My bathroom went from 'spa day' to 'crime scene' in about 20 minutes

I decided to re-grout my shower tile myself last weekend. Watched a few videos, bought a bag of pre-mixed grout, and felt ready. The old grout was a light gray, and I picked a bright white to make it look clean. Big mistake. I mixed it way too thin, like soup. When I started spreading it, this white paste went everywhere. It dripped down the walls, pooled on the floor, and got all over the glass door. I spent the next two hours trying to wipe it off with a wet sponge, but it just smeared. The whole room looked like a ghost threw up in it. Now the grout lines are a weird, blotchy mess and I have a permanent white haze on my glass. Has anyone ever fixed a grout job this bad, or do I just need to call someone?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewperry2mo ago

Oh man, that's the grout version of a horror movie. You might need a special acid cleaner for the haze, but honestly, I'd just call someone. It sounds like a total do-over.

sarahsullivan2mo ago

My neighbor had that exact haze problem last month. She tried the sulfamic acid like @caleb_bell said, scrubbed for hours, and it just made the tiles look dull. She ended up having to call someone anyway, and they told her the grout mix was off from the start. Total mess.

caleb_bell2mo ago

But is it really that bad, @matthewperry? A lot of haze wipes off with just a wet sponge and some elbow grease. I've seen jobs that look ruined but clean up fine with sulfamic acid crystals mixed warm. Only if the grout is totally dried wrong would you need a full redo.