DIY Projects & Crafts DIY Home Projects Martha Just Re-Grouted Her Kitchen Floors Before a Full Day of Work, Proving Once Again She's the Queen of Multitasking The whole project only took her about 30 minutes. By Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano is an editor at MarthaStewart.com, sharing her knowledge on a range of topics—from gardening and cleaning to home. Editorial Guidelines Published on February 7, 2024 Close Photo: The Martha Blog If there's one thing we've learned from Martha, it's that you'd be surprised how much can be fit into one day. From her 5 a.m. wake up call, our founder hits the ground running, checking things off her to-do list. She even finds a way to work mundane chores into a packed work day. Her most recent lesson in multitasking? Grouting her kitchen floors before a full day of work. Martha Says Waking Up Before This Time Is Part of Why She's So Successful After sitting down to get her hair done, Martha had just enough time to grout her kitchen floors before heading off to New York City to begin her work day. "It may sound funny, but I got the job done in about 35 minutes while also answering calls and planning calendar commitments," she said in a recent blog post. The Martha Blog With her signature voluminous blowout complete, Martha began restoring her marble floors—which are actually garden pavers from an old residence in Long Island. She started by walking around her entire kitchen and servery and placing a sticky note next to every section of grout that needed refilling. The Right Way to Clean Tile and Grout for Sparkling Results The Martha Blog After vacuuming the cracks thoroughly, Martha mixed a little cement with some polymer modified unsanded grout, then added water until a paste formed. Wearing gloves, she wiped the areas she planned to re-grout clean. "Next, using a plastic disposable spoon, I packed and smoothed the grout into the joint," she wrote. She moved in one direction to ensure she caught every joint that needed to be repaired. The Martha Blog After applying the grout, she cleaned away any excess using a sponge. To ensure the new grout blends in with the old grout, Martha used a soft bristle brush to apply a small amount of dark tea to the white grout, then wiped away any excess tea left with grout that was consistently weathered. The entire project from start to finish only took Martha about 30 minutes. "All before a full day of work," she wrote. "I hope this inspires you to get some of those small DIY projects around your home finished and checked off the everlasting 'to-do' list." 8 Things to Do in the Morning to Improve Productivity Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit