Change joint color of tiles - this can be the joint pin

• Costs and prices "> Selection of the joint color
• Apply joint pin - the manual
• Tips for quick readers

The joints between the tiles will gray over time and colored joints may fade. A joint pin from the hardware store is often enough to ensure that the joints have a perfect and fresh color again. You do not have to renew the joints completely. Here we show you how you can apply a joint pin and in which areas the joint pin ever acts and holds.

First and foremost, joint pins are used for smaller areas, but they are also suitable for altering the joint color. However, the color should not differ too much from the original color. Most joint pins advertise that even foxing can be completely covered. The joints should be well prepared and thoroughly cleaned before applying the joint color. Especially in the kitchen, the old grease dirt must be completely removed. We will show you how cleaning is done and how to use the joint pin. How long the color of the grout will usually last depends on your thoroughness.

You need this:

• toothbrush
• sponge
• Joint pin colored / white
• degreaser
• dish soap
• vinegar
• old cotton rag

Costs and prices?

A joint pin you get in part already from 1.99 euros. However, the range of the pens is not overly large either. Most pens do not even make a full square meter if all joints are to be completely painted. So if you want to work a bathroom landscape with huge tile surfaces with the joint pin, you should perhaps rather renew the joints completely. Especially since the joint pin is not intended for eternity and may need to be renewed after a few months.

Tip: Ideal is the joint pin, if you want to mend a bathroom that has gotten a bit old. Before selling a house or moving to another apartment, the color of the joints is an aspect that could deter new residents. Since the joint pin is an investment that pays back in cash, either by repaying the full deposit or a good purchase price for your property.

Make sure that the joint pin is as waterproof as possible. Some products are not explicit. In this case, the effort is really not worth it, after all, the tiles must also be cleaned once, even if they are not directly exposed to the water, such as in the shower.

Selection of the joint color

If you want to recolor a white joint with an anthracite joint, the contrast is often too strong. The cover of the bright joint will be heavy for the joint pin. The ideal solution is always to reuse the same color that was previously used as the joint paint. It is not for nothing that the advertising messages of the manufacturers of joint pins speak of a refreshing of the joint color and not of a color change. At the latest, when joints and tiles have been cleaned a few times, too much color change will be noticeable through patchy areas.

Tip: Really professional and durable results will not reach you with a joint pin. However, there are special cement paints that you can apply to the joints instead of the pen. The preliminary work is quite similar, but the color is painted with a narrow brush on the joints. If you do not have a secure hand, you should tap the tiles. With these joint colors, you can change the color tone significantly stronger and more durable than is possible with the joint pin.

Apply joint pin - the manual

It may not be hard to use a joint pin. But you should pay attention to a few points, so that the effort is actually worthwhile afterwards.

1. Prepare joints

The joints should be thoroughly cleaned. The better you prepare the old joints and rid them of soap residue and grease, the better and longer the new joint color will last even in use and in wet conditions.

Tip: If you only want to freshen up and color the joints for the extract, cleaning is not quite as thorough. If the paint does not actually adhere to the joint for a long time, you just need to brush off the old joints a bit. However, the joints should be dry before you use the joint pin.

If you want to use the joint pin in the kitchen, you need a good degreaser and / or vinegar. Scrub the joints thoroughly with an old toothbrush and vinegar. Then the rest of the vinegar has to be washed off with water. In the bathroom is instead of the fat remover rather a scrub milk, which you can apply as well with a toothbrush. The scouring milk must be removed again with plenty of water. There must be no soap residue left on the joint.

The joints must thoroughly dry before you can apply the joint pin. It would be ideal if you could let the joints dry for about three days. If you do not have the time, or just can not use a second bath for showering, you should thoroughly dry the joints with a hair dryer. It can also be helpful to turn up the heating in the room and to heat the room. Ventilate thoroughly in between to allow the moisture to dissipate.

Tip: Although the joint pins initially cover the stains and mold spots. However, so that these stains do not break through directly after a short time, you should remove such stains with a good mildew cleaner before application. If you use pure vinegar for cleaning, the mold spores will not survive either.

2. Apply joint pin

Most joint pins need to be shaken before you can apply the paint. At the beginning, the tip of the grout pin is often very firm and narrow. Painting a wider fugue is often a bit tedious. Only in the course of the application, the tip is softer and thus wider. For some pens, the tip can be turned over and the back is then dull. For painting wide joints, this may be the better option.

Tip: Always shake well again. The color in the joint pin must be well shaken again after a few moments. The two components separate again and again from each other. Otherwise you only apply the desiccant in the paint and the paint itself remains in the pen.

Any small line that gets over the edge of the joint on the tiles must be wiped off immediately with a soft cotton cloth. Do not use moisture as it will cause the paint to run out more.

If you do not want to completely cover the gap with paint, but just want to freshen it up, you can moisten the joint pin in between a few manufacturers. This will dilute the paint a little and brighten up the joint a little. During this action, you should always keep a rag under the pen, otherwise easily paint runs on the tiles. You also need to see if this solution is possible with your particular pen, as it is not the case with all of the pins.

Tip: put extra good lighting in the room. This will help you to see where you already are and if the paint really covers the old joint color perfectly.

3. Reworking the tiles

The paint from the joint pin must dry for at least 24 hours. If there is still some color on the tiles somewhere, you should scrub them with a dry cloth before drying if possible. If you still get paint, wait until the joints are completely dry. Only then can you risk having to go with moisture or a cleaning agent to these spots.

Tip: Look carefully at the joints after drying in good lighting. Often, streaky spots are still visible. They should rather follow you with the joint pin. However, the paint then has to dry thoroughly once more.

Tips for quick readers

• Choose the joint color similar to the old joint
• Use correct joint color for strong color change
• Clean joints thoroughly and dry thoroughly
• Always shake the joint pin well
• Carefully paint the joint with the pen
• in between shake the pen again and again
• if possible no paint on the tiles
• remove any lines on the tile immediately
• always have soft cotton rags ready
• for wide joint, turn pen tip if necessary
• Allow the joint to dry well after use
• Check the result and rework the joint
• keep dry time exactly
• For example, showers only after 24 hours