how did you make out with it

just had my master bath grouted with it this week. not sure what I think yet. we did a pebble floor in the shower, and after 24hours we ran the shower, and the grout hadn't fully cured yet (there is alot of grout on a pebble floor!).....giving it a few more days to cure, then seal--not sure i believe it is fully sealed!! it was very expensive for sure.

Following up on my earlier post above. We did the TEC power grout for the walls in the guest bathroom and HATED the results. It just looked "different", a rougher finish, even the installer commented on it. Luckily (for a fee) we dug out most of it and redid it with standard TEC grout. It just looks so much better.

One other thing is we added Boost to the grout for the floor as it is supposed to seal the grout to repel stains. Ended up having a slightly blotchy appearance. I then read plenty of bad reviews of it on Lowes.com. Ended up just using standard TEC grout in our master bathroom and just sealed it later the old fashion way. No color variations, normal texture, etc.

The lesson I learned is there really are no shortcuts, just use the standard grout and spend the time to seal it yourself.

New construction, completed last August. Saw signs of mildew on the TEC Power Grout within a couple months. We are diligent about leaving the Panasonic exhaust fan on for at least 30 minutes after a shower and we open the window in the shower to let the steam out. We paid $50/bag for the Power grout and have since learned it is not worth a plug nickel. Had less mildew in my last master bath with more grout, a worthless exhaust fan and 15 years of use. Do not spend your money on Power Grout!

I have tiled many floors without a single issue. This product was horrible! Whoever used it with good results could not have followed the directions. There is no way 26 ounces of water is enough for a 10lb bag! I have to regrout the entire room.

I can't speak to the instructions. Our tile setter installed it in our shower, so I didn't mix or apply it myself. But he said it's all he uses these days. It may be that because he does so much grouting he mixes to a certain consistency rather than measuring. Again, that's not something I have any way of knowing, as I didn't watch him mix it.

I actually ended up using Spectralock for the kitchen backsplash because I had an easier time finding the right color. It worked well and was easy to use. So that might be another good option. Of course, no mildew issues on the kitchen backsplash, so I couldn't say if it's better or worse in that regard.

This stuff is horrible to use! We have grouted many showers and floors and if you follow the directions this is to thick to apply. If you then add more water the product doesn't get hard and comes out like powder. Had to re-do an entire bathroom shower and floor because the product came out!

Wow- what an appropriately timed thread to pop up for me!

We are also a new build (going on 9 months here) and we have been battling issues with our MB shower floor. It has slowly been turning color...for a long time I just thought it was dirty but because it was marble, I continued to just use very mild cleaners. Now we have reached the point of really disgusting orange/pink grout. Is this mold/mildew? I just spoke to our tiler and he said that he used this Tec Power Grout and hasn't had any problems with it in the past. He also mentioned that it could possibly be a result of hair dye. (I do have my hair dyed, but it is done it the salon; I have never noticed any hair dye on the shower floor when finished showering. He is an excellent professional with a strong reputation so I trust his input.

Any thoughts? Do I definitely have a mold/mildew issue? Also, confusing is that my son's bathroom has no issues and Power Grout was also used. But we do use a stronger cleaner in there because there is no marble.

what was the original color of that grout? have you showed your installer the pictures?

I used tec power grout 1 year ago and have no issues. We probably did mix it more on the 'watery' side (more than instructions stated), but it dried and held up ffine without any fall out. I have only cleaned it periodically with scrubbing bubbles.

I'd be tempted to test a spot with a bleach pen and see what happens.

I just sent pictures today to the installer. He is going to research it. The original color was white. Good to hear that you haven't had any issues with your grout.

Pink slime mold would be my first suspect. What's your ventilation like? Well water?

Thanks for chiming in, Sophie.

This is a new build. We have a fan that is in the can light--I forget the hp but it was considered a strong one by our builder; I think it was the Panasonic one on Amazon's website and it gets 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. We leave it on for a good hour or two past showering and never leave the shower door closed to air it out. Shower is about 6 x 6 square and approx. 9 ft tall. We have city water, not well water, and a water softener.

If it is the pink mold, is ventilation the main culprit? Also, how would you suggest cleaning it from white grout with marble?

Don't waste your time or money with this junk. Like others have said it is not possible to follow the directions, it is not enough water to make it wet enough to spread before it sets up in the bucket. Directions (all pictures) also don't mention the short working time. If you do use this stuff make sure you clean off the excess grout before it hardens. Other-wise you will be spending a lot of extra clean up time.

It's your water, probably has iron in it like ours, even though we have city water. It usually scrubs out with Lime Away and/or a mildew remover. Rust remover will probably work too. It will make a ring in your toilets and dull your hair color too. The minerals and chemicals in water do all sorts of icky things to grout and lots of other things.

Our GC recommends it and has it in his own home. From what I've read of the reviews, it is not something to be done DYI or by someone who isn't familiar with the product.

Just FYI: TEC power grout did not work on my red ceramic floor tile - the absorption rate of the tile in combo with the characteristics of TEC just is not the right grout for the job. [https://www.houzz.com/products/1763x1763-royals-estrella-ceramic-floor-and-wall-tile-set-of-5-nero-prvw-vr~58802633[(https://www.houzz.com/products/1763x1763-royals-estrella-ceramic-floor-and-wall-tile-set-of-5-nero-prvw-vr~58802633)

Awful We had a professional use it . It is cracking and has holes and it needs to be sealed . Food cannot be washed off of it , We used it for the brand new kitchen backsplash and it looks awful. Im considering ripping out the whole job. Ugggh. We dont have the funds for this mess.

Sophie was right with the pink slime mold suggestion. I have to do a light bleach solution every month to treat it, and it cleans up pretty well. It doesn't look as brand new as when it was first put in but looks clean and white to a casual onlooker.

@ vvesper78 - this post is old, but if you see this, please let me know what brand of penetrating sealer you used after you grouted with power grout.

Thanks!

Power grout is the best I use it all the time never had a issues I recommend it to everybody you can't go wrong with this stuff all the colors are great and easy to fly easy to clean and it's all sealed never have to see that again. Professional tile service

I just did my bathroom floor with this stuff. The second batch I mixed was slightly darker than the first and the water ratio seems way off. It was so hard to work with. This was my first time tiling and I'm afraid it's not going to last. My grout is powdery and comes out under my fingernail. I did mosaic hexagon tile and it would be hell to try and regrout it. It is NOT self sealing, water soaks right in to it. If I seal the grout will that help it from being powdery?!

Jut use Fusion Pro or Mapai CQ. FAR superior.

the directions are correct, anyone experiencing difficulties here are using a contractor not familiar with fast curing grout or just bad at the job. my bathroom came out so well with it, and a year later the rust stains that happen in the shower from iron in water come off easily with iron out, and the floor has always wiped clean from a recent diy install, you must work quickly with it and follow the instructions 22oz water for 7lb bag, when mixed the way they say is such a user freindly product, all the negative comments are simply user error

I think this is more of an installation/mixing/tiling issue than a grout product issue but that's just my opinion and the lack of info provided.

Is this the same thing as epoxy grout?

1maps, No, but the claim is that is shares some characteristics with epoxy grout.

Any professionals: the bright white color is too white for my tile; other 'PowerGrout' colors are too dark, too yellow-y, or etc. So I carefully mixed one part 'silverado' (byweight) to 4 parts 'bright white' to get a very light grey. Looks great. Any chemical/technical reasons not to do this? Please help--any input will be appreciated!

Theresa - I've thought about mixing grout colors many times. Interested in an answer too! Did you end up doing it?

We have had TEC power grout in our 3 showering areas & 3 bathroom floors for the past year. I would definitely never purchase this product again. It is a rough textured grout that turns black moldy as quickly as regular grout in showering areas. The floors with this grout retain dirt and and colors spilled and you have to use powerful grout cleaner 1-2 times a year to get the dirty look and colors removed from grout. Do not waste your money on this product. The epoxy grout is the only grout that really works but most builders don’t want to use it because it dries quickly and is more difficult to apply to grout areas.

I picked a company called “None” because I did not want to pick the only other option on this website : “Homeowner interested in receiving decorating ideas“. I am not interested in this and did not want to be bothered so I made up a fictious company called None so I would not be hounded by someone contacting me with decorating ideas.

Good morning, once the grout cures, any minor residual odor from the grout installation should go away. If possible, you can open a window and use a fan to help circulate the air out of the bathroom. Sometimes in smaller or tight spaces, an odor is more noticeable. You can also check around to make sure there isn't a partial bag left open somewhere or something else that could be causing the odor. If you continue to have concerns, you can call TEC's Technical Hotline at 800-832-9023

I did my backsplash today with this crap. It’s way too rough. Doesn’t matter what you do. I tried three different techniques. Followed instructions exactly. Oh by the way, if your tile is shiny, regardless of what it’s made of, this grout will scratch it. use mapei products instead. What I huge blunder after all that hard work. Dont let it happen to you. You’ve been warned.

I realize this post is old but I just stumbled on it. We have had the same issue in our master shower. Started about a year after our move in. I have had the areas spot checked for mold, our water tested for everything possible to cause a peach/iron looking stain. We hired grout matters to do a deep clean and then coat it with a paint like sealer of the same grout color (birch). Took about two weeks for the strange color to come back. If anyone has figured this out, I would love any tips. Thank you!

An improperly built shower is not the grout’s fault.

Just used 550 Power Grout on marble floors and they scratched all the tiles. Has grit in it which damages the marble. It also looks gritty and cheap. Very disappointed.

@annette_carolyn_walker

I hope your disappointment is with the installer and not the product. The grout has been improved since this thread started 7 years ago. Your installer owns the damage as TEC clearly states "may scratch marble". A professional would test it first before grouting a entire floor.

https://www.tecspecialty.com/hbfuller-media/3395/pds_tec-550_powergrout_r0221.pdf

Page #1 left column under notes.

Please don’t! i had my tile man use the grout along with the corresponding caulk in our bath. The colors are nowhere near the same (bought standard white in both). i now have to remove all the caulk and try to find something that matches. The caulk looked like a deep ivory, and makes the standard white tile surround look old and dirty. Please get another product!

My tiler used Tec Power Grout for my Italian porcelain wood look tile flooring in my hallway and bathrooms. 2 years later it still looks great, no issues❣️

I used it last night, it was horrible to work with. Very gritty and thick, it did not spread well. When I wiped it off I it ran like water paint.

Matt: maybe the grout was old and expired.

I also used this last night, very hard to work with. Very thick and runs when you try to wipe it. I ended up meticulously wiping the inside of the tile very careful not to touch the grout and ended up scrubbing/ wiping it with paper towels because it ran to bad with any moisture. Once you stop getting it moist with the sponge (very thoroughly wrung out too) it set really fast and hardened to be strong quickly. There is a couple spots under the door I didn't smooth out in time that I'll have to sand down now.

Took me twice as long as it should have to grout a small bathroom. It's a pain compared to other grouts. It was my first time using it so we'll see if it's worth the work

First time i used this i did too large of an area and it does set really quick and i had trouble claning the set grout! since then i do smaller areas TEC Power grout is all I use and have never had any issue.

I know this is an old post...but I wouldnt recommend this stuff. We built a house about 4 years ago and were sold the upcharge for Power Grout (sounds like a great idea). The grout started flaking out during the warranty period. The installers contacted the manufacturer and were told to mix an entire bag (something about aggregate settling in the bag) and throw out whatever was left. After that we still have the same problem...and now its on me to resolve. I guess Ill be re-grouting all the tile in the entire house.

I only use the power grout. Unfortunately if you don't have experience with it then it can dry out too fast. Or you can mix it too dry (how you mix the grout can affect this greatly not just the amount of water you use). If done proper the result is great and long lasting as well as worth every penny. I installed in my own home 4 years ago and the color is still the same.

The color issues are not a grout issue but water issue and/or ventilation/microbial growth.

And for the scratched tiles, as another poster said its written on there that it can scratch. Use some unsanded grout.

I wish I had gone with my gut and used what we‘ve always used in the past. we went on the contractors recommendation. We used this on a newly tiled shower floor as well as the walls. I noticed a bad smell (not sewer gas) every night the contractors left. Its hard to describe. i assumed it was something in the mortar? We let this cure for 4 days. The smell was on and off and didnt have to do with a dry shower. Big thing I noticed was that the grout seemed to absorb the water. It turned from a light to a dark grey when wet. You shouldnt have to seal this Read the bag. Sealant not needed Same with our ceramic tiles our other grout does NOT turn color nor does the caulk This worried me then that the water is going through and under the tiles How would this NOT cause mildew and mold down the line? i just looked on Menards site and thought it very odd they dont gave reviews by their products. How many of us read and rely on those? I talked to a seasoned tiler now retired and working at Menards who insisted that yes, it is sealed. What i see and what Im hearing seem to be two different things

This morning, 11 hours after the last shower, there was still some darkening around the drain Standing water underneath? Who knows. This shower is just over a week in use and I dont see a good outcome. I highly recommend using something else. For the floor, especially. Note in the picture the darker grout near the drain. When wet, it all turns this dark grey. My big question - why does it seem to be absorbing water if its a sealed product? And what is the ’stale’ smell that comes and goes? Yes, I always leave the bathroom fan running after a shower And again, this is 11 hours after using the shower

Be careful using this grout. spent 3 hours yesterday with palm sanders and scrub pads trying to remove light smoke grout from surface of tile . Almost lost the floor. Went to tile store for advice and they told me following the directions was my first mistake. They recommended spreading no more than a 3 x 3 area and cleaning immediately. Heat and humidity or a little extra time can cause this grout to harden to quickly and then the floor is lost Be careful!

My contractor uses only this grout. My problem is it does not dry true to color. We used used birch in the bathroom and it dried a lighter color. We used praline in the kitchen and it dried a gray color. It was supposed to be a beige color and looks like crap with my tile and counter top. The sanded chalk that should match it dried yet another color.