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lynnfromoro

White grout is turning yellow

10 years ago

Our Avalanche Flexcolor is going yellow on our shower floor that we used with River Rock tile. Can I regrout with a different color? Or should I do something else? Looking for ideas

Comments (30)

  • PRO
    10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Grout doesn't "turn or go anything". You see color by comparison, so If the grout appears too yellow, it is probably just too warm a white for the tile which is probably cooler/grayer in tone.

  • 10 years ago

    If the grout is changing color, it could be mold or mildew or mineral deposits from the water. Was the floor pitched at the steepest recommended 1/2" per foot slope to aid in drainage? That is what is recommended for rocks. Do you have an externally vented high CFM fan that you allow to run at least 15 minutes post showering? If yo have hard water, do you have a whole house water treatment system to deal with the minerals?

  • 10 years ago
    We have a water softener and a very well vented room. The grout has been done in the last three months. The grout appears stained and I was hoping that the Flexcolor would reduce the scrubbing required to keep white looking white.
    Any chance that I can put a different colour grout over the white if there is enough room? Also, we noticed depression between the rocks. Does the grout settle? Wondering what to do.
  • PRO
    10 years ago

    I would get a grout stain from Laticrete. It is very easy to apply and the stain has an epoxy in it so it doesn't stain or crack, very good

  • 10 years ago

    Do you have in progress pictures of the construction? Warning bells are going off at "depressions between the rocks''.

  • 10 years ago
    Better ask your husband about it first!
  • 10 years ago

    lol

  • 9 years ago

    But my grout DID turn turn yellow Jan Moyer new white grout from Sept. it was white to Dec yellow! Bleached I and it was white 10 months later it is yellow again!

  • 9 years ago

    I had the same problem in my pool house shower Reno. "Bright white" grout turned yellow in a couple months. Had tile guy regrout and hoping it doesn't happen again. we shall see.

  • 9 years ago

    My bath was tiled and grouted 30 years ago. I periodically clean with 409, and bleach for the worst spots. After I did this the last time the grout turned bright yellow, and the color runs down and stains the tub also. 409 helps, but the next time I take a shower, the same thing happens. Ideas?

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Hello,I realize this is an older subject, but I have the same problem but after 6 months of no problems. We installed the tile over the summer. I’ve noticed most people on other forums are claiming this is happening in their bathroom. Mine is in the kitchen on a north wall. We had a first cold night of the year last night and dropped to around 13 degrees over night. When I woke up this morning I noticed the north corner of my backsplash had turned a dark yellow. I used bleach on a small section and it did remove it with a little scrubbing. I researched online and found many others have had the same issue with white grout but in bathrooms. I got mine from Home Depot. I don’t remember the brand but the color was called Snow White unsanded. I use a unvented gas fireplace to warm my house that has been known to produce humidity being unvented. For some reason I feel that this definitely has to do with the atmosphere. My north wall where the tiled backsplash is, gets very cold. So I am thinking the heat from the fireplace in combination of the humidity and the cold wall turned my grout yellow. I don’t feel it has to do with minerals in the water used to mix up the grout in my case, otherwise why would all other areas in my kitchen not have this happen? It’s just the north wall area. I have not used any cleaners but mild dish soap and water to clean and there hasn’t been much of that but a few splatters here and there. And I did seal grout very well. The 2nd photo is a close up of what it actually looks like all over that North area. The 3rd photo is the same area but a distance away. The 1st photo shows the section I cleaned with bleach. Is it just a coincidence that every complaint I have seen happens to be in winter months ? Maybe the surface get cold and when it’s warm and humid that is what it does to the grout?

  • PRO
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    It's a form of mildew. Warm air, meets extremely cold wall and air..... and and subsequently condenses. Pull the tile and guaranteed.........rotting wall.

    "Mold
    and mildew can leave orange residues on grout, on the other hand,
    posing a variety of health risks. Mold is an allergen for many people
    and may lead to respiratory issues or cold-like symptoms such as watery
    eyes, coughing and sneezing"

    Insulation should be added to the wall, and backer board versus drywall atop the new insulation. You shall be scrubbing all winter. Do over is the answer. Or a recoloring of grout to charcoal or similar : ) and take your chances.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    All, the pictures posted above by liv4nv.. has the same tile that i have and the exact same grout and if i took pictures of my grout it would look indentical. Here is the thing our kitchen is an interior room and we do not have a moisture problem our down stairs is very dry in the winter when this happened we don't have a humidfier on our heating system so the air gets dry. We have the same dark color mustard tone..on grout that was sealed.. i bleached out the grout and it will come back white but while waiting for my husband to buy a fresh bottle of sealant thinking that might be it.. it has started getting the yellow tinge again. I can't see this being mold. There is not moisture to drive mold. This is in a new kitchen remodel we also waited a good four days after applying the tile before we grouted to make sure the thin set was fully dry. The only saving grace is bleach works..

  • 8 years ago

    well water. Minerals in well water will cause white grout to yellow soon after install. If the client doesn't tell you, you won't know. You can try to stain over it~ But likely needs to be regrouted with a premix or use distilled water ( other than clients water source) for the new grout. ra bad idea to charge to contrast grout as the darker wont show chemical rxn like the white.

  • 8 years ago

    This is NOT mold or mildew Jan Moyer! From reading numerous complaints, it seems that Home Depot's snow white unsanded grout is DEFINITELY the common link. Our kitchen backsplash - white Carerra marble - yellowed within 4-6 of installation. Bleaching removes the stain but it returns within a month or so. Looking for permanent solutions!

  • 7 years ago

    I'm having the same issue. The white grout is definitely yellow. Jan Moyer doesn't seem like such a "pro" to me. Her answers are pretty useless.

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Well thanks Mike! I don't have any/ or use any Home Depot grout, and I have never had a client whose white grout turned yellow, or any other color.. So........ I will have to settle for uselessly making folks happy for nearly thirty years. lol

    Maybe, instead of telling me I'm useless, you put your fanny in the car with a picture of the problem on your phone, and go tell your local HD....where I shall be happy not to run into you.

    HAVE a nice day : )

  • 7 years ago

    I don't have any HD grout either Jan. I bought my tiles, grout, and grout boost additive from Mosaic Tile Co. and we also sealed the tiles/grout. Even after spending 4k on the materials and getting rave reviews from friends/family on how it looks, my wife and I have noticed that our white grout is turning yellow after 9 mos.


    So saying "Grout doesn't turn or go anything"...and..."You shall be scrubbing all winter. Do over is the answer. Or a recoloring of grout to charcoal or similar : ) and take your chances" shows how useless your advice is. If you have nothing helpful to add, do everyone a favor and don't post. :)

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Less rudely, may i suggest you make a board of the same tiles and all materials and same grout. Don't expose it to anything but air. Put it aside for nine months. Does it change? Does it turn yellow? If it does, it is either the material into which it is set, or "morphing" grout ? Nobody has encountered that morph , to my knowledge

    The point is: If you use soap, bar soap. every single day it will leave a haze on the walls and grout. That will become a magnet for any and all other types of soil, and yet more every day..

    Which is why I am saying test a board and expose only to air. See what happens with exact same material.

    I have used over the years, every possible grout....in various setting. Sanded, un sanded Tec, Bostic, all of them. So. You need to investigate and I doubt insulting me will get you anywhere.

    Fyi....... you can recolor grout. Even to white. About that, you can ask Home Depot or any decent hardware store.

  • 7 years ago

    I am having this same issue. White subway tiles, white grout and sealed. I have never used any cleaners that would have caused this, and we aren‘t smokers. This is in a kitchen so no humidity issues. Is there any kind of grout or sealer that is known to cause this? If so...I would think there would be some kind of recourse for our project. Has anyone foung a product that got rid of the yellow color?

  • 7 years ago

    So, I was one of those people who was sick about my white grout gone yellow. The backsplash was installed by a pro in January 2018 and by March, there was discoloration. With each passing day, it turned increasingly darker into a golden, almost orange shade. It was unnerving until one day I poured about a cup of Clorox bleach into a bowl and, with toothbrush in hand, began scrubbing the grout lines - starting from the bottom and slowly working my way up. As I worked on the lower sections, it seemed the grout at the higher parts of the backsplash were getting lighter - even before working on them. I can only guess it was the bleach fumes. The grout stayed white for about 3 months before it started yellowing AGAIN! So once again, I began the bleaching process. This time the discoloring was definitely less severe, both in the depth of yellowing and the area that was affected and, as the first time, it could be scrubbed away. It's now been nearly a year and the grout remains white. Based on my results, I would say it's certainly worth a try.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Same issues. Grout and sealer from a chain called "The Tile Shop". Mostly sourced overseas. I'm done with house brands. Always inferior. LAtticrete, TEC, Fuller etc. from now on. Discoloration is more prominent on the lower areas. Shower is rarely used so it certainly dries.
    Yellowing is not mold. Uniform color change as in the backsplash shown above is definitely not mold. That's chemical. Portland cement based products continually cure and develop the crystaline structure for years. Maybe that's related.

    Possibly the materials, but perhaps it is the solution that is the problem. The cleaning supplies. Maybe something in the different chlorine or sodium solutions is interacting with the ph or other properties of the grout. Looking for an answer. Tired of this nonsense. Epoxy grouts from now on.

  • 7 years ago

    After years of my using tilex and clorox, I was told by a tile sales person the bleach can eat away grout. I noticed bleach was mentioned by many citing problems here. i wonder if it contributed to the problem. I would really like to know what brand of grout these were as I am looking to retile my shower.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Perhaps that's a good thing. Grouting is easy, digging it out is not.

  • 4 years ago

    had my professional tile setter install a back splash in a kitchen i remodeled. white porcelan subway tile with whie maipai grout. good job but 3 months later grout is turning yellow. havent run into this before and looking for a solution

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Purchase white grout stain easy to apply

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    this is caused by the sealer applied....a common battle for tile installers

  • 3 years ago

    @NOLAN BROTHERS STONEWORKS & Specialty ContractingContracting So is there a sealer out there that won't cause the grout to yellow? I know the grouts (popular ones) say they don't need a sealer but seems standard to seal them anyways. Is it doing more harm than foodgoodgoodfgood

  • 3 years ago

    No idea why comment box always autofills words for me and won't let me delete them. Just keeps glitching out . Ignore the "foodgood" . Smh