Tile grout removal

[kiloran]

Our upstairs shower has developed a leak (through the hall and dining room ceiling )

I've located the cause.... a loose tile down in the corner of the shower cubicle. I'll need to remove it and an adjacent one, and then fix it and re-do some grouting.

Any recommendations for a good hand tool for removing grout? I don't think it's worth investing in a fancy electric one for this job.

--kiloran

[kempiejon]

Kiloran,

I've just been investigating this for my shower, you can get a grout rake from screwfix, I have an oscillating multi tool so I'll probably buy a blade for that, I have several seams of grout to do.

[kiloran]

Kiloran,

I've just been investigating this for my shower, you can get a grout rake from screwfix, I have an oscillating multi tool so I'll probably buy a blade for that, I have several seams of grout to do.

Thanks, but I know there are lots of grout rakes out there, I'm trying to find which ones are best, or need to be avoided

--kiloran

[kempiejon]

Ah, I've only just learnt of grout rakes, my previous tile removal has used drills, hammers, screwdrivers, wallpaper scrapers and cold chisels.

[Avantegarde]

Can't recommend any particular rake, but having regrouted my tiled shower walls some years ago because of leaks through failed grouting I can make the following points. You will find damp underneath where the water has leaked. You must let this dry out, perhaps for some weeks. If you can't wait, hire a dehumidifier from HHS or similar. If the damp has caused mould to grow, paint it with a dilute solution of bleach to kill it. Then let it dry out completely. Don't just regrout - hack off an area of tiles where the leak(s) have occurred and take a good look. The underlying material such as plywood may need to be replaced too.

[sg31]

Can't recommend any particular rake, but having regrouted my tiled shower walls some years ago because of leaks through failed grouting I can make the following points. You will find damp underneath where the water has leaked. You must let this dry out, perhaps for some weeks. If you can't wait, hire a dehumidifier from HHS or similar. If the damp has caused mould to grow, paint it with a dilute solution of bleach to kill it. Then let it dry out completely. Don't just regrout - hack off an area of tiles where the leak(s) have occurred and take a good look. The underlying material such as plywood may need to be replaced too.

Hope you can find where the left over tiles have got too and hope they haven't been thrown out in a periodic tidy up.

I fully agree. Failure to dry out the area properly will just lead to more problems.

[kiloran]

Thanks for all the advice. I've removed quite a few tiles, and it's rather more than damp behind them

I got the Screwfix grout rake and I'm more than happy with it https://www.screwfix.com/p/pro-grout-rake-cutter/17903

The bathroom was fitted around 17 years ago. Although we were very happy with it, and some problems are inevitable in that timescale, it looks like the problem was caused by very poor grouting. Looks OK at first glance, but the grout rake revealed many areas of wafer-thin grout, it hadn't been worked in to the depth of the tiles. I won't be using that tiler again.

--kiloran

[sg31]

I used to tile over a cement based tiling board an found it much better than going onto plaster. These days I've stopped tiling showers completely and use Mermaid board instead. There are other similar boards available.