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1/8 or 1/16 spacing and grout - AO Catarina coliseum white floor

12 years ago

I'm trying to decide on the spacing for an AO Catarina Coliseum White floor in a 55 square foot half bath/laundry room. For grout, we've selected L's Silver Shadow however the next question is spacing as it determines whether we go sanded or unsanded.

Reading though the FAQ's, I find:

As for grout, there's only one thing that determines whether you use sanded or unsanded grout, and that's the size of the grout joint. Anything less than 1/8" you use unsanded grout. 1/8" or larger, you need to use sanded grout. The reason is that the main ingredient in grout is porland cement, which tends to shrink as it dries. In joints 1/8" or larger, the grout will shrink way too much and end up cracking ans shrinking into the joint. The sand give the grout bulk, and the sanded grout won't shrink nearly as much and therefore, can be used in the larger joints.

Given the tile we've selected for our setting, which spacing and grout (sanded or unsanded) would you folks recommend?

Thanks for any thoughts!

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Comments (3)

catbuilder
12 years ago
I used 1/8" and silver shadow spectralock with that same tile.
kawfeeaddict
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Cat, that's very helpful!
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bill_vincent
12 years ago
This tile is rectified, so as long as you don't go bigger than 12x12, you can use a 1/16" grout joint. Also, being that you've chosen Laticrete's Silver Shadow, if you go with the Permacolor series, it's a portland cement based grout that uses a much finer sand than conventional portland cement grouts, and therefore can be used in any size grout joint, thin, or standard.

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