Repairing Waterline Tile Grout

[joelq]

Hi all - I managed to get in the pool for the first time this season (the water just hit 70 degrees!) and noticed some portions of grout around the waterline tile above the water that needs some patching. I figured I could do this myself easily enough. Do I need special "pool grout"? Or can I use the same unsanded grout used in bathroom applications?

Thanks!

[Big_D]

You can go to Home Depot and get the waterproof grout, Polyblend I think, and it will work fine. Make sure the color is the same and that you did not seal the grout before. If the grout was sealed then you must remove at least some of the old grout in order to get the new to stick.

[jimlum]

You can go to Home Depot and get the waterproof grout, Polyblend I think, and it will work fine. Make sure the color is the same and that you did not seal the grout before. If the grout was sealed then you must remove at least some of the old grout in order to get the new to stick.

Big_D,

I also need to re-attach a couple of pieces of tile along the top edge of our spa (attached to the pool). We've tried a number of types of sanded grout, but the tiles keep re-popping out.

Do you or anyone else have any specific recommendations for what we can use, and that will "stick"?

Also, is just the grout enough, or are we suppose to use some kind of adhesive to glue the tile into place and THEN grout?

Thanks,
Jim

[Big_D]

Sorry for the slow reply, been overseas and cannot see the site from there.
Typically you use a thin set for setting the tiles in place, but you may have another issue if the tiles are popping off it could be they are under some kind off stress from movement or compression. If they are not under stress of some type go to HD and get the thin set used for shower / bathroom application that is waterproof to set the tiles. Then use waterproof grout for around the tile after the thin set dries. you probably need to drop the waterline and blend in the new grout to make sure it is not apparent where you replaced the tile. I have done this and re grouted a complete side in order to hide the new tiles with the old, it only took a few hours to do the whole project and looked perfect when done.
Thanks
Derek

[jimlum]

Big_D,

Thanks for responding.

I don't think that there is any stress (the tiles that loose are at the top edge of the spa area). We tried a couple of different sanded grouts before (from either HD or Lowes) but we used the same grout under (between the tile and the spa wall) the tiles, thinking the grout itself would be enough, so I guess that we need to use thinset instead, plus the grout between the tiles?

The sanded grout we have is called Laticrete Polyblend, I think.

If you know specifically which brand, etc. we can use for the "waterproof thinset" (the HD/Lowes people in this area don't seem to be very helpful), I'd really appreciate it if you'd post that info.

Thanks,
Jim

[jimlum]

Hi,

This is going to sound pretty dumb, but I've been searching this forum, and I'm wondering:

Is it possible that the reason those tiles that we tried to re-set last year didn't stay put is because we didn't use any "thinset" at all?

As I mentioned earlier, when we tried last year, we used the same stuff (sanded grout) UNDER the tile (between the tile and the wall) as well as between the tiles.

It looks like we should have used something(?) different, i.e., thinset to glue the tiles to the wall FIRST, and then use the sanded grout between the tiles after they'd been attached?

Jim

[jimlum]

Hi,

FYI, I found a product at Home Depot named "Underwater Mortar". It's made by Custom Products. It's suppose to be used like thinset, but supposedly can be put on the back of tiles, and taken under water to attach the tiles to the wall.

We tried this this morning to re-attache the loose tiles on the top edge of our spa area, and it seems like it worked pretty well.

Jim

[Big_D]

Sorry for the slow reply Jim. Yes you typically use some type of Thin set which is nothing more than mortar fortified with a polymer glue. This is what should actually hold the tiles in place. The reason you need the glue to be water proof as some thin set will break down in water due to the type of adhesive blend. Typically in pools they use the same material you would use to set shower or bathtub tiles. The grout should also be waterproof, and I think the HD brand is Polyblend.

You are correct the grout is brittle and has little in the way of adhesive properties, more for sealing, water proofing and aesthetics.

Glad it worked
Thanks
D

[markphin]

I too have noticed some loose tiles, they have not popped off but are a bit loose, because the grout at the coping line came off, and I gusee some water got behind the tiles. My question is, can I just re-grout for now in hopes that they won't pop off, or should i cut the loose ones out and re attach per the above reccomendations? Note these tiles are above the water line as part of a raised spa.

[judas]

If the tiles are loose, you need to remove them and reattach. Just repairing the grout won't help - even though the tiles aren't submerged, water (splashing, rain, etc) will still get behind them and there will be a cascading effect of popping tiles. Better to fix it sooner rather than later...

I just went through this a few weeks ago, I had about six tiles that loosened up near the skimmer. I ended up using a 50/50 mix of limestone and portland cement, mixed with water. I used that mixture as well to grout with - I didn't really car how it looked since I plan on retiling next season.

So far so good, the tiles are firmly attached and have been partially submerged in water since I finished the job. No cracking grout, etc.