Full regrout: when the grout is past recolouring.

Grout does not last forever. An original 1970s installation has forty to fifty years on it. When joints crack, crumble, or pull away from the tile face, recolouring over it does not help and sealing over it is cosmetic. The grout has to come out, and fresh grout has to go in.

When full regrout is the right call

• Cracked joints. Cracks run the length of the joint, often along the wall-floor transition where movement is highest.
• Missing sections. Grout that has physically fallen out, leaving an open joint where water enters directly.
• Loose or hollow-sounding tile. Grout failure often means the thinset below has also let go in spots. A contractor can check this during the assessment.
• Grout more than twenty years old in a wet shower. Older unsanded grout absorbs moisture for decades. Once it is saturated and stained through, it cannot be cleaned back to a usable state.

How a full regrout job goes

The old grout is removed from every joint with an oscillating tool and carbide blade, carefully enough not to chip the tile faces. The joints are vacuumed clean. New grout is mixed and applied, pressed into the joints, tooled smooth, and cleaned from the tile faces. After curing, a penetrating sealer goes in. Start to finish on a standard shower: a day or two depending on size.

Grout colour options

New grout can match the original colour or upgrade it. A white original that has never looked right can become a true bright white, a warm linen, or a sharp charcoal. Ask to see samples and confirm the colour before the first joint comes out. Contractors who work regularly with older Niagara tile stock often have samples for the most common original tones from that era.

What it costs

No verified Niagara or Ontario figure for what this work costs exists in any government, association, or other authoritative source, so this guide publishes none. The way to learn what your job costs is a written, itemized quote from a local contractor, and a second one itemized the same way so the two can be compared line by line.

Caulk is always part of a full regrout. The corners, the floor perimeter, and the fixture penetrations all need fresh caulk because those are the highest-movement joints in the room. Grout does not belong in those joints regardless of the original installation.