Thursday, November 18, 2010

Deciding if white grout lines are better than dark

Barb suggested we regrout the the floor tiles in the upstairs bathroom, using white mix... So I taped white masking tape over the dark grey grout lines to see what the room would be like with that dark grey grid pattern removed...this is what we would have (only skinnier, because the masking tape is double the thickness of the grout)...doable? liveable?

When I walk into the bathroom it feels MUCH BRIGHTER AND FRESHER!   Re-grouting might be an 'easy' fix

Do you think its worth going through the effort? Lets face it - if we decide to rip out the floor in order to lay new tile, we will end up ripping out everything...that's how we roll!

13 comments:

  1. I think it looks great with the white. Definitely makes it seem brighter... but like you said, if you're going to rip it up, is it worth all of that extra effort. I guess it all comes down to... do you want to keep the bathroom & do a few quick fixes... or are you ready for a complete overhaul?

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  2. I thik your bathroom is lovely the way it is. Like you, I have done a ton of renovating and every time i start a new project I'm reminded of how expensive and dirty it really is. We have just started a gut-reno in our ensuite and from my point of view I don't think your bathroom needs a major overhaul.
    I vote YES for the white grout and how about painting the walls black?? Check out my second to last post on that.

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  3. I'm amazed at what a difference the white makes. It looks 10 times better. My only concern is that I'm always a little weary about these products that cover up things. Do they really work? How professional does it look? Etc.
    I agree that it is the floor more than anything that needs changing. It's unfortunate that it is the one things that is not easy to change because on the whole I think the bathroom is in pretty good shape.

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  4. The white mock up looks much better! Changing the grout can be tackled by you and for not much of an investment (other than time). I think Barb's suggestion is worth trying if you're willing to spend a few hours scraping out the grout with a grout saw ($10.97 at HD) and applying new grout ($17.99 for a box of grout, $13.99 for a grout float and you'll need a big sponge and lots of rags). Both jobs are manageable DIY taks.

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  5. Get this:
    "There are even grout stains and colorants that can be applied to old grout to change the color. A coat or two of these stains can completely change the look of your tile installation..."

    http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60366

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  6. Grout stain would be perfect. I would definitely shy away from removing original grout and re-grouting. Yuck!

    If grout stain works out, please let me know, I'll do it for my kitchen! :)

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  7. The floor looks great with the white grout.
    I have an unrelated question - where is your towel bar from? I have a tiny bathroom and there's nowhere to put a towel bar. I don't know if this would work but it's an interesting idea....I'm clueless when it comes to some of this stuff. My eyes glaze over when I try to decide what to do.....

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  8. Hi JND!
    The towel bar under the sink is attached to the sink...my son pulls off the towels almost immediately...the towel ring was from Canadian Tire, and the other towel bar (behind the door)was there when we bought the house...

    hope that answered your question!

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  9. Bathroom reno's can cost serious money. Ask yourself a few questions, what would you change in your bathroom; are the main items in good shape; would you replace the white tiles for more white tiles; I would also get a couple of quotes just to help you decide, a mini makeover now or bite the bullet & gut it next year. Also keep in mind this is the one room room in the house where you spend the least amount of time. New lights/mirror & warm paint colour could make an inexpensive difference.

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  10. The floor looks great with the white grout.
    I have an unrelated question - where is your towel bar from? I have a tiny bathroom and there's nowhere to put a towel bar. I don't know if this would work but it's an interesting idea....I'm clueless when it comes to some of this stuff. My eyes glaze over when I try to decide what to do.....

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bathroom reno's can cost serious money. Ask yourself a few questions, what would you change in your bathroom; are the main items in good shape; would you replace the white tiles for more white tiles; I would also get a couple of quotes just to help you decide, a mini makeover now or bite the bullet & gut it next year. Also keep in mind this is the one room room in the house where you spend the least amount of time. New lights/mirror & warm paint colour could make an inexpensive difference.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm amazed at what a difference the white makes. It looks 10 times better. My only concern is that I'm always a little weary about these products that cover up things. Do they really work? How professional does it look? Etc.
    I agree that it is the floor more than anything that needs changing. It's unfortunate that it is the one things that is not easy to change because on the whole I think the bathroom is in pretty good shape.

    ReplyDelete