No question about it. Necessity is the mother of invention. It's been 9 years since I moved in and it's time to do some maintenance. The part that needed the most attention recently was the bathroom. The grout started coming off. Being a handyman myself, I considered it my weekend project.
First step - remove the old grout. I grabbed my goggles, hammer, and an old screw driver and started chipping away...and chipping...and chipping...aaand ooops. I just chipped the edges of adjacent tiles. :(
I knew it was coming. It already happened before when I did the bathroom walls and this is what I have to pay for being stubborn. Okay, wrong tool for the job. But I don't have anything else. I know an oscillating tool would do the job but this is a one time task and I'm not willing to buy one. Renting is out of the question since we have none of that around here.
Refusing to accept defeat, I made my very own grout remover. Powered by just a little elbow grease, this tool can get the job done in at least half the time, guaranteed! LOL!
Let's get to it! We'll need:
- a piece of scrap wood
- a hacksaw blade
- handsaw
Using a handsaw, make a groove on a piece of wood. How deep it should be depends on how much grout you want removed. In my case, I wanted about 5mm of the blade sticking out when you put the hacksaw blade in the groove. The handsaw will cut a groove just wide enough for two hacksaw blades. Just break the hacksaw in half using pliers and put both pieces in the groove.
Cut off the excess wood, and we're in business :-)
I don't know why I just thought about it now after doing the shower walls that took 2 days. My contraption got the job done in less than 2 hours! No more jagged, uneven grooves and no more chipped tiles!
Grouting is the finishing process of your tile job and is very rewarding. With these simple tips your grouting will go easier and avoid some common problems.
ReplyDeleteYou have set all your tiles making sure the grout lines are even and straight, and if they were floor tiles your knees are sore and you are glad to have all tile laid. It is now time to let the tile job set overnight or 24 hours if you can, before finishing the job by grouting. http://bradnailer24h.com/best-framing-nailer-reviews-buying-guide/
ReplyDeleteYou have set every one of your tiles ensuring the grout lines are even and straight, and in the event that they were floor tiles your knees are sore and you are happy to have all tile laid. It is currently time to give the tile a chance to employment set overnight or 24 hours in the event that you can, before completing the occupation by grouting.
ReplyDelete