Grout color

I've finished a porcelain tile job using 12"x12" Rialto tiles and Mapei dark-brown sanded grout. The grout looks great when wet--but when dry it is light gray like plain concrete. I haven't sealed it yet. Will sealing darken the color, or should I use a sealant/colorant combo to get the dark color I want? Thanks.

Be careful which product you use to seal the grout. Some grout sealers bost of not changing the grout color and once the grout is sealed it's doubtful the color can then be changed without using a grout colorant.

Other sealers such as "stone enhancers" say they do in fact darken the stone intentionally and I suppose they would also darken the grout. Maybe this is the product you should use.

At any rate don't rush out and do something without first thoroughly investigating what it is these various products can/will do. They all offer a Technical Rep you can call and discuss the matter with them.
I would start with the Aqua-Mix people and ask them for guidance. 562-946-6877.

For example they have a product called "Enrich 'N' Seal", the label says this product "Darkens and Enhances Natural Stone". I have used it on grouted river rock and it did in fact darken the grout in my case but it also left a gloss finish on everything. The stones were also given a deep lustre they didn't have in their natural form.

Like Bud said, but don't seal it if you plan on using a colorant, it needs to be used over unsealed grout.

You can't use colorant over sealed grout??????

No, it can affect the bond and should be stripped first.

So they say, maybe it would would work over a penetrating sealer, but not one that beads up the water when it hits it, makes sense, yes?

Makes sense to me. I have done little sealing and used colorant only once.

I thought grout colorant was topical and simply painted on over the previous.

It IS topical, but if you look on any container from any manufacturer (atleast the ones I've seen, anyway) it says right on the side of the bottle that any sealer must be removed, first.

I had the same disappointing outcome with the same grout. After much investigation and some testing, I used a dark walnut wood stain on the grout. It looks great, but be prepared to do some work cleaning up the edges of the grout lines after you apply the stain. And don't even try it if your tile is porous. It would be best to apply some stain to a scrap piece of tile, let it set for 24 hours and then see if you can scrub it off. For cleanup, I used some heavy duty degreaser mixed with an ammonia based cleaner and very hot water.

There are several different items I've used in the past to stain grout, including wood stain. I've also used black shoe leather dye, and ceramic stain (usually for use on unfinished ceramic figurines). All worked well, but none as well as grout colorant.

I've bought some grout colorant/sealant from Custom Products, but I haven't used it yet. It is supposed to color and seal in one application. It seems logical that if the purpose of the sealant is to poenetrate the top layer of grout, that adding colorant to the sealant should work. However, I agree with those that say that you can't recolor with a penetrating type colorant AFTER you've sealed, since the sealant would inhibit the colorant from penetrating. On the other hand, there are surface-type colorants that do not require penetration to recolor the grout--but they are more like a "coat" of paint.

The colorant from Custom Products works like a charm. I applied it to the grout joints with a roller-bottle, then brushed it in well using a one-inch paint brush, let it set 45 minutes. To remove the excess, use one of those sponges from Home Depot that has a white scratch pad on one side. Use the white side to loosen excess that's dried on the tile, and use the other side to clean up the rest. Keep going over it until the tiles are clean. THIS METHOD WOULD NOT WORK ON ABSORBENT TILES.

I've got the same grout issue. I used Mapei grout from Lowes (Mocha in color). About half the grout looks great. The other half fades to a light brown. Apparently I didn't mix it well? Anyway. I found this site http://www.groutdye.com/. I haven't received the dye yet but hopefully it will work. I spent $1,500 bucks on this project. Tile looks great but the grout looks bad. By the way. If you haven't already figured it out, don't waste your time asking for a solution at Lowes or HD!

The possibilty that it could be efflouressance? Try scratching the grout in a spot down about an 1/8". Wipe it down. Is the color thats exposed the color you were looking for? If so then you probably used to much water when grouting (at one point or another). Try a mild acid (such as Sulfamic acid) to clean the joints with. If this doesnt help you can use a stronger acid (such as a diluted muriatic acid) but make sure important things such as stainless steel and any exposed metal edges are taped over.

I WOULD NOT recommend that ANY DIYer, or anyone else, for that matter, who isn't trained in the use of muriatic acid, use it in an occupied residence. This stuff is extremely dangerous. Just the fumes could be enough, especially if there's anyone in the home with respiratory problems. If the sulfamic acid doesn't work, I'd go to the colorant.

Gw is right on not blindly trusting HD/Lowe's guys, but some of them know their stuff. I was preparing to saw 1/2" off the bottom of my inswinging aluminum/glass "storefront" double-doors (to account for the tile heighth), and I asked the Lowe's tool guy what blade he recommended for my SkilSaw to do the job. One of the doors is usually stationary--it uses an up/down 3/8" steel rod that extends up into the aluminum header and down into a hole in the floor to secure the door; you retract the rods only when moving furniture, etc. Anyway, I had planned to shorten the door 1/2" and also the rod. This elderly gentleman, obviously a retired builder who preferred working at Lowe's over spending his remaining years in a rocker, pointed out that I should NOT shorten the rod because it still needed to penetrate into the same floor. Duh! I'm sure glad I talked to him.

I used the Custom grout colorant and it worked great--a lot of work. I have doubts that improper mixing is always the culprit when pre-colored grout doesn't turn out correctly. I think the manufacturer always says that. A past poster said that if he had to do it all over again, he would simply use plain colored grout and then colorant. I agree.

I did etch first with sulfamic acid and it helped some. Didn't mean to write a book here.