How to Dye Grout and Refresh a Dated Tile Floor

Hi guys! I am super excited to share my project with you all today! The last 2 spaces I shared here were from my mom’s house (my closet & bathroom sink!)- but I am finally going to share part of my new house!

This house was built in the 80’s and you can definitely tell- but I like a good project (you can see all of my 1st house projects here!) and um… did you see the view? A few projects are worth it!

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Most of the first floor is tiled with beigeish square tile like so:

(I know what you’re thinking- girl, you’ve got way more problems than just tile! But I promise, it is going to look good in here one day!).  I do not like beige- it is just not my thing- but after thinking long and hard about the flooring I decided the most cost effective update would be to dye the grout.

So I picked up some Polyblend Grout Renew ($12.47!!!) and tried two different colors- antique white and snow white. The antique is on the left, while snow is on the right.

I eventually picked the snow white- I thought it was brighter and cleaner looking than the antique and got to work.

How to Dye Grout to Refresh a Tile Floor

All you need is the grout renew, a damp paper towel and a brush. The directions say to use a toothbrush, and some reviewers said that using a child’s toothbrush worked well, but as I didn’t have a child’s toothbrush, I just went with a craft brush about the size of my grout lines.

This is not hard work.

1. Paint the grout renew on
2. Make sure that it covers well
3. Wipe away excess (I did one side of the square and then wiped so it had time to settle)

However, the difference is amazing! The flooring in the foreground has been dyed and down the hall has not. I was super impressed with the difference. In person it looks even better- and feels so clean!

I listened to a Harry Potter audiobook while painting and was good to go. Once I was finished I loved it so much that I did a little styling : )

Having one area of the house a little more finished makes the whole thing feel so much nicer!

And having a drop zone for dog leashes and keys makes a world of difference!

Of course, there is a lot left to do- paint, baseboards, doors… the list goes on and on. But I am happy that this little dyeing grout project makes the floors look so much better and didn’t involve demo and installation. Proof that even if something isn’t your favorite, you can make little changes to make it better!

One of our readers also tried out this technique. Kelly shared her project with us on our Sunday Share Facebook Thread. She used Delorean Gray! It created a modern contrast with her white tiles. Thanks for sharing Kelly!

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More ways to update old floors:

fake the wood floor with faux painted brown paper floors

or with DIY whitewashed plywood flooring:

put down peel and stick tiles — with grout!

or paint is always a great option, too!

Paint a linoleum/vinyl floor:

or damaged bamboo floors:

or a concrete porch floor!