The day after grouting my tile, a white residue formed on top of the (grey) grout. Moistening the grout makes the residue go away until it dries again. I've been told the problem is because I had too much water in my grout mixture when I applied the grout, but how can I get rid of this residue?
Tile – How to remove the white residue on fresh tile grout
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I wouldn't be too concerned unless there's mortar that is raised above the level of the grout - which you've already said there isn't.
Scraping the higher sections to give a reasonable depth of grout would be as far as I'd go.
A lot of adhesives these days are sold as tile cement and grout, though they do tend to be coarser than "pure" grout, so they are basically the same material. However, a pure grout does give a smoother, "cleaner" line.
Floor tile grout also tends to be coarser - I suspect to be able to cope with the higher degree of wear and tear it will receive compared to wall tile grout.
Don't re-grout, clean it! Talking with a Home depot guy last year about this and he was amazed I still had to use a brush. He shows me this stuff called oxygen bleach from Ajax. This was literally the easiest method I have ever used. Make a solution with just enough hot water to dissolve it, apply and let it sit for 15-20 min and mop off. That easy. I will never use a tile brush again. Once you get it sparkling white, you can upkeep it my adding a small amount every time you mop and you will have pearly white floors forever.
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Best Answer
This is typical. It's called "grout haze", and you might have to wipe it off a couple of times before it won't reappear.You just need a clean, damp rag, and some scrubbing. If you didn't take it off immediately, it can set up, so you might need to check your local hardware store for 'grout haze remover' if water and elbow grease isn't doing it for you.Well, if it had been on the tile, it'd have been typical, but as Jeff pointed out, you said it was on the grout itself. I've never done colored grouts, so I have no idea if it's typical or not ... and you wouldn't want to scrub at the grout to remove the haze, particulary when the grout's fresh (which is when you want to remove it from the tile).
Looking around on the internet, I found mention that leaving water-based grout sealer to evaporate could do it. They recommended re-sealing, and wiping off any excess, but others mentioned it took a lot of elbow grease and solvents. On another site, it was mentioned it could be too much water in the grout, and suggested vinegar or a stronger acid to clean, then resealing; a few people mentioned getting grout dye to cover it up, but you have to strip any grout sealer first.