grout issues and advice on grouting tub surround...

13 years ago

or maybe cleanup issue. I finished installing the tile floor and did the grout last night. I used the non-epoxy grout from HD.

This is the second time I have done a tile floor and the second time I have grout discoloration. I am thinking I left too much water in the sponge when I was doing the first clean-up after 20 mins.

Today I washed the tile/grout with 50/50 vinegar/water mix. It is not instead of the darker brown it should have been mostly like a gray. Which actually does not look too bad...now I would like to have the darker spots lightened. But overall...the floor tile looks pretty good.

Now my fear is I still have to do the tub surround. This is a bigger area and vertical.

What kind of advice does anyone have on me doing this...I am not doing great with grout, at least the two times I have done it.

Also, should I use epoxy? I do not care about price I am more concerned about the end result. Well I do care about price a little or else I would hire an expert instead of struggling through this bathroom reno.

Thanks,

Steve

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Comments (2)

ntruro
13 years ago
I recently tiled and grouted a tub surround. This was my first tiling project (part of a complete bathroom renovation) and I used Laticrete SpectraLock epoxy grout because of its stain resistance and low maintenance. The grout lines are 1/8 inch. I've never used regular (non-epoxy) grout, so I can't compare the two. But the SpectraLock was not difficult to use - just follow the directions, especially regarding time.

I bought the SpectraLock from Lowes in mini plastic buckets. Each bucket includes the two epoxy components, a pair of latex gloves, and a sponge. The color component - colored sand - is sold separately in one-quart milk cartons.

I have a two-year-old son and four-year-old daughter, so frequent interruptions are the norm. A good tip I read on John Bridge's forum is that mixed epoxy grout can be saved for later use by placing it in a zip-lock bag and freezing it. When doing this, place the grout-to-be-stored in the freezer immediately after mixing it. From my experience, if you mix the grout, use some and then decide to store the remaining grout, chances are that it will have cured too much in the bucket and will not spread smoothly after the freeze/thaw cycle. When using the frozen grout, I simply cut off what I needed with a hammer and cold chisel and kneaded it to a smooth consistency after it warmed and softened. I used grout that had been frozen for 5 days.

Regarding caulking:
Laticrete makes color-matching 100% silicone caulking sold under the Latisil brand. However, Lowes does not sell this. Instead, they sell an acrylic caulking from Laticrete. You can buy Latisil on-line or at tile suppliers who sell Laticrete products (see Laticrete's website for both). Latisil is more expensive and more difficult to use than acrylic or latex caulking, but far superior.
ntruro
13 years ago
I recently tiled and grouted a tub surround. This was my first tiling project (part of a complete bathroom renovation) and I used Laticrete SpectraLock epoxy grout because of its stain resistance and low maintenance. The grout lines are 1/8 inch. I've never used regular (non-epoxy) grout, so I can't compare the two. But the SpectraLock was not difficult to use - just follow the directions, especially regarding time.

I bought the SpectraLock from Lowes in mini plastic buckets. Each bucket includes the two epoxy components, a pair of latex gloves, and a sponge. The color component - colored sand - is sold separately in one-quart milk cartons.

I have a two-year-old son and four-year-old daughter, so frequent interruptions are the norm. A good tip I read on John Bridge's forum is that mixed epoxy grout can be saved for later use by placing it in a zip-lock bag and freezing it. When doing this, place the grout-to-be-stored in the freezer immediately after mixing it. From my experience, if you mix the grout, use some and then decide to store the remaining grout, chances are that it will have cured too much in the bucket and will not spread smoothly after the freeze/thaw cycle. When using the frozen grout, I simply cut off what I needed with a hammer and cold chisel and kneaded it to a smooth consistency after it warmed and softened. I used grout that had been frozen for 5 days.

Regarding caulking:
Laticrete makes color-matching 100% silicone caulking sold under the Latisil brand. However, Lowes does not sell this. Instead, they sell an acrylic caulking from Laticrete. You can buy Latisil on-line or at tile suppliers who sell Laticrete products (see Laticrete's website for both). Latisil is more expensive and more difficult to use than acrylic or latex caulking, but far superior.
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grout issues and advice on grouting tub surround...

Comments (2)

ntruro

ntruro

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