout and replacing it with new.

Things You'll Need

• Grout saw
• Hammer
• Chisel
• Paintbrush
• Vacuum cleaner with hose attachment
• Rags
• Grout
• Rubber grout float
• Bucket
• Grout sponge

Instructions

1. Remove the damaged grout from the joint with a grout saw. Run the saw back and forth over the grout until at least 1/16 of an inch of the old grout is gone. Use a hammer and chisel to carefully chip away any remaining grout that could not be removed with the grout saw. If only a portion of the grout joint is damaged, remove the grout from the entire joint.

2. Dust out any loose grout from the joint with a paintbrush. Vacuum the grout joint and surrounding area with a vacuum cleaner hose attachment. Wipe out the grout joint and surrounding tiles with a damp rag.

3. Mix the new grout according to the label's instructions. The grout should be about the consistency of peanut butter.

4. Pour a generous amount of the grout into the grout joint. Hold a rubber grout float on its edge and at a slight angle. Run the float back and forth over the joint until you start to feel pressure. This is your indication that the joint is full. Run the float diagonally over the joint a couple of times to remove excess grout.

5. Run your finger over the fresh grout to smooth it out. Allow the grout to dry for about 30 minutes.

6. Fill a bucket with lukewarm water. Wet a grout sponge with the water and wring it out thoroughly.

7. Move the sponge over the fresh grout joints one time with a gentle sweeping motion. This will remove any excess grout. Avoid running the sponge unnecessarily over the grout joints more than once or you risk disturbing the newly laid grout. Rinse and wring out the grout sponge after each pass.

8. Clean the surrounding tiles of any excess grout with a damp sponge. Once the grout has dried for the time recommended by the manufacturer, buff the tiles with a dry rag to remove any haze.

Tips & Warnings

• You can match the color of the new grout to the existing grout by taking a chipped piece into your local home improvement center, or most stores where tile is sold.

• When mixing a batch of grout, only mix enough that you can use in about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the grout will harden and be impossible to spread.

• If you are fixing a large area of grout, buy extra blades for your grout saw. These blades dull easily.

• Take care when removing damaged grout so not to scratch or chip your tile.

References

• Repair Home: Replacing Grout
• Home Envy: Tile Grout Replacement
• Don Vandervort's Home Tips.com: How to Repair / Replace Cracked Tile Grout