I just grouted the ceramic tiles I laid in my kitchen. The grout was supposed to be a dark maroon color, but it turned out a whitish powdery color (efflorescence). What is the main cause of this...it can't be water coming from underneath the tiles because the basement is underneath the kitchen floor...unless it came from the mortar under the kitchen tiles. How do I get rid of the efflorescence. Grout cleaner didn't work...should I use salfamic (spelling?) acid and scrub the grout lines? Can J just refloat new grout over the existing grout? HELP...I need to put my base cabinets in, but I can't stand looking at my floor the way it is.
You have a larger problem than you think, that is if your basement floor is of solid construction. If so you have damp in the floor, and sorry to be the barer of bad news but it wont go away. You need a d.p.m. in sub floor prior to tiles is the only way. Jeff
Was it a premixed grout? If you mixed it yourself you might have added too much water or took too long to spread it. Using too much water to clean the grout off could be the problem also. Grout also has a shelf life. You cannot grout over grout. You might find a grout stain to stain the grout the color you want. Don't use acid! Tiles can be cleaned with vinegar and water.
You need to go to a regular tile shop and get the cleaner made for this. The cause of it can be many , for not mixing enough to washing it w/ to much water during grouting. Regular grout cleaner won t cut it. There are several brands that do this so going to XYZ tile place and asking for something they may not have that brand but a brand they use on occasion or a brand available to them. HD does carry a bottle called Remove by Hydroment . You may want to try that And you cannot just grout over it the grout will not adhere and stay, it doesn t have enough to grab onto. Any questions you can e mail me GL
