Grout on Cabinets

Deb Teitelbaum lives in Phoenix, AZ.

Her daughter, who I assume also lives in the Valley of the Sun, had a contractor get grout all over her new cabinets. Read about the saga:

"My daughter had new travertine tile installed in her home in February, 2015.

The contractor's sub got grout on the base of  a built in wood bookcase and the toe kick for the kitchen cabinets.

He kept promising to come back and take care of it, but it's been five months and he has done nothing. My daughter and I want to try to remove it ourselves but are not sure how to do it without damaging the wood.  Any suggestions?  Thanks so much!"

You can see the grout on the toe kick area where the cabinets meet the floor. Photo credit: Deb Teitelbaum

Here's my answer:

Deb, what a shame you had this problem.

The good news is you can remove the dried grout yourself, although it will be tedious work.

If you take your time, you'll not harm the fine cabinetry.

I'd contact your dentist and see if they have any used dental picks they would normally recycle or get rid of. These fine tools will allow you to scrape away the grout just like a dental hygienist uses them to scrape plaque from your teeth.

If you don't want to call your dentist, just go order them from Amazon.com. opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to get a great set of dental tools.

Most dental picks have rounded profiles so they won't scratch the wood if you apply just enough pressure to scrape away the grout.

If you do scratch the cabinet or toe kick, you can easily touch it up with matching stain or shoe polish. Just don't get this on the floor!