You’ve finished grouting a few days back. But you see they are getting lighter as time goes by. Or you want the grout to be even darker.
How to darken grout with oil?
Darkening grout with oil has basically a single method. But they can be performed in 2 ways. Firstly, you can just rub the grout with oil using a brush. You can also apply mineral oil to the grout by hand. Both ways are great for darkening your grout.
This is far from enough for you! However, we’ve gone over everything in great detail. If you have any spare time, make sure to read it!
Sounds about right? Let’s just get into it then!
Can I Darken Grout with Oil?
Well, this is a quite common question asked nowadays. To answer this question, we must consider a few factors. Straightforwardly, yes, you can darken grout with oil. But you must remember two things.
The first thing to remember-
Adding oil to the grout incorrectly makes it hard to remove the oil from your grout and tile later. By incorrect we mean using too much oil. Otherwise, it’s alright as the oil will dry out afterward.
The second thing to remember is-
If you want to apply oil to your grout more than once, you can’t lighten the grout again.
Other than these two issues, it’s absolutely alright to use oil on your grout. Because it’s a quick and low-cost solution to darken grout.
How to Darken Grout with Oil Properly?
Well, you’ve already got the gist of what we’re looking for. It’s time to move on to the main part. The methods to darken your grout with oil are given below.
First Way: Applying Oil with A Brush
You might have just finished grouting. While touching it up on the next day you realize the grout doesn’t look that dark.
How to solve this issue?
You can simply put oil on the grout which can darken the grout. This will also make the grout look glazier. By the way, you can do the same thing with old grout!
To apply oil to the grout, you just need to follow a few simple steps-
First of all, take a brush which is suitable for you to put on the oil. You can use a soft bristle wooden painting brush for the job. Just make it with a small brush.
Once the brush is ready, dip your brush into a bowl of oil. The amount of oil you use is determined by the amount of grout you need to darken.
Now, brush the grout firmly and uniformly so that no portions are left out. Any left-out portion could result in grout discoloration. This way you’ll have to worry about fixing blotchy grout afterward.
One thing should be added here for clarification-
You might see the grout color fading or turning lighter as time goes by. As a result, you might think it’s an after-effect of exposure to light. But it’s not that.
It can be due to the quality of the oil. This is why make sure to use oil that is quite preferable for darkening grout! For this, linseed oil is preferred by professionals.
Now, you might be wondering where to find this oil! Well, we’re here to give you some suggestions which are given below-
| Product 1 | |
| Product 2 |
These are the products you can put your trust in. Any of these oils should help you darken your grout.
Second Way: Applying Mineral Oil on Grout by Using Fingers
Mineral oil will help to seal the grout to some extent. It is mostly accomplished by clogging the pores.
To begin, apply mineral oil or vaseline to your fingers. After that, massage your fingers on the grout.
It will continue to permeate the grout as long as you keep applying it to it. This way the grout will eventually become quite dark after 4-5 applications.
But don’t worry! it won’t turn completely black. Even if it does get darker than you hoped for, you can still lighten the grout. But before lightening, you need to allow the oil to dry.
How long does it take for oil to dry on grout?
It might take 1-2 days. For speckled or colored grout, the oil will take a longer time to balance out color. It could take up to a week to complete.
That’s all the info you need to know!
FAQs
Question: Does vinegar help to darken grout?
Answer: Yes, vinegar is helpful to darken grout. It is quite good for the grout too. However, because of the use of vinegar, if the grout is not cleaned, it will take on an unsightly brown tint.
Question: Can baking soda damage the grout?
Answer: Baking soda has a moderate abrasive quality to it. As a result, it aids in the removal of debris embedded in porous grout surfaces. It does not, however, cause any harm. Bleach can be replaced by hydrogen peroxide, which is a natural product. It illuminates the room and kills germs. It’s also non-toxic and breaks down into water and oxygen.
Question: What is the best homemade cleaner to use for cleaning grout?
Answer: Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide are the most frequent grout cleaners. Dish soap, on the other hand, might be added to the mix. As a result, it’s even more effective. The finest all-natural whitening remedy is cream and lemon juice. Vinegar and other extremely acidic solutions should be avoided. Because they can cause grout to deteriorate.
Final Words
Now, you know how to darken grout with oil. We believe our directions are quite straightforward and easy.
We hope that you’d follow our directions to work it out! All the best with your home improvement work!