[jgruberman]

Hello, I've started to replace some cracked tiles in my kitchen and no issues so far with the removal and setting of new ones in thinset. Now comes my two questions:

1. Can I grout after setting my tiles with spacers, or do I need to wait for the 24-72 hours recommended dry time from the thinset before grouting?

And not entirely related to the project but more of a general thought:
2. If my grout is dirty/cracked in some areas, can I use my multi-tool or a grout saw to "grind out" some of the grout and lay new grout over the old grout or if I want to apply new grout for freshness or "renewed color" then I'll need to remove ALL the old grout and not patch over existing?


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[ront02769]

Specify what you mean by “thin set”. Powder Stuff you mix on site cures chemically and doesn’t need air to dry. The stuff “ready mixed” in a bucket needs air to dry. In either case, wait at least the recommended amount of time to grout. While the “actual time needed” I’d dependent on humidity, tile size, surface yuo set it on, thickness of application,viscosity of the product, etc., it was a pain in the ass to do.....and you surely don’t want to do it again....so just wait. As to removing grout, if yuo are not doing a lot there is a carbide tipped gadget for like five bucks at big box that will get it out for yuo.....but beware that it will be way hard to exactly duplicate that is already there....given that it likely has some years on it. Ron

 

[jgruberman]

Specify what you mean by “thin set”. Powder Stuff you mix on site cures chemically and doesn’t need air to dry. The stuff “ready mixed” in a bucket needs air to dry. In either case, wait at least the recommended amount of time to grout. While the “actual time needed” I’d dependent on humidity, tile size, surface yuo set it on, thickness of application,viscosity of the product, etc., it was a pain in the ass to do.....and you surely don’t want to do it again....so just wait. As to removing grout, if yuo are not doing a lot there is a carbide tipped gadget for like five bucks at big box that will get it out for yuo.....but beware that it will be way hard to exactly duplicate that is already there....given that it likely has some years on it. Ron

This is the "thin-set" that I used. As far as the grout, I wouldn't mind redoing the entire kitchen.... but trying to gauge if I need to remove the grout ENTIRELY, or just enough to make a small gap for new grout.

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[ront02769]

That is not “true” thin set, rather an alternative. So it DRIES rather than cures.....and depending on the tile size can take longer to “set”.....and I don’t think good for tiles over 6x6? So wait for the recommended time.

 

[jgruberman]

That is not “true” thin set, rather an alternative. So it DRIES rather than cures.....and depending on the tile size can take longer to “set”.....and I don’t think good for tiles over 6x6? So wait for the recommended time.

I think the tiles are 10x10 actually. I just wasn't sure about mixing thin set and how to do that so I went this pre-mix route. Should I remove the tiles and get true thin set and actually mix it?

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[JLawrence08648]

If it's already down and dried, leave it. Dry thinset is easy to mix. You need a small flat trowel or putty knife, a notched trowel that is sized to the thickness of the tile, mix well, let sit 5-10 minutes, mix again. The viscosity, thickness, should not be liquid and fairly thick. If you thin, it will squeeze out the bottom up the sides. You need to put the thinset on the floor and back butter the tile.

 

[jgruberman]

Yeah it's all already down. It all turned out okay except the far lower right tile in the pic where I was messing with the grout when wet. But I only did that because I need to replace the lower right tile next, as it's also cracked/hollow.

That's what started this whole project... some of the tiles are "hollow" to step and they are almost floating. I'm not sure what caused it but there are a few spots when stepped on that have a hollow sound, and when you knock on it, it's clearly hollow underneath versus the new ones I did that you hear a solid "knock" like you're knocking on the sidewalk.

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[Brother Antioch]

Yeah it's all already down. It all turned out okay except the far lower right tile in the pic where I was messing with the grout when wet. But I only did that because I need to replace the lower right tile next, as it's also cracked/hollow.

That's what started this whole project... some of the tiles are "hollow" to step and they are almost floating. I'm not sure what caused it but there are a few spots when stepped on that have a hollow sound, and when you knock on it, it's clearly hollow underneath versus the new ones I did that you hear a solid "knock" like you're knocking on the sidewalk.

The "hollowness" you hear is most likely due to no thinset under that part of the tile. That's just an improper installation, but unless there a lot of those areas, it's not really a concern. Your biggest worry should be the cracking of the grout. The only reason for grout to start cracking and breaking out in certain areas (not over the entire floor) is due to movement of the subfloor beneath it. You can regrout once a week, if you like, but without fixing the problem, it will keep happening. If the grout is breaking over the entire floor, then it's a bad batch of grout, as in the installer mixed it much to dry, most likely.

If you have access to the floor joists from below, take a look in the affected areas and see if there is any gapping between the subfloor and the joists, or look to see if there are any screws that missed the joists. You can glue shims into any gaps to reduce the amount of movement, and that should prevent it happening again.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[jgruberman]

The "hollowness" you hear is most likely due to no thinset under that part of the tile. That's just an improper installation, but unless there a lot of those areas, it's not really a concern. Your biggest worry should be the cracking of the grout. The only reason for grout to start cracking and breaking out in certain areas (not over the entire floor) is due to movement of the subfloor beneath it. You can regrout once a week, if you like, but without fixing the problem, it will keep happening. If the grout is breaking over the entire floor, then it's a bad batch of grout, as in the installer mixed it much to dry, most likely.



If you have access to the floor joists from below, take a look in the affected areas and see if there is any gapping between the subfloor and the joists, or look to see if there are any screws that missed the joists. You can glue shims into any gaps to reduce the amount of movement, and that should prevent it happening again.



Cheers,



BA.

Yes, it's actually under large sections of tile like 2x4 areas so bad to where the tiles are lifting up and step down when stepped on(see pic). It's a slab so no way to see under it.

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