So, you consider yourself a pretty good do-it-yourselfer. You’ve had some success with home improvement projects and now you’re ready for a real test: installing tile. Maybe you’re p more... ...less

the bathroom floor or install a backsplash in the kitchen. Don’t worry -- you’ve come to the right place.

Grout is a construction material used to embed rebar’s in masonry walls, connect sections of pre-cast concrete, fill voids, and seal joints (like those between tiles). Grout is generally composed of a mixture of water, cement, sand, often colour tint, and sometimes fine gravel (if it is being used to fill the cores of cement blocks). It is applied as a thick emulsion and hardens over time, much like its close relative mortar.

Any grouting project becomes easier if you have all the essential materials and have sufficiently prepped the area before diving in. A grouting rake is something that you may want to have on hand. If you don’t, get one!

The grouting rake is absolutely necessary if you plan on removing old, worn out or discoloured tiling grout. Particularly in bathrooms, steam and humidity can make grout appear blackened, and while you can simply clean a tile, cleaning grout is not so simple. Often homeowners will just leave it because they haven’t got the right tools, or even the motivation to replace it. Get yourself some grouting tools and get active! A grouting rake makes short work of old grout and is particularly important to avoid damaging your wall. If you have company over often, blackened tiling in what should be one of the cleanest rooms in the home can reflect very poorly on your hygiene.

Tradessupermarket.co.uk has a huge selection of grouting rakes available. If you have no idea how to evaluate the quality of a grouting rake, don’t fret, we compare thousands and allow users to leave their own customer reviews. We also have plenty of helpful guides to grouting, so you have no excuse not to replace your old grout.