how would i get 2 day old grout off slate,,were grouting slate,& smart friend said leave it a night to dry,?

Question

so yeah silly me let it dry a night,,,its my first diy slate job and probably last,,,so if anyone knows what i can use to get the dry grout off with out damaging slate would a be a champ

Answer 1

After installing thousands of sq. ft. of various "Tile" I suggest you might keep the "friend" but disregard any further advice. You might even insist that this "friend" help in the cleanup process.

I'd scrape as much as possible, and very honestly your instincts should have nudged you into realizing that "grout" is very similar to the Mortar that the slate is set into. Fortunately for you it isn't quite as difficult to clean up. That said however, Slate is porous, and very much will HOLD substances.

Once you've "scraped" I suggest a cordless drill with BIT attachments like a rotary sanding wheel, but not sandpaper. A fine rotary wire brush, A fine rotary paint remover attachment, often made with the same materials used to scrub dishes. Certainly you will cause abrasions and though I haven't read any other answers products like "Goof Off" etc, will be of little help, other than as a lubricant.

You might also resign yourself to the fact that some residue will remain, and don't dwell on it or point it out to anyone who sees the floor.

You also did not mention the slate color or the grout color, and it might not make a huge difference once you get the roughness of the extra grout cleaned up.

Steven Wolf
(The Rev.)

Trust friends to be friends

Answer 2

don't put acid on slate, it will cause the slate to flake or cause an unwanted finish.

When you are done scraping, you can seal the tiles with a silicon based TILE SEALER. It's like water in the bottle, very liquid, the silicon particles float in the water and after you apply it with a FOAM BRUSH (like you are painting it on), the water evaporates and leaves behind the silicone, leaving a very lovely and durable finish that will darken the tile, bring out the colors in the slate and make the grout haze less noticeable. Let it dry and do a few more coats, letting it dry between coats, until you get the finish you like.

In the future, seal the TOP SURFACE of your tiles before you install them, let them dry and then install them as you normally would. After you grout, anything that gets on your tiles will wipe off quite easily. Then seal your entire project, grout and tiles with SAME BRAND tile sealer you started with.

good luck.

Answer 3

Bleach shouldn't wreck the tile yet in spite of this i do no longer comprehend what style of tile you have. There are grout cleaners at residing house Depot or Lowes that could desire to do the trick for you. on occasion getting a expert again in and varnish the floor is a reliable thought looking on how lots paintings is in touch.

Answer 4

do you know what a grout knife is? try that on smaller areas and another solution may be a paint scraper or to re-wet the grout and see if it will come out a little easier.

Answer 5

Use a wet terry cloth rag or better yet a burlap bag, wet. It should work well.

Answer 6

you shouldn,t of listend.the best thing is brick clean.its hydrochloric acid so use gloves and glasses.foolow instructions on contianer.once applied use a wire brush to scrub it.

Answer 7

overnight is not bad. Wet it and scrub with dish and sink scraper.