Bathroom (shower) Tile and grout refresh/restoration?

[Oro_O]

Back story is the shower basin was leaking. The floor had sagged and broken the integrity of the seals. The tile and grout all looked great (but was leaking) a month ago. The tile has been stained and the grout colors mis-matched since the repair. The picture makes it look worse than it is, as I took it w/o a flash and there was some water still in the basin distorting the colors.

We raised the floor and re-enforced it. My cousin dug out the seriously cracked grout lines and re-filled them. The color came out a bad match, and there's a lot of residue on the tiles despite us washing it continually as it set. This is in a small guest cabin on my parents' property, and my mom Air-bnb's it often. She won't tolerate it - and I agree up to a point. I wouldn't stand it, BUT: she insists we rip the tile out and re-tile it. I'm opposed to that as a) the whole point of a shower floor is to not leak and channel water to the drain. Which it is doing wonderfully now and I believe strongly in not messing with what is not broken. b) I'd rather just clean it and re-color the grout, and I fully accept the current cosmetics are not acceptable.

Questions:

1) best way to clean the tile? Muriatic acid weak solution and wash? A sealant afterwards to make it shine?
2) Good grout colorant?

Other advice?

 

[danez_yoda]

I would do a grout stain but not white. some color of gray since it will get dirty over time. I used the stuff from Lowes with good results. on a frequently mopped kitchen floor. Don't know how well it will stand up to a shower application but its easy enough to reapply so that might be the route. clean it and get all soap and grime out with bleach followed by maybe vinegar before putting on the grout stain.

 

[greenjp]

More of a question for the John Bridge forum, but here it goes:
When you say "the floor sagged and broke the integrity of the seals", what exactly are you talking about? Somehow the subfloor under this shower started to give in and the drain assembly failed?
Do you know what's under the tiles? There's a significant slope from the looks of it but no way to tell what's below. Any idea what how the base and walls are constructed?
Not sure what colorant you have in mind but would suggest contacting a manufacturer directly (Mapei etc) and ask them.
I dunno what's going to clean off the grout residue on the tiles without affecting the grout in between the tiles. Cement based grout? Another good question for a product manufacturer.
In general, band-aiding a situation like this is just staving off the inevitable.

jeff

 

[mcdonnell]

barkeepers friends cleanser spray 3 or 4 overnight applicatons

 

[JC1]

I would just leave it alone for now. IMO To properly fix it you'll need to rip out the base and do it all over again. That will probably damage some of the wall tiles and then you'll have more issues to deal with.

 

[JTK]

I would just leave it alone for now. IMO To properly fix it you'll need to rip out the base and do it all over again. That will probably damage some of the wall tiles and then you'll have more issues to deal with.

This and what greenjp suggested above.

Grout isn't intended to be water proof and hold water back. Water goes right through tiled shower pans, so what matters is the waterproofing beneath the tile.

In terms of making what you have prettier. Does the darker stuff scrub off? Definitely ask a tile shop, etc.