Shower Floor Tile Grout Staining

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Some of you may remember that I recently had a master bathroom renovated. The job was completed towards the end of May of this year, so we've been using the shower daily for the past couple months.

We have a tiled shower floor with a basket weave pattern with a silverish/light greyish grout. Recently, I've noticed small sections of the floor where the grout is dirty/stained. The "clean" photo is on the left, the stained one is on the right.

I suppose it's entirely possible that my wife and I are bad housekeepers, but I doubt that's the case here. I tried scrubbing the dirty grout with a wet nylon brush with dish soap and that made no difference.

Would you tend to think that my shower is failing?

 

[pb4uski]

I'm not sure that I would charcterize it as the shower "failing" but it definitely shouldn't be happening. I suspect that perhaps the guy didn't use the right grout. I think that epoxy grout is usually recommended for shower floors.

IIRC you and the contractor didn't end on good terms, so you may be on your own in getting things repaired.

Have you tried a cleaner with bleach in it? Scrubbing bubbles or something like that?

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

I'm not sure that I would charcterize it as the shower "failing" but it definitely shouldn't be happening. I suspect that perhaps the guy didn't use the right grout. I think that epoxy grout is usually recommended for shower floors.

IIRC you and the contractor didn't end on good terms, so you may be on your own in getting things repaired.

Have you tried a cleaner with bleach in it? Scrubbing bubbles or something like that?

Yeah, I fully expect to be on the hook for any repairs.

I was afraid to try cleaning it with anything harsh. I read about using baking soda and/or hydrogen peroxide. I might go that route next.

 

[Aerides]

Was the original grout sealed? You could try scrubbing with bleach, then sealing, and then doing that every 6 months.

Either way, I think it's a bad idea to have visible light grout in a shower, it's going to change color, even if it's sealed, just a matter of time. Water stains stuff. Are the stained sections toward the middle/drain or elsewhere?

If the middle/drain, that's kinda expected as that's where water will sit more.

 

[ERD50]

Try the baking soda and stiff brush (they make grout brushes) worked wonders on our kitchen floors. Then seal as suggested. Maybe also bleach before sealing. Let it all dry.

Good luck -ERD50

 

[Jerry1]

Was the original grout sealed? You could try scrubbing with bleach, then sealing, and then doing that every 6 months.

This is what I would do. Dilute the bleach with water (25% bleach) and see if that’s strong enough. The main thing is that it needs sealed.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

The GC assured us that we didn't have to seal it. We should have known better. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Jerry1]

The GC assured us that we didn't have to seal it. We should have known better. Thanks for the tips.

There are some grouts that claim to not need sealing. In my limited experience, they don’t perform well. Sealing isn’t going to hurt anything. Kind of a belts and suspenders thing. Especially in a wet area with lots of use like the shower.

 

[Aerides]

Non-sealing grouts are fine for things like walls, backsplashes, etc., but for a shower floor? Your GC should have known better. This will need high maintenance.

 

[freedomatlast]

People rip out fiberglass shower enclosures that still look like new after 25 years and install high maintenance tile and grout that looks worn and stained inside of a year. I don't understand it. Before we bought the house we are in now, we looked at many with recently remodeled bathrooms and most, but not all, had stained grout on shower floors. If the bleach mixture doesn't work, use a grout saw and take off the first layer and then seal. No matter what you do, this will need constant maintenance if you want it to look nice. Just hope cracks don't develop or you will have much bigger problems to worry about. Installing porous material like grout on shower floors or anywhere it will see constant water exposure and drying cycles is just asking for the accumulation of minerals from water, soap residue and anything else diluted in the water.

 

[Rianne]

Awww, I have a tile or stone shower floor, not sure and the grout is slightly stained after 12+ years. It's still beautiful. What's a little scrubbing? Vincenzo Corleone, your tile is lovely.

 

[pacergal]

Try a tile grout cleaner, or either diluted bleach or baking soda paste.
Then you can seal.
It has been my experience that even with sealing, grout in the bathroom shower or tub will eventually stain. Too much exposure to chemicals in water, soaps, shampoos, etc.
I put tile in our bathrooms when we remodeled, I love it. But it is a lot more work than our old fiberglass surround!

 

[Qs Laptop]

Looks like soap scum has soaked into the pores of the grout. Time for chemicals. I wouldn't use bleach, at least not as a first remedy, because bleach works great on mold and mildew, not so great on soap scum.

I've found a spraying on some soap scum remover on the areas at night and letting it sit overnight works wonders in my shower. The next morning spray some fresh soap scum remover on the areas. Then, using a bucket warm water and a scrub brush, scrub the grout lines. Dip the brush in the warm water just enough to carry some water off with it and scrub the grout lines. Re-dip the brush as needed and scrub other grout lines. Then rinse thoroughly.

I use Comet Bathroom Cleaner but I've had success with other brands too.

If this doesn't work you might need to resort to freedomatlast's suggestion and physically remove the top skin of stained grout.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Awww, I have a tile or stone shower floor, not sure and the grout is slightly stained after 12+ years. It's still beautiful. What's a little scrubbing? Vincenzo Corleone, your tile is lovely.

Thanks for that.

 

[wmc1000]

I agree with sealing grout no matter what. We had a large walk in shower installed in Dec 2020 and I sealed walls and floor with silicone based sealer before putting it into use. Still looks like the day it was installed after daily use for almost 2 years now.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

People rip out fiberglass shower enclosures that still look like new after 25 years and install high maintenance tile and grout that looks worn and stained inside of a year. I don't understand it...

Prior to having renovated, the shower we had was from the early 1970s and there were tiles on the walls. Granted, walls are not floors, and the seams were thinner, but they got plenty wet over the course of 50 years. The grout didn't show any real stains. Why would I think there'd be a problem after a couple of months?

Maybe that will help you to understand.

 

[aja8888]

We have a small steamer cleaner. Does wonder on cleaning grout. Once clean, apply a sealer and the next time to clean the grout will be easier.

 

[MissMolly]

I'm not convinced it is stained. That looks like moisture trapped under the tiles to me.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

I'm not convinced it is stained. That looks like moisture trapped under the tiles to me.

I had that thought too.

 

[pb4uski]

I'm not convinced it is stained. That looks like moisture trapped under the tiles to me.

I had that thought too.

Could you confirm or deny that hypothesis by putting a hair dryer on low heat setting on one part of the "stained" area and leaving it run for a few hours? I fthe darkness goes away then it may well be mositure tralled under the tiles, if not then its more likely really stained.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Cement grout was used on the shower floor. I just learned about epoxy grout and I think that should have been used instead. I wish the contractor had advised me accordingly.

I watched a YouTube video showing someone removing grout with a tool specifically for that purpose. Doesn't look like THAT big of a deal to remove the grout and re-grout with the epoxy grout. Thoughts?

 

[Koolau]

Cement grout was used on the shower floor. I just learned about epoxy grout and I think that should have been used instead. I wish the contractor had advised me accordingly.

I watched a YouTube video showing someone removing grout with a tool specifically for that purpose. Doesn't look like THAT big of a deal to remove the grout and re-grout with the epoxy grout. Thoughts?

I've never done it, but I have heard that steam cleaners may sometimes work to clean grout. Then you can seal. Good luck.