How to Repair Cracked Grout in Your Tile Floor

Dealing with cracked grout is a common issue that comes up for many homeowners at some point. Grout is one of the main problem areas associated with tile of all kinds and grout can be cracked and look very bad. Therefore, learning how to repair cracked grout can be an essential skill to learn. Here are the basics of how to repair cracked grout in your tile floor successfully.

Step 1--Try Grout Caulk

One of the easiest ways to try and repair cracked grout is to simply use grout caulk. Grout caulk is a substance that matches the color of grout exactly and comes in a caulk tube. You can simply squeeze the tube and apply it to any cracks that you may have. This tends to work better on very small cracks in areas that will not be high traffic areas. However, it is the easiest method to getting rid of cracks in your grout.

Step 2--Find Matching Grout

If grout caulk does not work, you will have to find the matching grout for the floor. This will be easiest if you had some grout left over from the original installation. If that is the case, just find a bag and you are ready to go. If you do not have any left over, you should try and find the exact same brand and color as the original installation. Trying to match a different grout to the color on your floor can be very difficult. Therefore, it is best if you can find the exact same grout that you installed to make sure that it is the same color.

Step 3--Mix the Grout

Once you locate the grout that you need, you will need to mix it up. Take a bucket and mix water and grout together inside. Read the directions on the side of the bag of grout to ensure that you use the appropriate amount of water. You need to make sure the grout is the right consistency in order to begin.

Step 4--Fill in the Crack

Once you have the grout mixed up, you could try filling in the crack immediately. This will be a very easy solution to your problem if it works. Take a grout float and use it to apply grout to the crack. Then wash off any excess grout around the outside of the grout line and let it dry. If this works, you should not be able to tell the new grout from the old grout and it will look very good. However, sometimes you can tell that you patched it and another approach will be needed.

Step 5--Remove the Grout

Take a grout saw and remove all of the grout from in between the tiles. Make sure not to apply any pressure to the tile and break it while you are doing this.

Step 6--Install Grout

Once the grout is removed, use the grout float to apply new grout to the joint. Then take a sponge and wipe off the grout lines to level them off and clean excess grout.