Repairing Grout Question...

[Keebler Elf]

I have some wooden door trim that butts up against tile. The hard white grout has separated from the door trim. The grout is approximately 1/4" wide (probably wider than it should have been).

Is there a special tool that helps scraping out the grout? I know there's something that resembles a razor blade on a handle for floor grout, but this grout is far wider.

What type of grout should I replace it with? The door is in the bathroom so I'm thinking something that expands and contracts with moisture (since it's tile against wood in a bathroom setting). Mold-resistance silicone?

 

[Planner]

I have some wooden door trim that butts up against tile. The hard white grout has separated from the door trim. The grout is approximately 1/4" wide (probably wider than it should have been).

Is there a special tool that helps scraping out the grout? I know there's something that resembles a razor blade on a handle for floor grout, but this grout is far wider.

What type of grout should I replace it with? The door is in the bathroom so I'm thinking something that expands and contracts with moisture (since it's tile against wood in a bathroom setting). Mold-resistance silicone?

go to home depot and as for a grout remover tool the use modifyed polmer grout

 

[tboy]

There is an attachment for a dremel mototool that cleans it out as easy as pie. If you don't have a router you can buy the solid carbide bit and put it in a cordless drill and do it that way. Grout is harder than concrete at times so a razor blade isn't going to ...ahem...cut it lol.

Here's a link to the dremel tool and you'll need the carbide blade to go with it...

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/attachm...accessory-detail.htm?H=188575&G=69679&I=69794

If the gap is actually 1/4" wide when you're done, as Planner stated, use a polymer modified grout and you should be fine. In addition, you should also be caulking along the trim and NOT grouting to it. Why you ask? Well, I'll tell you: because grout isn't all that flexible and the wood is. The wood swells and relaxes with the humidity level and the grout doesn't. That causes it to crack. If you run a bead of good silicone caulking between the grout and the wood, you'll never have to do this again and it will never crack.

 

[dajodo2]

Even if you replace the grout I would think the same problem would reappear later.

A house is always expanding or contracting depending on the season.

I have a closet door in one bedroom that wont close properly in the winter but works perfect in the summer.

Bathroom silicone might do the trick between the trim and the grout as you suggest yourself. It would have a greater tolerance for expansion and contraction better than any grout I'm familiar with.

Silicone might get messy and look like shit if you aren't careful though.

When I work with silicone caulk (as opposed to water based latex) I will apply a bead, then I spray some silicone lubricant on my finger. I smooth and shape the caulk and wipe any excess off my finger with a rag. Silicone lube I've found makes for easy smoothing or tooling if you will, and have been very happy with the visual results after.

 

[tboy]

I use a thin latex glove when "trowelling" silicone because the residue can stay on your fingers for days and if you were contact lens' (it even states this on the tube) you can seriously damage your eyes cuz it burns like a mofo.......

GE makes a water cleanup/paintable silicone (hard to believe I know) that works a lot easier than 100% pure.

As for the door sticking, Daj, that is polar opposite as what it should do because it is supposed to be dryer in the winter than the summer. Least here in Canada. If you leave in arizona or ?? then it will be different.

 

[dajodo2]

As for the door sticking, Daj, that is polar opposite as what it should do because it is supposed to be dryer in the winter than the summer. Least here in Canada. If you leave in arizona or ?? then it will be different.

I had it backward, you're right.

It works fine now, it's the summer it sticks.

 

[tboy]

I had it backward, you're right.

It works fine now, it's the summer it sticks.

LOL thought so, we have a rule of thumb here: buld loose in the winter, tight in the summer (especially with solid hardwoods etc).

I can't tell you how many times I've seen people install hardwood floors without sufficient gap around the perimeter. I always warn people to make sure it is sufficient. Just think about it: if your 10 x 10 room expands just 1%, that's a difference of about 1" in length and width....where's that wood going to go if it's tight against the wall? UP (or push the wall out).

 

[DshRipRock]

There is a grout especially made for this application. I saw it on HGTV it has sand and silcone it it. It came in a tube like caulking.

 

[oldjones]

There is a grout especially made for this application. I saw it on HGTV it has sand and silcone it it. It came in a tube like caulking.

Yes, one of the grout/thinset mortar manufacturers makes a silicone caulking colour matched to its grout colours. It's harder to work with than straight silicone because it does have sand in it. Only time will tell, whether it's still got the flex to stand up in the fracture zone, where different surfaces come together. If aesthetics are critical, it's the choice, but in the tectonic collision of floor meets wall or tile meets hardwood, I'd put my money on flex. And a plan to renew the caulking periodically.

 

[landscaper]

If you have a dremell you can get an attachment for it to remove the grout, if it is a small area just use a hammer and chisel to CAREFULLY tap out the grout, make sure that you remove all the loose grout from the area. Replace the grout along the edge of the tile leaving a space between the wood frame and the new grout. You can get a squeeze tube of sanded polymer modified grout at home depot/rona etc. Let the grout dry for 24 hours now run a line of masking tape along the tile/grout edge and caulk the space between the wood trim and the grout with latex caulking that has a mould inhibitor in it. (just read the lable , this is also available in a squeeze tube in many colours)