Hello AT,
Stupid question from someone with no handy gene whatsoever, but who do I call to get someone to regrout the tiles in my bathroom?
It's great vintage, subway tile, but I'm worried the water is starting to seep through to the wall, and I have no idea who does this - a plumber? A tile guy? A general handyman?
Thanks, Lisa
Dear Lisa, Be bold! You can do it yourself with an off-the-shelf tube of tile caulk from your local hardware store. You can either to a patch job or really dig out the old stuff and start from scratch.
If this scares you, call a tile guy. Tile guys are usually found through tile shops and we have listed a few here. MGR
Check out this week's issue of New York magazine. There's an article about finding handymen, the author actually found someone good to re-grout, or whatever it's called.
Yep, I was just going to say that it's on www.nymetro.com
I notice that your links are to "re-caulking", but Lisa's question is about GROUT. Two different things, with different materials and techniques.
Caulk - for where different surfaces meet (tub/wall, tub/floor, around the faucet collars)
Grout - in between each tile. Regrouting isn't hard, but its a bigger job. The directions on diynet dot com (search under "regrout") are good.
Umm, I was brave and bold, tried to recaulk our tub, and then a bunch of the tiles fell down. Our super came and re-caulked with some ugly stuff that seems to be flaking off again. (But so far it is holding everything together.) So if you own, I'd definitely go for the outside help.
me, the problem is that Lisa is concerned about water seepage and thinks that grout will stop this but it won't.
Grout is not a water barrier so the board that the tile is attached to will get wet. If whoever laid the tile in the first place did the job properly then they would have used a cement based baord (not dry wall). Water has no detrimental affect on this.
Assuming it is cement board back there then the biggest problem stopping the water from leaking down at the base of the tiles. This is where Maxwell's caulking links come in.
me and jamie pup, it sounds like there are a lot of assumptions going on here -- Lisa hasn't told us a lot about her feared leak. I had a circa 1935 bathroom that leaked through the walls down to the ceiling downstairs, despite many recaulks and regrouts. This was only due to shower spray against the walls, no pipes leaked.
Although waterproof grout (latex + grout) helps a lot with waterproofing, its not 100%. Concrete board isn't waterproof either unless its been treated with latex or silicone coating. Since Lisa mentions 'great vintage, subway tile' its not likely that either of those happened. Those products didn't exist when my old bathroom was built, and the same's probably true for Lisa.
It sounds like a job for a pro here.
Yep, I did start typing that this would probably require tearing everything out and it was a job for a pro but decided against it because it didn't quite seem in keeping with the tone of the original post. Maybe I was wrong.
BTW, she did mention that she was worried about water seeping through.
Even if tackling for purely cosmetic reasons, I think the sucky part of the job is removal of the old grout, and not the application of the new. Any tips or stories from the experienced?
("sucky", of course, a technical term. )
Yes, this might be a bigger job than she realizes. I was in a similar situation with my 1947 tub enclosure. The walls behind the tiles had rotted because of water damage over the years. The walls had to be demolished and rebuilt. Not a job for a do-it-yourselfer!
not sure about all the leaking problems but for having someone regrout your tub i once used STEVE'S REGROUTING. 718.815.1567. really nice guy, fast work, incredible change in my bathroom appearance, about $500. they come and remove all the old and replace with smooth creamy new white grout in one day. i highly recommend him.
I need to recaulk and regrout my bathroom tiles. I would like to change the tiles on the floor and
in the shower...but cost is always a factor.
Any recommendations for contractors in NY that are good with co-op renovations? REASONABLE prices please.
In NY area I recommend this guy Tom to regrout your tiles. He is good, honest, reliable, and is not expensive. His number is 212-545-4161.
Help.
I have a kitchen ( 14' x 15' )/ foyer ( 11' x 12') that was professionally installed in 1989.
I bought the house in 2005. I just noticed that I have 12-15 hi (1/4") / low (1/8') areas on the floor. The appraiser did not catch this when he did the appraisal. Appraiser's are required in this state to list all "needed repairs".
What would cause the hi/low spots?
The ceramic tile was installed on 3/8" plywood. Why didn't they use concrete board ?
I looked closely at 42 tiles in an area of the kitchen that is 7' x 4' and I found 25 tiles that were cracked. Some were hairline cracks, others were more severe. Are there air pockets under the tile that is causing this to happen ?
Where could I get historical information on concerte board ?
Thank you advance for your help.
J. Sutton
I am trying to regrout my entire bathroom becuase of how dull the 50 + year old tiles look (off white would be agenerous desciption). Two big questions- 1. do I have to remove all the grout or just scrape the surface before applying new grout? 2. Can I add an adhesive to the powdered grout to ensure it adheres to the old stuff?
Answers much appreciated - deadlines approach.