I can do it myself!

I've had some free time lately. Once I finished the necessary falling apart over it I turned it into a blessing of sorts because now I get to work on my list of unfinished house projects. Each of these projects takes a consistant slice (or two, or three) of dedicated time that I didn't necessarily have before. Another added blessing is that these projects are costing me little or no additional money. I have the supplies already.

 

My latest project was to regrout the top of the bathtub where it meets the tile. I live in a house that was built in the 40's and I've tried very hard not to change things that would compromise the integrity of the original home. One of those items not to change was the beautiful pink tile in the bath. If pink isn't your thing you'll think this is hideous, but the tile is in perfect condition and there is no reason to change it. Besides, I've learned to work with it. But if I'm going to keep the tile it has to look really good. No dirt, no mold, no gunk in the corners, so every once in a while I have to redo the grout and silicone caulk. I'm here to tell you that though this is time consuming, it is by no means difficult. In fact, it's so easy it borders on ridiculous when I look at how intimidated I was the first time I did this. I laughed at myself the first time I 'got at it' and realized I had nothing to be afraid of!

These are the tools of the trade for this project. Putty knife, grout remover, premixed grout, sponge, clear silicone caulk and a caulk gun.

This little baby is the tool that makes it all so easy. It really is called a grout remover and those sharp little points scrape out the old grout like nobody's business. It's just a cheapy I picked up at Menards. Just scrape it along and the grout comes right out.

 

These are the steps I used. They're not complicated, but they can be time consuming and require a bit of muscle work at times.

 

1. Use putty knife to remove old silicone caulk.

 

2. Use grout remover tool to remove old grout.

 

3. Wipe clean and allow to dry completely.

 

4. Use putty knife to push new grout into gaps and smooth with damp sponge. Allow to dry overnight.

 

5. Apply caulk over dried grout and allow to cure. Voila!

Told you it was pink!