Changing Grout Color-A Subway Tile Update!

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change grout color tutorial

Hey y’all!

Did you see my Home Tour on Monday? Have you visited the other great houses on the Summer Showcase? (the full line up in my post.) I was totally holding back when I shared the pictures of my kitchen Monday because I had just finished this awesome project!

Like I shared on Monday, when my husband and I built the house last year we were able to chose all of the finishes.  I spent a ton of time choosing what I wanted for the kitchen. I had dreams of light ivory cabinets and dark granite with a white subway tile backsplash…it was beautiful-in my mind!

Fast forward to the day my husband and I actually went to the builder supply to pick our finishes in person and the salesperson took one look at our out of control rowdy pack of three boys and gently suggested I choose a darker cabinet color.  He gave me the example of one of the boys getting a hold of a Sharpie just once and I’d never be able to restore the cabinets.

In retrospect it was a pretty melodramatic sales pitch but it scared me and I went with the dark cabinets and lighter granite instead.  When the people in charge of the tiling asked me for the grout color in the kitchen I was already so burnt out by the process I just wanted it to be finished…I ended up opting for bright white grout to go with the bright white tile, concerned that a darker grout would be too dark with the dark cabinetry.

{ugh}

It makes my stomach hurt just remembering that process…making decisions is hard for me and the entire home building process positively turned my hair gray!

Fast forward a year and both my husband and I were regretting the white grout and started talking about the pros and cons of changing grout color.  We love subway tile but you could barely see that our backsplash was subway tile without the definition between the tiles.  We were talking about it last week and thought about trying the Grout Refresh that I talked about in my post on restoring and sealing your grout. I was nervous about going darker instead of just restoring it to an original finish but we decided to go for it.  Twelve dollars later and we were on the fast track to dark grout!

coloring grout

This is me painting on the Grout Refresh with a craft brush.  My husband “helped” by removing all three outlet covers and refilling his coffee cup for the island instead of the counter.  He’s a trooper.

To use the Grout Refresh just paint it on (I used a cotton swab to apply it on my bathroom floors) and leave it for 30-60 minutes.  You can totally leave it on longer, don’t stress about leaving it too long, I’ve left it over a day before and it was fine.  After the time has elapsed spritz it with water and then scrub off the excess with a sponge.

subway tile grout color change

I have to admit I was still feeling pretty nervous when I painted it on because even though I was using a paintbrush the lines looked big and really dark.  However, when I started to scrub it away I was immediately relieved with how it looked-you can see on the right pic above, the left side has the excess wiped off and the right side shows before I wiped off the excess.

A white subway tile kitchen backsplash having the grout colored gray

The difference is subtle but I am in love with it…now you can see the subway tile but it’s in no way obtrusive.  I’m so glad we took the plunge and gave it a shot, and it’s a bonus that the entire project cost under $15! Not too shabby for a high impact DIY?

What do you think? Do you like it better before or after? Can you see the difference?

change grout color

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67 Comments

  1. We remodeled our kitchen last year and we have white subway tile with white grout up and around our windows and though I like how clean and subtle it is I’ve often thought I should have maybe gone with a very light grey or silver. Is there that color?

    1. I’m not sure what the current selection is Kirsten, I’ve used the white and dark grey varieties

  2. Hi!! I plan to do this. But my question is longevity. Say it’s done but the tiles get dirty and you have to clean it. Will the color wash off after? Do I have to be careful of rubbing and cleaning the newly colored grout even after it’s been set for a while? Or once it’s done it’s permanent

    1. Hi Jim, once you apply it and rub off the excess per the instructions it will be permanent. I can’t vouch personally for long term, I only have about 4 years worth of wear on my original application but so far it’s holding up beautifully!

  3. Just came across your blog searching for how yo change your grout color. I’m literally in the same position you were except mine is our white subway tile master shower. We built and are about to move in in a few weeks. We chose white grout and now I am not a fan and my husband will kill me if I tell him. This may be an easy solution to try….

    1. That’s exactly how I felt too-the white on white seemed to make it look flat. This was a super easy solution (and inexpensive) let me know if you do it! I’d love to see a before and after!

  4. Your results look great! I started working on my own kitchen last night and I’m having trouble with the stain wiping away from the grout and looking uneven when I wipe off the excess. Did you have that problem at all?

    1. I never had that problem Jane, I did find it a little harder to wipe away if I let it dry longer than a few hours but it was nothing a little elbow grease didn’t take care of, it never looked uneven.

  5. Hi. Love this! We wanted to do a darker grout with our subway tile but we were talked out of it by our tile guys. As soon as it was done we were bummed we didn’t stick to our design guns and I went to the Internet for a solution and found your post 🙂 One question: did you have white caulk at the bottom where it meets the counter top? How did you contend with that? Thanks!

    1. We’re not in that home any longer Jesse but I just left the caulk as is, I can’t remember if it was white or clear though. Sorry not to be of more help!

  6. I am just wondering how precise you have to be? If you get it on tiles does it wash off? I’m afraid of it looking sloppy!?

    1. You don’t have to be precise at all Wendy, you put it on, let it dry for a while, then spritz with water and wipe away the excess-that’s all!

    1. I am so sorry if I didn’t answer this already, I thought I had but don’t see it-I have not tried to lighten my grout but I believe from the thickness of the grout refresh that it should work. If you decide to try it I’d love to hear how it works out for you so I can note it in the post!

    2. Yes- I have charcoal-color grout lines between my 12×12 (?) off white tiles in the bathroom. I tried painting white “Grout refresh” over them, and it works like a charm. Mostly covers in one coat, but 2 would be better. In my case, though, after doing 1/3 of the bathroom, I’m not loving it. Too stark looking in my opinion- and weirdly, it makes even the tiles themselves look much brighter. I want some kind of refresh, though, so now I’m thinking perhaps I’ll try a dark chocolate brown.

      1. It’s crazy how changing the grout color can change the tile look. We had a similar thing happen in our new home, we had the walls painted and now the kitchen cabinets and tile around the fireplace look almost pink instead of the creamy white they looked before. Guess it gives us one more project to DIY soon! ~Melissa

  7. This is exactly what I am wanting to do to mine! Thanks for sharing. My countertops and new backsplash is at the bottom of my wish list! One day it will be changed….

  8. This looks great, Melissa! Do you know if it said anything about using it with marble? I’m not loving the grout color we chose with marble tile and I hate the idea of having to totally re-grout it to change it.

  9. This turned out fabulous!! I am totally going to do this on my kitchen floor. We chose a grout that was way too light and it just makes the floors look old and tired. Thanks for the inspiration.
    Shawna

  10. My friend referred me to your blog because I have a very similar situation in my kitchen. I can so relate to your house building stress!! I’ve been in my new construction home for about 7 months, and I agonize over changing anything because it’s all brand new! I recently bought the grout restore stuff in Delorean Gray, but I let fear get the best of me and I chickened out. Would you mind sharing the color you used? It looks amazing and you may have just helped me get over my fear of change!

    1. Hey Melissa! The brand is Grout Refresh and the color is 09-Gray. Hope that helps, I was so nervous but totally happy I went for it! Thanks for stopping by!

  11. i love this! i had no idea this was possible to do. yes, makes huge difference. i know what you mean about making lots of decisions like that. did the new coffeepot come with the grout refresh 😉

    1. lol Betty, the coffeemaker was my hubby’s Father’s Day gift! And man, he loves that thing!!

  12. Looks great! I had no idea – what a great way to refresh a tile look. I should do this in our bathroom!

    1. Thanks Karen! I’ve used this in all three full baths and the kitchen now, it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite DIY supplies!

      1. I so wish I was going, but just can’t afford it / Ben is also away that week at a conference. I’ll be saving up for next year though.

        1. We’ll still need to find a time to get together-sorry I had to bail on the museum a while back…the boys are year-round school so they’re already back in school 🙁

          1. I know it’s so hard to find a time with all the kids schedules.

  13. That looks fantastic! I’m a huge subway tile lover too and I did notice that couldn’t really see any definition between the tiles yesterday. This is like BAM! Subway tile! In your face! I had no idea you could just paint it with the grout refresh either!

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