Troubleshooting Failing Floor Tile Grout

The key to creating floor grout that lasts is controlling the water that's used to mix it and the amount that's used when you strike the joints with a sponge to make them look perfect. Mladen Zivkovic/Shutterstock

A few days ago, I was singing “Happy Birthday” for the third time to my granddaughter in the kitchen of her parent’s newer home. It was a festive morning, and cake was served before lunch. After taking the first bite of the delicious cake my daughter had made, I was thinking this is a brilliant new trend many should consider!

But then I noticed, right behind and below my granddaughter, a section of grout in the tile floor that was defective. A significant amount of grout was missing from the joint. I soon discovered no fewer than 20 other random places in the tile floor throughout the house where grout was degrading.