When I first bought my house, the tile floors were one of the things that actually sold me on the place. Clean lines, bright grout, everything looked sharp. But that “new grout look” does not stay forever—especially in an older home and especially when basically 100% of the floors are tile.
Over the years, the grout slowly shifted from a fresh light-gray to that tired, darker, worn-out gray you only notice when you walk from a low-traffic area into a high-traffic one. Parts of the house still looked great, while other spots looked like they lived through three decades of muddy boots and bad decisions.
And honestly? It bugged me every time I saw it.
I’m the kind of person who cleans a little every day—not obsessively, but enough to keep things moving and keep myself moving since I work from home. So one day, while staring at the “before” version of my grout and wondering how the previous owners let it get this far, I decided to look for a fix.
That’s how I found the Grout Pen Tile Paint Marker: https://amzn.to/48j3dCZ
Why I Bought It (and What It Solved)
I had already tried scrubbing with OxiClean for the first time, and while it did remove some surface dirt, the real issue was deeper. Age changes grout permanently—moisture, foot traffic, and time basically tattoo the color into it.
The grout didn’t look “dirty.” It looked old.
I didn’t want to tear up tile or re-grout the whole house. That’s a nightmare.
So when I read that these pens don’t just recolor grout, but also seal it with a special type of waterproof paint, that hit exactly the problem I had. Not only could I refresh the look, but I could also help prevent the moisture-related crumble I had dealt with in the past.
This was a cosmetic fix and a protective one.
My Routine: Clean, Dry, Paint
My process ended up becoming part of my daily cleaning rhythm:
- Clean the grout lines with OxiClean.
Gets loose debris and light staining out. - Let everything dry fully.
Moisture + paint = not a good mix. - Use the Grout Pen to recolor and seal.
The best part?
That first swipe of Winter Grey over old grout looks like hitting a “reset” button. It legit makes the floor look like the tile was just installed.
You don’t realize how much the grout color matters until you see the before-and-after contrast. It changes the whole room.
A Slow Project That Actually Works
I didn’t try to tackle the whole house in one go. That would’ve been insanity.
Instead, every day I dedicate 15–20 minutes to a new section. A hallway one day. A strip in the kitchen the next. A corner behind the couch the day after.
And here’s the part that shocked me:
I’m still on my first pen.
And I’ve already fully redone two rooms.
At this rate, I might not even need the second pen that came in the pack. I’m honestly considering giving it to my parents, because their house is older than mine and their grout is the exact same color situation—perfect candidate for this fix.
When the Pen Proved Its Worth
There was one particular room where the grout was so dark I assumed the pen would struggle or need multiple layers.
Nope.
One pass.
Perfect coverage.
Tile instantly looked like it had been laid down last year instead of 20 years ago.
It was one of those moments where you sit back on your heels, look at the line you just finished, and say, “Okay. This actually works.”
One Small Drawback (Just Being Honest)
If you’re thorough like me, you’ll eventually hit the unavoidable part:
You have to move furniture.
Not all at once, but eventually.
If you want every grout line to match, you’ll find yourself sliding a chair or shifting a dresser just to reach those little strips that haven’t seen daylight in 15 years.
It’s not hard—just a bit annoying.
But that’s the price of perfection.
Final Thoughts
For something so simple—a pen—it has made my floors look cleaner, newer, and way more consistent. I didn’t realize how much the uneven grout color was dragging the rooms down until I started fixing it.
Small effort, big payoff.
And in a house full of tile, that’s worth every minute I’ve put into it.