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Regrouting shower floor advice please!

Hey all,
Last time I got some detailed and truly helpful advice from this community that allowed me to sort all the toilet problems I was having at the time. Now I'm back at my parent's place and looking at regrouting their shower floor.

My sibling went ahead a bought a bunch of stuff from Bunnings on the advice of a staff member:

* Adhesive Tile premixed Dunlop 310ml Tile All Plus

* Grout Ready To Go Dunlop 800g (ultra white)

* Saw Grout QEP Carbide

* Grout sanitised Davco 1.5kg Ivory

* Tiling Tool QEP Sealant Smoother

* Adhesive Spreader Plastic QEP 8MM SQ Notch

I've watched the How to Grout Tiles DIY Bunnings vid, but was wondering about these specifics regarding regrouting.1. Do I need to wait for the floor/old grout to dry before applying new?
2. Do I need to remove old grout in order to apply new? The aesthetics of the floor aren;'t important to us.
3. Can I just use the Grout Ready to Go instead of the premixed Dunlop? I'm unsure why the staff member recommended both, so I'm thinking of returning the Dunlop.

I've included some photos of the floor as is. I have some questions. Please excuse any unsightly bits of hair lol

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Jewelleryrescue

Hi @rosharch

Adhesive Tile premixed Dunlop Is a tile glue. Ie gluing tiles to the wall and floor only use this to reglue loose or new tiles. You also have a Adhesive Spreader Plastic QEP 8MM SQ Notch So that must mean you guys said you wanted to lay new tiles?? If your not laying new tiles you dont need this stuff .

Grout Ready To Go Dunlop 800g (ultra white) this is a premixed wet grout . VS Grout sanitised Davco 1.5kg Ivory which is a powder that you mix with water to a tooth paste consistancy .

You will find all these in Bunnings tile aisle in your store. 🙂

You are missing grout pushing tool, or float or squeegy. For pushing new grout into cleared out grout lines. (the plastic 8mm notch may work if you use straight edge.)

You need cleaning sponge to wipe tiles at 45 degrees to grout lines after 15 min setting time Watch more grouting youtubes is best here

You need a white polishing cloth for next day grout haze clean up.

I've watched the How to Grout Tiles DIY Bunnings vid, but was wondering about these specifics regarding regrouting.

1. Do I need to wait for the floor/old grout to dry before applying new? Answer Clear out old grout. physically with Saw Grout QEP Carbide. vacuum dust and clean tile with ideally Steam or mould killer wash the floor. soak up loose water. Now apply grout to damp floor is fine as grout is cement based and works with water.
2. Do I need to remove old grout in order to apply new? The aesthetics of the floor aren;'t important to us.

Answer:Best to remove 1 to 3 mm old grout and it helps get mould spores out.also the new grout is thick and has a good consistant colour

3. Can I just use the Grout Ready to Go instead of the premixed Dunlop? I'm unsure why the staff member recommended both, so I'm thinking of returning the Dunlop. Please dont use Adhesive Tile premixed Dunlop Is a tile glue not a grout.

Grout to go is pre mixed and simpler to use VS Davco grout you mix yourself both will work for re grouting after you scrape out the old grout 1 to 3 mm deep. To thin(not scraped out enough the grout color will not be solid and consistant. You should pick one of these products the colour you like best are return the other product. Dont mix both on same floor.

Best to scrub those tile before you start for a cleaner finish later

Good luck have fun scraping at least its not a huge area.

rosharch

Hi Jewelleryrescue,

Thanks for the quick response, you've made things very clear for me to get started. The prep tips for the floor with mould killer is gold, thank you!

I'm not sure why my brother bought the tile stuff and I was confused as to why it was there...he told me he only bought what he was told for the job, but I'll ask him about that little mystery later.

I'll grab the pushing tool today from Bunnings, anything to make the job a bit easier.

I'll get going on that old grout now.

Jewelleryrescue

Hi @rosharch I would blame the sales rep is their job to advise you properly they should have asked more questions to advise you better. But all is ok no damage done

The basic sponge and grout pusher is key to making the job better with less grout air bubbles and there are low cost ones for a small job avaliable.

Well clean out as much grout as you can please dont go too deep as there is properly a water membrane under the tiles so jut 1 to 2 mm as from photos most tiles are 0.5 mm clear already.

Enjoy your project

rosharch

Well, until I talk to my sibling I won't know what went on so I'll give the staff member the benefit of the doubt for now. Maybe my brother has another project on the side.

I'm finding it difficult to remove the grout that's already in there. An hour and I've maybe done 3 tile lengths to approx 1mm depth. It's especially hard to clear nearer the tile edge. As you can see it's not clean.

Is it possible that the type of grout originally used is maybe too tough? Should I switch to a power tool? Doing the entire shower floor will take me the day. Is that necessary or can I just remove grout from the affected areas?

Pics uploaded:

Jewelleryrescue

Hi @rosharch Yes hand grout removal is tough work and grout is meant to be that hard. I have being there and done that by hand.

Well using power tools their is always the risk of cracking tiles it really comes down to your skill level here as your about to advance to some new ideas. The more radical ideas I wont mention here as as they are super risky for tile damage.

Please be advised extreme care using power tools to avoid tile damage. If you read or do the following Please dont blame me if damage occurs to your tiles as then you will have to replace the damaged tile and thats a whole new job you dont want unnecessarily.

The easiest and safest way is to use a Oscillattiing multi tool with a half circle blade the ozito brand at bunnings is quite good but work for 10 mins and let tool cool down 5 mins to protect the tool . So heres the maths how long will hand grout sracping take? whats your time worth to you $ 50per hour now ask your self should I buy the following. This will also cut timber in tight places at need as well as other uses

Bunnings Ozito 300W Multi Function Tool MFR-2200 I/N: 6290554 $99.98

It comes with 23 accessories use the gold round blade with the large carbide bits on it Or use the triangle shape similar blade.

Follow the grout lines dont twist the tool inside the slot.

rosharch

Hi again,

Thanks for the context, I think I'll keep at the manual tool for today and reassess.

And no blame at all, I'll take full responsibility for any advice I decide to follow. Thank you, it's been helpful having someone to bounce off of.

I'll update down the line

Jewelleryrescue

Hi @rosharch

The multi tool will do a much faster job. Thats how you build up experiance and collect tools for future works Being a multi tool it is fit for other functions in tight places.

But your the boss of your project no one else.

I have used a 100 mm angle grind in the past with a thin blade

EricL

Hello @rosharch

It's great that you've received fantastic advice from @Jewelleryrescue. Just to add to the suggestions made, I recommend using PowerFit 1 / 8" Grout Removal Blade to remove the grout if you're using the multi-tool. Please make sure to wear safety goggles, gloves and a good dust mask when using this tool as it will create a great deal of dust. I also propose covering your vanity, toilet and other items in the bathroom with a drop sheet to prevent them from being covered with grout dust.

If you have a shop vacuum cleaner, I suggest using this in conjunction with the multi-tool so that the dust will not spread too far out. Once you've cleared out the old grout you can then begin your preparations for grouting.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

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