Jonzjob Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I am part way through removing the grouting between the tiles on our kitchen worktop. It has degraded badly after about 25 years since the house was built. Normaly I would have got my Dremel, fitted the tungsten carbide grout removing bit, applied some elbow grease and job done.BUT! this grout is one removed from concrete and it took the edge off of the tungsten carbide bit in a few seconds! I have a Burgess engraver/carver tool with 3 hardened points which I thought would do the job and they did for a while. I have now done about 1/10th and the points have been battered to death. I have also been using a hardened flat ended punch and hammer and this seems to be working, but it has also taken a couple of flakes off of the edge of a couple of the tiles. I managed to find the bits and have praised super glue! I have been saving my fingers by holding the punch with my trusty Mole gripsThe actual worktop is re-enforced concrete and I am being serious. About 2 inch thick with re bars through it! The tiles have been fixed with cement and not tile adhesive and a thin layer of grout on top. The average gap between the tiles is 5 mm. I believe that with the grout only being thin that is the reason for it breaking away in places. I think that I need to take some of the cement/concrete out from between the tiles and that is the main problem.A quick calculate tells me that I have about 25 meters of grout and I have removed about 2.5 meters of that so far [:'(] ! I think that I will go and do the more enjoyable task of trimming the 75 meters of 2 meter high pyracantha hedge![+o(]Any help will be greatfully recieved!!![8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG MAC Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 If the grout is cementitious rather than epoxy it may be that the use of a strong concentration of brick cleaning acid may soften the upper layer (Check data sheet for products use and make sure you are well protected in hand eye and respiratory protection and working in a well ventilated area)You rarely neet to remove all the grout, just the surface to allow a re application, we would normally use a grout rake for this.Either way it sounds like a pig of a job and you have my every sympathy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 I have had a thought [I] ! It's OK though 'cause I'm sat in a dark room with soft musik playing?I have a Bosch SDS Hammer drill and I am going to see if I can get a chisel with a fine enough point on it to do the job? If it is a bit too big and not toooo expensive I may be able to grind it to do the job? It's got to be worth the try as I don't really fancy that brick cleaning acid if I can help it BM?Sympathy greatly appreciated [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I don't like to work on a tiled worktop. I don't know what your wife thinks about it Jon, but I have one unit that is tiled and find that the lines of grout get filled with food gunge.Why not just stick another type on top, one that's easier to clean? There's quite a selection of materials available . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Use an angle grinder with a 3mm thick diamond disc for all the accessible joints and a lathe parting off tool or similar for the others, it will need frequent retouching up on the bench grinder but will do the job, I recommend that you fix a file handle or similar to it to ease the fatigue on your hand as it needs to be gripped firmly.I still have one in my toolbox that I made when I was an apprentice so that I could replace the grout between my white bathroom tiles with purple coloured grout [:P]I bet that people still look at it and say "who on earth in their right mind?.........." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 I used an angle grinder to enlarge the hole when I fitted a slightly larger sink! Gawd!! Wot a mess [:-))] and that was a cut of about 14 inches.. I thought that I was going to ruin one of my diamond disks cutting through the re bars. That's how I discovered it was reinforced! They weren't cheap at 8€ for 3 !I take it that the purple on white was in the 60s JR? If so, then what was a 'right mind'?Putting another top is not an option Pat. We both like the tiled top and it would be a major job to do anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Aha!I too have some of those chocolate epot 3 for €8 disques diamantes, removing grout or semi-dried turds is about the only thing that they are suitable for [:D] I reserved mine for cutting through old copper pipe before riping out and weighing in.I am ashamed to say that my deco-branché was the early 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 My turn [:)]A quality diamond disk in the angle grinder with industrial vac to suck up th dust as you go. Alternatively a diamond wheeled cable chaser (circular saw type with diamond wheels, remove 1 of the wheels) very easy to guide as it has the same base as a circular saw.Either a Fein multimaster Professional tool or the Bosch multipurpose tool diy'ers version equipped with the tungsten carbide or diamond grout removing blades will get you right up into the corners. These tools are the swiss army knife of tools and probably the best investment you could make if you carry out your own work around the house. My Fein multimaster is always on board my van as it is that useful.Bon courage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 A bit on the pricey side but if it does what it says on the tin.....................[blink]http://www.jmldirect.com/product.asp?pf_id=E2299&changecurrency=GBP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Looks good ErnieY, not really pricey for the job its doing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Certainly looks good, but will it print the ticket Peatot (sorry, it's that trype wrighter and me spooneritus again)?[:P]I will have a closer look at that Ern. It's got to be worth that compaired with the price of the Fein. I do like the look of that though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 [quote user="ErnieY"]A bit on the pricey side but if it does what it says on the tin.....................[blink]http://www.jmldirect.com/product.asp?pf_id=E2299&changecurrency=GBP [/quote]Interesting saw but is someone taking the michael? 'Protect your Exakt Saw with our extended two-year replacement warranty for just £9.95, that’s less than £5 per year. ' but priced at 14.95. Whats all that about ????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Come on now Steve. Are you being picky here? It is obvious to anyone that £14.95 over 2 years is, hang about here? well it's obvious init [8-)]. £9.95 over 2 years is less than £5 a year so there. Teapot, you have cost me a fortune! I have just ordered a Fein multithingy from Axminster. I had a look at the prices here and they are 50% more than the U.K. and Axminster was the cheepest I found. I don't care if you can find it cheeper now 'cause I have ordered it and I know from long experience that they give supurb service with it! I have loked at Fein kit for years now and shied away because of the price, but this sounds just what I am looking for. Even the guy in their head orifice in Germany was surprised at the price here. He said that while most European countries were happy with a 30% mark up France has a 40% jobbie. Thieving perishers! He suggested me going to a French retailer and trying to get discount, ha bloomin ha![:-))]Anyway, it should arrive later this week and I will wait with baited breff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 You could have shortened the posting by saying I have some grout to remove, what "must have" expensive tool can I justify buying?Do you need help choosing a blokes tool for the hedge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Now JR! The hedge is a totally different matter of which you know not!Our hedge, on one side of the garden, is 75 meters long, 2 meters high AND pyracanther! It is the most agrophobic hedge I have ever seen and it is mine to try to control!The other side and back of the garden the hedge consists of 82 leylandii conifers! They are 4 meters high now the top 3 meters have been cut off and the sides still need cutting back so that they are only about 3 meters wide. So between them if I could find a Feind machine with a foot wide cutter it would be worth every centime! I am thinking of investing in a lance de flamme instead, but the pompier may be nterested too?The tool will also do several other jobs too me thinks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Welcome to the club John [:D]Just don't lend it to anyone [6]Get most of my bits from Folkstone fixings BTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Can't get your Folksstone thingie to work me awd potty mate??[:D]I'm glad I didn't call me Kettle otherwise who would accuse who of wot?? No wot I mean man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I have a lance de flamme that I found dumped at the side of a country lane whilst I was trying to find a very remote customer.It is paraffin powered and has a pressurised reservoir, I think it was designed for bitumen roofing, I use it for extreme weeding [6]I have experimented with alternative and biofuels and it is quite a handfull running on petrol/parafin/chip oil melange.To my immense displeasure it has been with me in france for a couple of years and I still havnt found an excuse to use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Well, it arrived today! My nice new Fein toy and it's first job was a few small cuts on some curtain fittings I have made. Works well. I will be trying it on the grouting tomorrow, after the dentist [:-))] !! No the dentist won't be using it, he will be working on me with all his own nice toys![+o(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Quick update!So far so good, but is it ever slow going and thanks to Mr Teapot I have been rotating the TC cutting disk as it has been cutting, but I think that it is going to need more than one of these blades to finish the job? I'm almost 1/2 way through the 25 yards of grouting/concrete so far. Slowley, slowley catchie monkie is my moto!I realised that the 'mini cutting, sharpening set' was not included as the catolog said it should be so I contacted Axminster and the guy on their tech desk appologised and one is on its way as we speak. All in all it is far better value and service to but from Axminster than to buy from here in France and even if I had paid only for the basic set it was 2/3rds of the price here. This though has a bench fixing kit and the mini cutting kit worth another £60 as near as makes no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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