How to regrout a swimming pool to make it watertight and look new again is an easy process you can do yourself. Tile is the most durable finish for the walls and floor of swimming pools, however, the grout can crack and become dirty over time. The cracks can leak water out of a pool and lead to tiles lifting and falling off the walls. Replacing the grout requires your labor but if you fix it early before it becomes worse the job is relatively easy.
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Do You Need to Regrout Your Swimming Pool
The first thing to do is check your pool. Even if your pool only has a tile band around the top of the walls it needs to be inspected for cracks or damage. If you have a fully tiled pool you will need to snorkel around the pool to properly inspect the condition of the pool. Sometimes you may need to empty half the water out of the pool to make it easy to inspect. Pool water should be replaced every 5 to 7 years to remove dissolved solids and other unwanted chemicals in the water. Now is a good time to regrout and change the water together.
One of the most common problems is calcium scale build up on tiles and grout.
Calcium carbonate scale is a hard crystalline substance that bonds to your pool surfaces and equipment like concrete. Many people don’t notice the scale in their pool as the deposits are off-white or clear and not easily seen on plaster and aggregate surfaces.
If there is scale, you will need to clean it off before you can renovate the grout. Sometimes brushing can remove scale but usually you need to remove it with a power tool.
How to Clean Calcium Scale from a Pool
Drain Water before Regrouting the Pool
If you are only regrouting a tile band, you only need to drop the water level below the band. Most filter systems have a valve to activate which redirects water from the skimmer box to the drain. This is good for draining the pool to the bottom of the skimmer box. Once the water is at the bottom of the skimmer box, if the pump is left on it will run out of water and suck in air.
A better option is to connect a flexi pool hose (the one you use to vacuum the pool) to the inlet pipe in the skimmer box and weight the other end of the hose to the deep end of the pool. You can use the vacuum head as the weight. Now you can use your pump to empty as much water out of the pool as required. It’s like vacuuming the pool into the drain until the pool is empty.
How Long to Drain an Inground Pool
A small pool will take about 6 hours and a large pool over 12 hours. This really depends on the volume of the pool and what pump you are using. The important thing is to keep monitoring the process. I don’t recommend draining overnight as you may leave the pump to run dry causing damage. Or you may cause an unexpected flood if the drain overflows.
How to Drain Water from a Swimming Pool
Clean the Tiles and Grout
Brush the Pool Surfaces
Brush the walls, tile band and steps to remove calcium deposits.
Wrap wet & dry sandpaper around the brush and secure with plastic tape. Rub the sand paper over the walls to remove stubborn deposits.
Wet & Dry Sanding Block
When the pool is empty it’s easy to sand away scale. Use a wet & dry sanding block (or a pumice stone) to remove stubborn deposits. Keep the sanding block wet while rubbing the surface. This works well on flat surfaces like plaster and tiles but not on aggregate.
Angle Grinder & Cleaning Disk
The pool water must be emptied to use this option. Electrical equipment should never be used near water as you can receive an electrical shock.
I always use an angle grinder with a soft, low abrasive fibreglass flap disk to clean away calcium deposits. The disk is a soft, ribbed material for polishing fibreglass but works very well on plaster and tiles. This method will also polish plaster and remove most surface stains. Always keep the disk wet and only apply very light pressure to remove the scale. Start with a very fine disk first and move to a more course disk if required.
Remove the Old Grout
Old grout can be removed manually with grout removal tools but I only recommend that for small jobs.
The fastest and best way to remove grout is with a power tool. Use the appropriate disk for grout removal.
Always wear a face mask, eye protection and gloves to protect yourself from the dust.
Take your time and try not to rush the job. Be careful to not damage any tiles as you may need to replace them adding to your workload.
Clean out the area between the tiles by using a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup water.
Vacuum up the grout pieces and dust from the bottom of the pool.
Regrout the Swimming Pool
To regrout the swimming pool, purchase a waterproof epoxy grout made for swimming pool tiles.
Choose the grout color that closely matches the old grout, or if you’re replacing all the grout, select a color that matches the tiles.
Mix the grout as per the instructions on the container. Spread it evenly over the tiles using a grout float. Start from the bottom and work your way up the tiles. Make sure the grout completely fills the joint between tiles.
Work in a small area at a time.
Use a wet sponge to remove excess grout from the tiles. Only use very soft pressure to remove excess grout otherwise you will remove grout between the tiles.
Wait for the grout to dry.
Seal the grout with a sealant designed for use in swimming pools. This will lengthen the lifespan and ensure that the grout stays in good condition for many years.
Fill the Pool
There are 4 steps to refilling a saltwater pool.
1: Fill with fresh water
2: Add Salt
3: Add Stabilizer
4: Circulate the water with the pump
Balance the Pool Chemistry
Testing and balancing the chemical components of your pool water is the last and most important step to refilling your pool. Balanced and properly sanitized water guarantees a safe swimming environment for your family and friends. Chemically balanced water prevents the build-up of calcium scale and other deposits on the pool surfaces, equipment and inside pipes. It also prevents the pitting, etching, dissolving, and staining of pool surfaces and tile grout.
How to Balance Swimming Pool Water
Conclusion
Some people believe regrouting a swimming pool is a lot of work. That’s simply not true.
Once you have lowered the water, removing sections of grout is easy with a power tool.
The process to regrout a swimming pool is cheap and easy but can be time consuming.
Once the water chemistry is balanced and the filtration equipment is set to optimal performance your pool is ready for action again.