Using bleach to clean tile floors can damage colored grout
Q. We have a new home and recently found out the person who set tiles in our floor did not use epoxy grout and did not seal the grout he did use. This tile is in the entryway and in the kitchen, so it has become discolored in the 18 months that we have lived here. Is there some process or product that will return the grout to its original mushroom color so that it can be sealed? I have tried a couple of commercial products and bleach to no avail.
A. Epoxy grout requires special care in preparation and execution, so unless epoxy grout was specified in the contract with the installer, there is no reason why he would have used it. Epoxy grout is often perceived as being more resistant to staining, and, in some cases, it may be useful for that. But not all epoxy grouts have this property, and none should be expected to be totally stain-resistant. Latex Portland cement grouts are capable of providing exceptional durability and stain resistance when paired with a quality sealer or impregnator, but the grout must be prepared, mixed, applied, cleaned, finished and cured properly. It must also be protected from dust, dirt, staining materials, moisture, vapors and other contaminants until the sealer has been applied. With cementitious grouts, this takes 28 days. Good grout is virtually impenetrable, capable of lasting many hundreds of years, and should be relatively simple to maintain. Can your grout be saved? For best results, find out the name of the manufacturer and use a cleaner and a sealer made or recommended by them.
Never use bleach to clean colored grout (unfortunately, you did). Bleach can remove color from some grout as easily as it can remove color from fabrics. For tough stains, use a poultice covered by sandwich wrap to prevent evaporation of the cleaning paste; a tile store can sell you the right kind or tell you how to make it. Cleaned surfaces must be thoroughly rinsed before the application of sealers. You should be satisfied with the condition of the grout after cleaning, because application of the sealer will permanently lock in any visible stains or discoloration. Grout colorants are available, but they have a less-than-desirable finish. Grout that is so discolored after only 18 months is indicative of poor-quality grout, inadequate maintenance or a combination of both.
Even the most carefully sealed grout will stain when materials are allowed to linger on the grout surface. Spills should be cleaned up promptly! On the other hand, not even prompt attention by a scrupulous housekeeper can prevent some porous grouts from staining. You can assess the condition of the grout by poking an out-of-the-way joint with an ice pick or other sharp tool. If the point can penetrate, the grout is probably not worth cleaning or saving: Fortunately, its softness should make it easier to remove. If you have difficulty penetrating the grout with the ice pick, the grout should be worth saving, but cleaning the grout of all staining is another matter. Also, keep in mind that aggressive cleaning methods can sometimes change the color of the grout. Quality sealers and impregnators may seem expensive when compared to the entire range of sealers available, but, in the long run, they are the most economical in terms of effectiveness and durability.
The impregnator recommended by Michael Byrne, a nationally recognized expert who teaches seminars to the tile trades and has written a number of books on tiling techniques, is Miracle 511. It costs around $175 a gallon. Tooling the grout with a striking tool makes the grout mechanically easier to clean, while the impregnator makes the surface highly resistant to staining. When applied on a new installation, and periodically reapplied over a reasonably maintained floor, a quality sealer or impregnator helps reduce maintenance and helps preserve the original grout color longer.
Q. A few months ago, you ran an article about old bathtubs and how there is now a demand for the old colored tubs in good condition. Could you please send me any information on whom to contact? I have a home for sale with tubs, sinks and bath tiles that might perhaps be of interest to others.
A. I do not recall discussing this subject, but here is a Web site that specializes in old fixtures: recyclingthepast.com. Contact them.
Q. My wife and I are building a new house (approximately 2,400 square feet, two floors, three bathrooms) and are considering a gas-fired, on-demand hot-water unit. We would like to know what your thoughts are regarding makes and models, size, potential problems, and the advantages and disadvantages over having a tank. Is there anything else that you think we should know?
A. On-demand water heaters are very efficient, as water is heated only when you need it. They are very popular in Europe. The most important consideration is to buy a unit properly sized for your intended use, or you will be very unhappy with the results. Tankless water heaters need to be sized properly to provide adequate domestic hot water when more than one usage is in effect, such as two showers at a time, or a shower along with a washing machine or dishwasher, so if you plan on using hot water in several fixtures at the same time, you need to buy an on-demand unit that can handle such a load or you will not get enough hot water at any of the points of use. The Web site tanklesswaterheaterguide.com should help you sort out the many considerations you must be aware of. You can also Google "Tankless Water Heaters" for a list of manufacturers, and you can check the Web site boschhotwater.com. It will provide you with a complete list of choices, locations and tax credits.
Q. We are in a new ranch home with a full, poured-concrete, unfinished (and unconditioned) basement. We have radiant floor heat on the main floor, and the ceiling of the basement is insulated with fiberglass batts as part of that installation. This makes our basement very cold in the winter. I want to add another heat zone in the basement but not before I insulate. The top of the basement walls extends above grade by about 2 feet, while the rest is below grade. What would you recommend for insulation? I've heard that blueboard, glued to the wall, will work. I've also heard that only the top of the wall (the part exposed to the outside air) really needs to be insulated. Any suggestions?
A. The only safe way to insulate a basement or crawl space when you're not sure of the composition of the soil used to backfill the foundation is to do so on the parts of the walls above grade and 2 feet below grade. This will allow some heat loss through the bottom of the foundation that should prevent frost from exercising pressure on the walls and cause them to crack.
If my geography is right, you are in a heavy-clay area. Unless the builder installed a foundation drain in a stone bed covered with geotextile fabric that has a positive outlet, and completed the backfill with coarse material that does not expand while ensuring quick drainage, you should respect these recommendations. You should also make sure that the final grade slopes away from the foundation in order to move surface water, including snowmelt, from the vulnerable earth/foundation interface. Be sure that if you have gutters, the downspouts discharge water away from the house on sloping ground. If you do not have gutters, set patio blocks or other masonry flush with the ground along the roof drip line to prevent erosion. Blueboard can be adhered to clean foundation walls, but keep in mind that building codes require it to be covered with a fire-resistant material such as drywall. It, too, can be glued to the blueboard.
Q. We are the second owners of our home, which was built in 1987. The home has a full basement with a poured-concrete floor. The two lolly posts are "in" the concrete, presumably resting on footings. Groundwater is wicking up the concrete in the poles, causing the metal to rust and, at times, ooze. Will these posts eventually fail? Could/should we put another post along side the existing posts? I don't believe that either is currently at the point of failure.
The rust condition on one of the posts is particularly inconvenient because it is in our laundry area, and we regularly deal with rust stains. We have purchased a Pole-Wrap product from Home Depot to control the inconvenience of this pole. Before we glue it on with construction adhesive, we thought we should check with you to see if this would be a mistake. A few other facts: Our lot is on a hill - higher in the back; granite was blasted to create the foundation hole. The original owners cut the foundation to put in a bulkhead access to the basement on the backside of the house. We have had to put a sump pump in the floor of the bulkhead area to control the groundwater when it is wet, otherwise we have seepage into the basement from the bulkhead area. Behind the house on the hill, we have exposed areas of granite. In some spots on the hillside, the depth of a shovel will hit bedrock. Please let us know if you need any additional information. Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer us.
A. There is obviously subsurface water running on the ledge under your house. If you know or can find out whether there are several inches of stones below the concrete floor, installing another sump pump in a corner of the basement - preferably on the back wall since there is a hill behind your house - may relieve the water pressure and keep the lally columns dry. This should take care of the oozing water and is the best solution.
It is likely that the base of the lally columns will eventually rust enough, which will make them unable to support the weight of the floors above unless they are concrete-filled. This is an undesirable condition you need to address, and a sump pump may be all you need. However, considering that rust is a cancer that cannot be eliminated inside the columns, it would be wise to ensure that they do not eventually weaken to a point that could cause a structural problem. The easiest way to take care of this is to encase the columns in wood, using four pieces of 2-by-6-inch pressure-treated material screwed together to make a hollow tube.
• Henri de Marne's column appears Sundays. He was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net.
© 2008, United Feature Syndicate Inc.