Grout

[DiscoStu]

Anyone know a good way of removing grout? Is a multi tool any good?



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[Water-Mark]

With the right blade it will.
Though they will also chip the tile edges given half a chance.

 

[Woodchips2]

Here are a few ideas including a multi-tool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njFn2zz6hSE

Regards Keith

 

[petermillard]

Yep, segmented carbide or diamond blade on a multi-tool does the job. Not fun though - I'd rather re-tile :/

 

[Wuffles]

I've done this with a handheld carbide grout rake, worked a charm, was potentially quicker/safer than using my multitool at the time as the tiles were very soft and one false move could have made a mess. They're about £3 and exist everywhere if it helps.

 

[Homers double]

I used a 4 inch grinder with a thin diamond disc in it. Very dusty, PPE and extractor very necessary, before Christmas we tiled a shower for a customer with white metro tiles and black grout (their idea) , it looked absolutely stunning, any way client really didn't like the black grout so it had to be changed to white, tried with multi tool but was very slow progress tried the grinder approach and 7.2 square meters de grouted in a few hours, the corners were a bit tricky but there was no damage to the tiles

 

[Alexam]

Anyone know a good way of removing grout? Is a multi tool any good?



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I've had that for years. I take one pill a day now and it's fine. Your Doctor can get you sorted.

 

[DiscoStu]

Oh dear! I'd not seen my Dr for about 10 years, and I've seen her a number of times recently so I hope I don't need her for tiling!


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[Eric The Viking]

Try a multi-tool with one of the rectangular carbide blades from Saxton* (NOT a semicircular one). Start on the slowestr setting your tool has and increase if absolutely necessary.

(I haven't tried this bit but...) You might put gaffer tape or masking tape along the tile edges to protect them a bit, but it won't help if you scuff the edge of the glaze with the cutter - that's like trying to plane up an edge towards a bit of veneer (results ain't pretty).

I've got a similar thing with a handle for non-powered grout removal (similar to this one). effective and fairly safe, but really slow (ignore the sales pitch!). Good for the awkward bits. Also consider a Dremel tool for the fiddly stuff, but with a thin diamond point rather than a disc, unless you have a right-angle head for it.

(I haven't yet tried this either... but I intend to): I have had success re-sharpening 'disposable' multi-tool blades with a diamond needle file. That worked well for wood blades, but it strikes me it might also let me make one for grout removal, but starting with a blunt wood blade and cutting coarse teeth. The big advantage being that it would be much harder to damage the tile edges.

The difficulty with all these techniques is the rate at which whatever-cutter-you-use clogs up. Once there is room for the dust to escape, either dropping free or vaccumed-up, or down into the already-cut track of the cutter, things go much better. So a thin "reformed wood" blade would be great to start off down the middle of the grout line, leaving room for a second pass to clean right back to the tile edge with something like the Saxton blade.

It's all very well using thin discs for angle grinders, but you have to keep the thing perfectly aligned in two axes (perpendicular to the tiling and on the grout line). That's very hard as they kick when they start to cut - that's when the tile damage happens. Personally, I think an angle grinder in this context is madness.

It's a horrid job, but do-able.

By the way, a viscous bleach (i.e. not runny) will get rid of black mould very well, without damaging the grout. squelch it on and leave it for about 8 hours, then rinse off. You can remove rust stains with brick acid, but that probably will attack the grout. I use brick acid very successfully on our old Belfast sink, as the bottom is thoroughly crazed over. Anything steel left in there to drip dry (e.g. pointing trowels) leaves a mark.

E.

*other makers are available, but my multi-tool is a Bosch one, and Bosch themselves don't supply a similar blade. Bosch do sell a semicircular blade, but it's not sensible for the task, and the Sxton ones use larger lumps of carbide, which is probably a good thing in this context.

 

[petermillard]

Try a multi-tool with one of the rectangular carbide blades from Saxton* (NOT a semicircular one). .. Bosch do sell a semicircular blade, but it's not sensible for the task...

ETV, not sure why you're so anti the segmented blade - I've used both, and while they certainly have their uses, I found the straight carbide blades to be much more prone to chipping the tile edge, so needs to be used with care. +1 to the bleach idea though - HG do very good mould spray and grout cleaner - very effective; I'd certainly try them before attempting a regrout.

Peter

 

[Phil Pascoe]

On two tiled floors I used the Everbuild stuff for taking stains off concrete. It worked really well, iirc it's Hydrochloric acid. Worth a go, a it's a bloody awful job, and one to avoid if at all possible.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Try a multi-tool with one of the rectangular carbide blades from Saxton* (NOT a semicircular one). .. Bosch do sell a semicircular blade, but it's not sensible for the task...

ETV, not sure why you're so anti the segmented blade - I've used both, and while they certainly have their uses, I found the straight carbide blades to be much more prone to chipping the tile edge, so needs to be used with care. +1 to the bleach idea though - HG do very good mould spray and grout cleaner - very effective; I'd certainly try them before attempting a regrout.

Peter

Semicircular : I've found it's very hard to keep the blade aligned (so you don't chip the tile edges), and it clogs far quicker than the straight one does. It's also a bit too rigid - the flex in the straight blades I find helpful.

It might also be worth deliberately blunting the sides of the blade, so it scuffs the tile rather than cutting it. I tend to use worn blades for that job anyway...

... I'm sure if you have a strong arm and a steady hand, and long vertical cuts to make, the semicircular ones might be faster. I was emphatic because a couple of attempts with semicircular blades went wrong.

E.