I used Mapei’s Grout Refresh at the old house and have
already used it in the new house.
During the construction of the new house, I did not cover
ANY of my floors after they were installed.
Lesson #1 learned:
cover the floors once they are installed. It will save a lot of cleaning work
and avoid damage.
We used real marble hexagon tile in the master shower and I
loved it. I remember picking out just the right color of grout (Mapei – Warm
Gray). We used epoxy grout that is suppose to be awesome and color change resistant
and mold resistant. However, we did not cover up the floor after it was
installed. Once tile is installed in a shower, the hardware (glass door,
showerhead, etc) can be installed. When our contractors came to install those
items, their shoes were muddy. And we have clay as our soil and clay stains so
bad! My grout was now orange!
It was hard to get pictures. From a distance you couldn’t
tell, but every time I used the shower, I saw gross orange. It looked like we
had a mold problem. Our shower was clean!
I looked into getting Grout Refresh to help, but couldn’t
find it in the color I needed. I then thought about choosing a different color
to change it to, but I loved the warm gray I had picked out. While we were at
Lowes getting the tile cut for the Laundry Backsplash, I just glanced at the
Mapei display for Grout Refresh and saw the color I needed!!! It hadn’t been
there before. I got excited and bought it.
Painting grout does not sound like a fun project, and I
can’t say that I think it is. It’s not. You can’t get the area wet for 24
hours, so I waited until Mr. JCrew left for a work trip and stayed up one night
and painted grout. It’s what I do for fun while he’s away! Haha.
I posted my first Instagram Story showing the process.
However, I got it wrong. I’ve used the product twice now and never once read
the directions. Or maybe I did and forgot. But I did not do it like the
directions said. My IG Story said to paint it on, let it dry (but not
completely) and then scrape off the paint from the tile. If you wait too long,
the paint is on there for good. However, I found I could wet it a little and
get it off. But if it’s been longer than 12 hours, it is not coming off. I
tackled a small section at a time, so by the time I stopped painting, I could
go to where I started and start cleaning the tile.
This is where I was wrong. The directions say to let the
paint sit 30-60 minutes. Then spray it with water and let it sit another30
minutes and then clean the paint of the tile.
 |
| Before |
I only tackled the orange grout in my shower. Thankfully the
whole shower was not dirty, it was just where the shower door was. Now that it
is painted, it feels brand new. Looks like it should have from Day 1 of living
in our new house. I never got that fresh start with this shower.
I find myself looking at it over and over. So glad.
I highly recommend this product. Whether you’re trying to
restore your original grout color, or want to change the previous owner’s bad
color choice. This paint is also a sealer so it will protect from future
stains.
You don’t have to be precise, but it still takes a while
using a toothbrush or a small paint brush. Pour yourself a glass of wine and
have lovely music playing in the background. It will be a long project!
UPDATE: I painted the grout of the shower floor in January
of this year. The shower is used daily and over time, the paint has washed
away! When I used this product before, I used it in the foyer, where it never
gets wet. I would not recommend this product for routinely wet areas.
