Soap Scum and Mold Plagued This Mosaic Tile Shower in Charlestown, Massachusetts

March 08, 2016

Before he signed up for a local Charlestown grout recoloring, this Massachusetts resident had no idea what the shower in his fixer-upper was supposed to look like. It was as if a fog of filth overtook him every time he stepped in to the mosaicked mold room. The floor's hex tiles featured splotches of white amidst a sea of brown grime and mildew. The tiny wall tiles were hazy and covered in white patches that made it look as if someone lost a fight with their shaving cream. The worst parts were the caulked lines where the walls and floor intersected. They were a murky brown – and the caulk looked like it was peeling off.



The Charlestown homeowner knew it would be a big problem if he let the grime continue to grow. Mold breeds mold, and with so many apparent problems, he thought it was best to leave it in the hands of professionals. He heard that Sir Grout of Greater Boston offered a free evaluation, and that most jobs were completed in as little as a day. He was able to sign up quickly and easily. He was worried - what would his shower look like once it was clean? All he could do was hope.

The team came in, ready for anything. The homeowner had been very concerned about the shower, but all it took was a step inside the bathroom to immediately detect the scent of mold and mildew. As they approached, they quickly realized that a grout recoloring would be necessary, and most likely a caulking service as well. They inspected more closely. While some of the dark brown corners and edges were peeling, it appeared that no water damage had yet occurred. The homeowner could breathe easier.

The team began with a thorough tile and grout cleaning. The fog that covered the walls and floor was soap scum, and needed to be cut through with a careful mix of pH-neutral and alkaline chemicals. The areas of brown and grey were a combination of soap scum, dirt, and mold. What happened to this shower? Well, as soap scum built up on the floor, it had also collected on the walls, and traffic in and out of the shower led to dirt and bacteria sticking to the soap scum. As that grungy amalgam stuck within the tiny pores of the grout and the film over the tiles, it created the perfect habitat for mold and mildew to blossom.

The heat and cleaning products would remove the dirt and destroy the mold and mildew gently, but such a long exposure to dirt, grime, and dark mold had the nasty side effect of staining the grout. The grout and tile were now clean, but there would be no way to tell if they stopped now. The stain was stuck to the mosaic tiles and grout like cran-apple left on a bedsheet. The next step was to add new caulk and recolor the grout. Recoloring the grout with ColorSeal would have a two-fold effect: first, it would add a new, uniform color to the grout so that no stains would show through. The second benefit would be to simultaneously seal the grout so that it would be stain-, mold-, mildew-, and water-resistant. The seal would not only protect the underlying grout, but make it so that it was much easier to clean. ColorSeal would fill the tiny pores that had made such a nice, safe home for dirt, mold, and bacteria. No longer would muck be able to collect inside the compromised grout. It was protected.

Beneath the dirty shower lay a beautiful, ocean-like tile mosaic paired with an intricate hex floor. It was clean again, and it looked brilliant. Calm washed over the Charlestown homeowner in an awesome wave. He could finally enjoy his spacious spa and protect his investment.

Does your shower have scummy streaks or brown grout lines? It's time for a grout recoloring. Call us at (781) 899-0388 for a free assessment on your shower and other hard surfaces today.

If you found this article helpful then let us know in the comments section below. Likewise, feel free to share it using the share options below. Want us to cover another topic of your interest pertaining to Hard Surface Restoration? If so, then like us and follow us on social media, and post to any of our social media profiles the topic you'd like us to discuss: Facebook Sir Grout of Greater Boston, Instagram @sirgroutboston, and Twitter @SirGrout.