Ask the Expert

ANSWER:

Getting dried grout and/or grout haze off tiles can be a very difficult process. The tiles can make this harder. If they have a rough surface the grout sticks even more.

There are various products available to remove grout haze from tiles. The less powerful ones are available at Home Depot, Rona, Home Hardware, etc.. The more powerful versions would be available at your local tile and stone supplier. The problem is that they all are acid based. They will damage clothing and plant materials. You should do a test spot to see if it will work, and how it will look finished. You will need to use rubber gloves and scrub brushes. I would not use metal scrubbers as they can change colour in the grout and tile.

Expert's Bio

Rob Wright has grown up around construction. His father is a engineer and from a young age he was taken to many construction sites. He went to Algonquin College to study architecture and engineering, and during summers worked on various construction sites in various roles. From college, he worked for many different commercial general and excavation contractors in Ottawa and Toronto. This involved projects as diverse as water treatment plants, office towers, shopping malls, recreation faculties, and schools. In the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Since that time, Rob has helped many homeowners improve their homes. The projects have ranged from simple home repairs to extensive addition and/or rebuild renovations in various locations in Eastern Ontario. In addition, Citadel Renovations has supplied services to Home Depot customers. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and has been the Renovation Council Chair in the past. Recently, Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects.