James, I didn’t grout after the fact - the tiler did when I had him back to discuss the problem with the job. It was his idea to add grout and said that it would fix the problem. I assumed he is the expert and knows how to make it right. Would an expoxy colorant give me a painted look and get on the tiles?

^ Not a bad idea.

Can anyone point me to close up samples of grout colored with these products? I am not fininding great examples online and I am concerned that this will change the look i am after. The grout lines are 1/8 and the edges of the tile are very slightly rounded so the grout stands out regardless of color. I also read that it is easier to go from light to dark with colorants, is this true? If I had the tiles regrouted, does all of the grout have to be removed first, or can you just go half way down?

My question with the colorant is, does it absorb into the grout or sit on top? Like the difference between stained wood versus painted wood? It is hard to tell from the examples I found online.

I'm no expert, but from what I've seen on these boards, some people have great luck with colorant on regular grout. Since epoxy is non-porous, I would think it would sit on top and be more like painted on than absorbed. (I can't tell if you have epoxy grout or not).

The info about it on HD website says it has a warranty and to contact the manufacturer if you have problems, which is what I would do. Esp before trying any colorant.

Thanks! I have left a message with Custom building products about the grout issue and my options to fix it - they make the grout and the grout release my tiler used. I will ask them about the colorant too - the colorant recommended by Joseph looks like the same brand. The original grout was not expoxy, but Prism cement sanded ground (with a sealer in it) and it was not sealed after grouting. The job is only 5 days old, and the only reason the tiler used the grout release ( if that is the problem) is because of the tile manufacturer’s install recommendations. But the grout was light colored and the tiles are glazed. So, I am looking at other options as well such as regrouting and/or replacement.

As a follow up, in case there are others with an initial grout discoloration issue, I checked the grout again and posted a pic of the grout crumbling under my finger after 7 days. I spoke to my tiler and he is sure the problem is due to grout release used on this project which prevented the grout from setting and discolored the grout. The only solution is to retile. I have contacted both the grout manufacturer as well as the tile manufacturer to get this resolved. I hope this helps someone else! Thank you to those who responded to my post.

" The only solution is to retile. "

Why retile? Can't the grout be removed and all replaced?

Asking as a complete grout ignoramus, wouldn’t uneven color and crumbling be due to a mixing/blending problem with the grout before it was applied?

Millworkman: Tiler says my tile will crack and break if we try to dig out all the grout at this point. Then we would have to buy new tile to replace damaged tile risking getting a new tile dye lot and tiles that don’t match.