Monday, February 23, 2009

Grout

First off, thanks for easing my guilt a bit about the tv. I know it's not bad in moderation, but it's easy to feel like something is getting the best of you.

In other happenings, I spent 4 hours on my hands and knees yesterday. Cleaning grout. With a toothbrush. Our kitchen tile grout had gotten so disgusting in the 3 years we've lived in this house that it was brownish-gray. Originally, it was off-white (bone to be exact). You can see an example here:
The upper right portion has been cleaned, the bottom left has not. Biiiig difference. 

The tile floor was our first project when we moved into this house and it was my first time tiling. I made mistakes, but learned from them. Some of the tiles are different heights, the grout lines are not straight and I did not cover the backs off all the tiles completely with mortar (hence why some of them cracked in the corners and have to be replaced). But I learned and our most recent tiling project (the kid's bathroom) turned out much better. Don't be afraid to tackle tiling. It's actually a lot of fun and practice makes perfect. But don't forget to seal the grout!

Lastly, here's something to think about if you plan on selling your house anytime soon:

I found this on Owlhaven who in turn found it on Challies, so check them out too!

2 comments:

Colleen said...

Your grout looks great! What did you clean it with? Mine is getting to that point too.

That housing chart is just unbeliveable. I wish they would just let house prices drop. I know that's hard for people who paid too much for their house, but it need to be corrected. Thanks for that link.

Kit Kat said...

I cleaned it with TileLab OneStep Cleaner & Resealer. It worked almost instantly. I just scrubbed with the toothbrush and wiped up the excess liquid with a paper towel. It's like a brand new floor!

I agree with you about housing prices, but as someone who bought at the height of the market in 2006 and knows they're going to be selling within the next year, it's a hard thing to accept.