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Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here.
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Posted by dougfollett on February 19, 2006, 5:45 pm
I have been maintaining a friends tile floor. It wasn't a first rate
job to begin with but it was adequate. About once every three months
he has me come over and patch where the grout has cracked and fallen
out. I have been using the bag of grout that he had left over from the
original installation. I would go out and buy more but it was a some
what unusual pink color. What I have been finding lately is that the
grout doesn't set up poroperly. It looks OK but it is soft and can be
dug out easily with a knife. Does grout go bad sitting in the bag?
It has clumped up some.
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Posted by hallerb@aol.com on February 19, 2006, 5:49 pm
yeah its bad, you might check with a tile store to match it colore
wise, or remove all the old grout and start over anew.
is the trouble a poor subfloor thats moving even a little? is the tile
on concrete board?
if the sub floor isnt solid nothing you do will help:(
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Posted by dougfollett on February 19, 2006, 6:26 pm
I know what the problem with the original tile job is, the underlayment
is flexing and causing the original grout to crack. That isn't may
main concern as I can continue to re grout the broken stuff from time
to time. It isn't that bad, maybe twice a year I have to chisle a
small spot out and replace it with new. My problem is that the
original bag of unused grout seems to have gone bad. Does unused grout
go bad? I mix up a little pot, let it sit for about ten minutes and
then apply it. The next week it can be dug out from between the tiles
with a car key. It apears to never have set up although it is hard and
dry there is no strength to it. It's more like plaster of parris but
softer. I guess I should just break down and go looking for some new
grout but this stuf is pink and probably hard to find. Also I can't
believe grout has an experation date but I guess it does. This stuff
has begun to clump and I have to sift it before mixing to get the lumps
out.
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Posted by Oren on February 19, 2006, 7:14 pm
On 19 Feb 2006 15:26:50 -0800, dougfollett@gmail.com wrote:
show/hide quoted text
>small spot out and replace it with new. My problem is that the
>original bag of unused grout seems to have gone bad. Does unused grout
>go bad? I mix up a little pot, let it sit for about ten minutes and
>then apply it. The next week it can be dug out from between the tiles
I can't use a partial bag that is only 6-9 months old. Seems like it
takes on moisture and I live in the desert.
Did you follow the directions on the bag? I've seen directions to
mix, let sit and mix one more time before application.
show/hide quoted text
>softer. I guess I should just break down and go looking for some new
>grout but this stuf is pink and probably hard to find. Also I can't
>believe grout has an experation date but I guess it does. This stuff
>has begun to clump and I have to sift it before mixing to get the lumps
>out.
A bag of cement will harden over time.... Any good tile place will
have color sticks to let you pick a grout color. I put in some teal
green some time ago - yes the left over stiffened up and is disposed
of.
Oren
"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland
and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore
excused from saving Universes."
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Posted by Doug Miller on February 19, 2006, 7:52 pm
dougfollett@gmail.com wrote:
[snip]
show/hide quoted text
> My problem is that the
>original bag of unused grout seems to have gone bad. Does unused grout
>go bad? [...] Also I can't
>believe grout has an experation date but I guess it does. This stuff
>has begun to clump and I have to sift it before mixing to get the lumps
>out.
Yes, it does go bad. Grout cures because it undergoes a chemical reaction with
the water that you mix into the powder. (The same is true of plaster of Paris,
mortar, cement, plaster, etc.) It undergoes the same chemical reaction, albeit
at a slower pace, with water *vapor* that is present in the air. That reaction
happens only once -- in other words, after the grout has been exposed to
humidity for any length of time, it's no good any more. There's no practical
way to rescue the grout you have now; the best you can do is replace it. To
prevent the problem from recurring, store the unused grout in an airtight
container. That won't make it last forever, but it will extend the shelf life
considerably.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
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>original bag of unused grout seems to have gone bad. Does unused grout
>go bad? I mix up a little pot, let it sit for about ten minutes and
>then apply it. The next week it can be dug out from between the tiles