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Did you know you can change grout color in your tile without a fancy renovation? Polyblend Grout Renew came to the rescue in our laundry room and we are absolutely in love with the results. To change grout color, you'll need less than $20, some patience, and maybe a good playlist or podcast (or 10). Check out my method using Polyblend Grout Renew below.

Changing my tile's grout color had been on my to-do list for some time. I finally bit the bullet and wished I had sooner...loving the results. While it did take a bit of time and patience, it was crazy cheap and super easy. See how to change grout color in any tiled surface below.

Change Grout Color with Polyblend Grout Renew

I should go ahead and state that this is, indeed, the same tile in both photos on that first pic. One photo was taken on a cloudy day, the other was the next day, which was sunny and bright. It makes the tiles appear a bit different in color. (And yes, that's old blue painter's tape in that first photo...it's been there since February, which my dad points out is a major no-no every time he drops by).

One more warning...while this is indeed an easy and simple project that anyone can do, with no special skills required, it is time-consuming (I've said that a bit already, right?). I did this in the laundry room as my "test" area. My goal is to eventually do this in my entry way...but with the time it takes, I wanted to see how it holds up in this small room first, before investing all of that time on the larger floor to change grout color. 

UPDATE: FOUR YEARS LATER AND IT STILL LOOKS GREAT!!

Want to see how the complete laundry room looks now? You can see our Laundry Room Makeover for more ideas.

What You'll Need to Change Grout Color:

• strong degreasing cleaner
• I chose the Krud Kutter brand because it's natural, yet can pull oil stains off a driveway...very powerful stuff. You can grab it here on Amazon.
• old toothbrush
• paper towels
• squirt tip applicator bottle, I used one I had on hand (I think an empty dish liquid bottle would work well, here, if you have one on hand). Or grab inexpensive ones here on Amazon.
• Polyblend Brand Grout Colorant and Sealant (this is obviously the main thing you'll need when you change grout color). I chose this brand because it truly has amazing reviews...and with the sealant built in, all of the users mention that the white stays white, even over years of wear. This particular brand can be purchased online here for the best price I can find. It's called "Polyblend Grout Renew". It's available in a wide arrange of color choices. I am using "Snow White" here. Also, it goes a LONG way. I only used about 1/4 of my bottle with two coats in the laundry room...worth every penny.
• CLICK HERE TO GRAB THE POLYBLEND ON AMAZON.
• lots of cotton swabs (just grab the 500 pack and make peace with using almost all of them)

I'm completely in love with the "new" floor in the laundry room now! And just to be up front, I know we had a lot of discussion on the FB and Instagram accounts regarding white grout (people either love it or loathe it), but this room is basically my trial area. After reading the reviews of the Polyblend Grout Renew, I really want to see if it will stay white as all of the reviews state it will. I love the look of the white grout, but as so many of you sweet friends mentioned...very rarely does it stay white. I'm putting it to the test and will definitely be back in a few months to tell you what I think. UPDATE: FOUR YEARS LATER AND THIS FLOOR STILL LOOKS AMAZING!

Against my better judgement, I'm showing you the filth that came out of my old grout from the pre-scrubbing. Gah! It's been a while since I've done grout cleaning in this room. I won't tell you how long...let's just stick with a while. 

Steps to Change Grout Color:

• You'll start by spraying your degreaser into your grout lines. Let it sit in the grout for 10 minutes and then give it a good scrubbing with the toothbrush. Then wipe the nastiness away so you don't have to beat yourself up about your cleaning skills (not that I actually did that...ahem).
• Don't skip this first cleaning step to save time (I know it's tempting). If you apply the colorant to the dirty grout, you're basically not getting it to adhere to the grout, but rather the dirt. Overtime, it will wear away rather quickly. 
• Let the cleaned grout sit overnight to completely dry. Grout can absorb moisture, even if it looks dry faster, give it the entire night. The colorant must be applied to thoroughly dry grout. If you have a fan to aim at the cleaned grout, I'd use it overnight to make sure it dries out completely. 

• Add some of your colorant into your squirt-tipped bottle for easier application.
• Apply the colorant with the squirt tip directly into the grout lines. You'll make a thin line down the middle of the grout. Work in small areas...about six inches at a time. It tends to dry fast and you'll need to keep the area you're applying it to very "workable" as you get it into the entire line of grout.

• Using a cotton swab, work the colorant around in the grout line to get full coverage. You'll get a bit of excess outside of the line, so you'll need to work quickly to be able to wipe that before it dries. I basically went back and forth in a small motion to spread the grout down the line. Your cotton swab will become saturated rather quickly...I sometimes used over a dozen swabs on one grout line.

• Use either a paper towel or another cotton swab to clean up the excess colorant.

• This is about the average length that I worked in (above). I also did two entire coats of the colorant...letting it dry a couple of hours in between coats.
• The darker your original grout color is, the more coats you will need. Mine was darkish and I used two coats and had good coverage. 

It's slow work. I laid on that floor for a couple of days with the two coats I applied. Again, a good playlist in the background (or 20 podcasts) will be your bestie in this process. Also, try to avoid walking in the space while you're in the middle of your application and drying process. I had to reroute everyone to the front door, since our laundry room is actually our most used door.

Applying a Second Coat of Polyblend Grout Renew

After your first coat of the Polyblend Grout Renew is on, let it dry a couple of hours. Then go back and apply the second coat in the same manner as the first. The second coat is a lot faster than the first. I'm not sure if all of the colors need that second coat or if it's because we went from darker to lighter grout? But, we definitely needed both coats on our grout.

I think it truly looks like a new floor. My husband even noticed it when he got home (that doesn't always happen, y'all!

It's a bit of a different project...but it's a ton cheaper than new floors or re-grouting. Can't wait to update you on how this holds up over time. This is a super high-traffic pass-through area in our home {from the garage to the house...it's what we use as our main in and out}, so I'm really putting it to the test.

Do you have any area of older tile that you'd like to change grout color? Let me know if you'd ever consider this method.

UPDATE 1/26/14: So far, so good!! The grout has held up wonderfully and looks just as fresh as the day(s) I worked on it! I've also had numerous readers try this same project with success. 

UPDATE 2019: We sold this home, but the grout stayed looking awesome (and I imagine it still does!). I plan to use the Polyblend Grout Renew in our new home, too.

More Cleaning Ideas

• Does your concrete patio make you cringe? I've got an easy DIY Patio Cleaner that doesn't require the use of a power washer. It's amazing, y'all.
• I also have a wonderful Homemade Residue Remover that can get the gunk and funk off of just about anything.
• Bob Vila also has some great tips on cleaning your grout, too (without changing the color of it).
• Practically Functional also has a great homemade cleaner for your grout, too.
• Simple Green shares some really great tips on cleaning travertine flooring.