tiled floor advice for novice!

[flumpet]

Hi Everyone,

I have just moved, and in the kitchen i believe my tiles are quarry tiles. They are terracotta and seem to have a black grout. The grout is very discoloured and in places its missing, but only in tiny areas.

The existing grout looks black, are you able to purchase black/dark coloured grout? Looking around i can only find white or charcoal grey. Is the charcoal grey the grout i need to use? Do i have to remove all the existing grout or can i just add a small layer of grout over the top and fill in the gaps?

I scrubbed the floor as it was grimy and dirty and it does look a lot better however its not 100% clean. Would you recommend the HG polish, wax and dirt remover, and do you recommend the golvpolish? Or are there others experts would prefer?

I really appreciate your help and advice and i cant wait to renew my floor and give it the tlc it deserves!

 

[Richard C]

If the tiling was done professionally, it’s likely they used BAL or a similar trade product & you won’t find this at any of the local DIY stores. It could be either charcoal (almost black!) or dark brown, which I suspect is more likely with Terracotta quarry tiles. Unfortunately, BAL discontinued the dark brown grout 18 months or so ago when the company was taken over but I’m unsure if this was permanent or just temporary blip in supply. Try your local trade supplier or, at a push, you can get it at Tops Tiles but their prices are quiet high!

To make localised repairs (filling the gaps), rake out any loose grout quiet deep so the new has a good key into the recess. If you want to re-do the lot for a perfect colour match, the only way is to rake it all out to a reasonable depth & re-grout; don’t attempt to ‘skim’ over the top of the old, if it’s too thin & not keyed into the tiles, it will just flake off in a very short time. If it’s a quality, cement based trade grout, raking out to a suitable depth may be quiet difficult!

 

[flumpet]

Thank you so much for your reply and the great info. I looked on tops tiles but i couldn't find anything, however i did find BAL either charcoal or sandstone - "BAL Superflex Wide Joint Grout Charcoal" from 'walls and floors' would this be the kind of thing thing to use? Sounds like it is going to be a big job to remove a good layer of the grout but i think it will be worth it to get it looking good.