All About Tile Repair and Tile Installation

TIME TO CLEAN THE BATHROOM TILES

Good morning Saturday, the day you clean your bathroom, right?  Oh well, you should clean the bathroom a least once every week.  But you just hate to clean the three tile walls inside the bath tub area, right?  It just doesn’t clean right, and your sick and tired of smelling the powerful cleaning chemical to clean all around the tub area, right?  Oh what a strong odor early in the morning, right?

SO WHAT IS BEST

What would you think about using clear vinegar, baking soda, and water to clean the tiles, caulk and grout in and around the bath tub area?  Can it work and is it effective?  The answer is yes!  Cleaning sprays contain chemicals that can darken grout and remove grout from the tiles in time.  Once grout is removed from the tiles, water can enter between the tiles causing damage to the backer board and the beginning of mold in time.  Also chemicals can leave a soapy film on the tiles which gives the tiles a dull look to it.  So remember, always wipe off excess water from the tiles after every shower or bath; the water mixed with your body oil and soap can leave a noticeable stain on the tiles.

WHY VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA?

Clear vinegar mixed with baking soda and water will clean your bathroom tiles, caulk and grout better and more effective in time and is safe for you and the environment.  This combination has no harmful chemicals and is cheaper to purchase than any cleaning sprays on the market.  First use a small stainless steel basin (or small plastic bucket) and fill with less than 1/2 water.  Add about a 1/4 cup of clear vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda.  You will see the water bubbling up, this is normal when you add baking soda.  Gently use a soft brush with the mixture to clean the heavily stain grout line and discolored caulk around the tile/tub area.  You can use a sponge or cleaning rag with the mixture to clean the tiles and grout in all areas of the bathroom. Wait about a minute and wipe with a clean paper towel.  Repeat this procedure at least once of week and you will see a big difference in time.  If your bathroom grout and caulk is badly stain or in bad condition, you may have to call a tile-repair specialist to re-grout, re-caulk and clean your bathroom tiles.  If you are located in the New York City area, call me Nick The Tile Man @ 917 865-8693.

RE-GROUTING TILES

Tile Repair Specialist Manuel re-grouting ceramic tiles in the bathroom area.

Grout can discolor in time if not maintained properly. When you shower or bathe, water is splashed inside the shower and bath area and is mixed with soap, your body oils and minerals that are found in water itself. When you mix them all together, a dirty film can develop over the tiles, grout and tub. Grout can also diminish and crack in time if you use bleach or ammonia. The best way to maintain tiles and grout in your shower and bath area is to mix water, baking soda and clear vinegar in a pail or basin and wipe your grout and tiles.

TIP: Use a small cloth or sponge daily to remove excess water from tiles, shower glass doors and tub prior to you leaving the bath tub area after you showered or bathe.

Nick the Tile Repair Specialist removing old grout and caulk using one of several tools to accomplish this task.	Tile repair tools includes small scraper, large and small grout saws, utility knife, small gauge grout saw, straight edge razor and large scraper with hook edge.	Large tile grout saw is used to remove grout between ceramic tiles, that has changed color and or has signs of some mold on the grout.

GROUT REMOVAL TECHNIQUES

First remove old grout with a utility knife or a grout saw. This is a hands-on job; do not use a machine to remove grout. Take it slow when using the utility knife or grout saw when removing the old grout, you do not want to extend beyond the grout line and scratch the tile. It is better that you remove as much of the old grout that you can in the shower and tub area. You want to re-grout an entire area so it doesn’t look like a tile repair job.

TIP: If the remaining grout between the tiles is black, this can be a sign of mold. Use some bleach to remove the mold in the remaining grout of the tile before you apply new grout.

I like to use powdered grout because it’s easier to apply and remove. You can use a polymer modified grout (just mix with water) or regular grout which you should mix with an acrylic latex additive. You can purchase a grout floater which will spread the grout onto the tiles. Mix the grout until it’s easy to move but not too watery or dry. Place a small amount of grout on your floater. Work the grout between the tiles not over the entire tile. The object is to fill in the area between the tiles and avoid spreading grout all over the tile.

TIP: Work a small area at a time. Wipe the excess grout off the tiles with a sponge and clean water before grout hardens. Wear plastic gloves when you grout.

Before And After Tile Repair!

These bathroom tiles was repaired once before, very poor job that caused leaks.

Stop looking at your ugly bathroom. I can give you step by step process of removing old grout and mold and re-grout and re-caulk your bathroom tiles to make them look like the day they were installed!.

Why spend $$$$$ big money to remove and install a new bathroom when you can repair your present bathroom to look like new! Just call 918 865-8693 and ask for Nick the Tile Man. I will go to your home to see if we can clean up, re-grout, re-caulk and polish your old tiles to look new! Call me today @ 9 1 7 8 6 5 – 8 6 9 3 for an estimate. I will come to your house and explain in detail what procedure we will use to accomplish our task. You will be amazed how your old run-down bathroom can look almost like the day it was installed 40, 50, 60 years ago.

Damaged backer board was removed and new backer board installed and sealed. We removed the different colored tiles.

Not all bathroom can be clean up, re-grouted, re-caulk and tiles polished due to years of neglect, using bleach on tiles and grout, and tiles that crack or broken. But in many cases, we can removed tiles,clean and polish them, and change the backer board that is mildew, broken or missing. We re-install the tiles to make your bathroom look almost new (an in some cases like new) if the tiles didn’t bleach out, crack, or damaged by other means.

And here is the finished product. Note one color, no more two different color tiles.