We posted the whole process of painting grout on our YouTube channel, so check out that video here if you want to see our step by step! The video is of the process of making grout darker, but we also put up a separate project using white grout paint in our Instagram highlights, if it helps to view that one, too. This post contains affiliate links which may lead to a commission if purchased. This helps us keep the blog running. Thanks!
Is Painting Grout A Bad Idea?
When we bought our house, the guest bathroom was the closest thing to being “updated”. While we didn’t have to do any major replacements such as retiling, the dirty white grout made the bathroom look disgusting. A little scrubbing revealed the fact that the previous owners hadn’t cleaned the grout in years, and it was permanently stained. Ew.
Rather than ripping it all out (I know, our go-to, surprising, right?) we decided to give painting grout a try. We painted the dirty grout white about 2 years ago, and I’m amazed at how well it held up. Since that bathroom is rarely used, the weekly cleaning with our floor steamer keeps it looking nice.
Painting Grout Light vs. Dark
There is a notable difference between painting grout a light color, and painting grout darker. We’ve done both. One is easier than the other, but we haven’t noticed any major difference in the longevity or effectiveness between the two.
Painting Grout White
Painting grout white a slightly more difficult endeavor. My main concern when we painted our grout white was whether the paint would be able to stand up to scrubbing for cleaning. Fortunately, we only painted the grout white in our guest bathroom, which is used relatively rarely. Therefore, we haven’t had to clean the white painted grout yet. I am apprehensive to do so, however, because I’m afraid of scraping off the paint. In addition, I had to do two coats when painting grout white. Going from dark to light is a lot harder than the reverse.
Painting Grout Dark
Since going “lighter” is the trend for just about everything these days, I was a bit apprehensive to paint our kitchen grout darker at first. However, I’m a big believer in stepping away from the crowds, and I’m so glad we did. Painting grout dark was of the best design decisions we made. The kitchen is used way too frequently by us and our dogs for any kind of light grout. In fact, I picked an “off-white” color because I knew that pure white grout would just look dirty. It definitely wasn’t dark enough.
Painting grout dark was super easy — you can watch our YouTube video if you want to see exactly how we did it. The nice part about painting grout dark was that I actually decided not to do two coats of paint. We could have, but the grout paint did a really good job the first time around, and the few spots that were a little bit shoddy will darken over time with use, anyway. Based on the bruises on my legs from kneeling for hours, I just decided to call it a day.
We used the Polyblend #105 Earth color for our kitchen floors.
Was The Grout Paint Successful?
All in all, we’re totally happy with how the dark painted grout turned out in our kitchen. I’m huge on clean floors — especially clean kitchen floors. It makes the space so much more enjoyable. Before, even though the floor tile was nice and clean from our steam mop, it still felt dirty due to the stained grout. We went with a reddish-brown mid-tone to play off of the copper accents throughout the kitchen. It actually looks better than the white grout, too, because of how light and “sterile” everything felt before. The warmer, darker tones in the grout helps to balance the space a little better.
Have you ever tried painting grout before? How did it work out for you?
