Sanded vs. unsanded?

14 years ago

Hi, we're having our floor and a shower tiled. The shower is 12x12 Rialto beige, and the floor is 12x12 marble. A few questions...

The guys put 1/8 inch grout lines on each, presumably because I told them to do the grout in a way that wouldn't leave little pieces of stone having to be fitted in around the edges. I know that 1/8th inch is wide for marble, but I think it will look fine. My question - do I use sanded or unsanded grout for this? Am I correct in assuming that sanded could damage the finish of the stone? The guys told me to get unsanded, but is it really ok to use unsanded in an 1/8th inch gap?

I bought sanded for the wall.

My other question is - if there's a piece that I don't feel is level enough (of the marble), I should have them pry it out and lay another one, yes?

Thanks so much!

Lara

Featured Answer

bill_vincent

14 years ago

It's at the very edge of where unsanded grout can be used. So long as they mix it super stiff (I just went through this myself last week), it can be done. But under no circumstances should unsanded grout be used in joints any bigger than 1/8"

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Comments (9)

echoflooring
14 years ago
Bill Vincent is always right on.One of the best on this forum. I wish Bill lived in
Central PA. Good Job Bill.
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lilgreenfrog
Original Author
14 years ago
You guys are fast! Thanks for the reply...the grout said unsanded could be used in 1/8 th inch and under, but I wanted to be sure. Am I right in thinking that I want unsanded on the marble? I have enough sanded to fill the bath tub and swim around in.... but I was worried it would damage the marble.
Also, the two say they are the same color; are they going to LOOK the same color?

Thanks! Also....where DOES Bill live? :)
bill_vincent
14 years ago
The ONLY thing that determines the type of grout is the joint size. There are some who weill tell you that you should never under any circumstances use sanded grout with polished marble, and that's all well and good...... so long as you use less than 1/8" joint. I've worked on several commercial crews where we used 3/16" joints, grouted it with sanded grout, and then used an old old method of rubbing dry grout into it with burlap to bring the joints flush and clean the tile. Now if DRY grout won't scratch it,you can bet wet grout won't. (in fact one crew I was with, we did all the Filenes and Lord and Taylors in the northeast, and the gry grout was rubbed in with a buffing machine, and still no scratches, on crema marfil)

I'm in Bridgton, Maine, about an hour northwest of Portland, and halfhour east of Conway, New Hampshire. :-)
lilgreenfrog
Original Author
14 years ago
SIGH. You are so much of the continent away from me...
The guys came in today and put unsanded in. They said it was faster to lay, and easier to clean. Are either of these things true? Anyway, I looked at it and to me it seems like it's already cracked down the center of some of the seams; also in the area where 4 tiles come together, there are a few places with little pits. I'll post pictures...

I assume I should ask the general contractor to have it taken out, and have sanded laid?

Also, this is polished stone (fremont beige, if that means anything), and doesn't seem to absorb water readily. I assume I should have it sealed? I don't want a lot of maintenance (probably a bit late for that!) so could you recommend a sealer to have put down?

Thank you so much!

Lara
bill_vincent
14 years ago
This is the problem with grouting 1/8" joints. If the grout is mixed as it normally is, it'll shrink, causing the cracking and pitting that you're seeing right now. This is why I stressed up above that it MUST be mixed stiff.

Now, here's the thing-- they can go right over what they've done now, with another coat of grout. But it MUST be done within 72 hours of the initialo coat of grout being applied, or you stand a chance of the second coat peeling off a few months down the road. If it's not done within that 72 hour period, they need to carve the grout down and regrout.

This is exactly why, instead of going with every grout manufacturer's recommendation of 1/8" and below for unsanded, I'll usually recommend LESS than 1/8". From now on, that's no longer usually. It'll be always.
PRO
Kn Design
8 years ago
Hi all, I've read the above. I'm at a loss as to what type of grout to use on this. I have a polished Carrara Marble countertop and it scratches so easily. So my gut tells me this would scratch the polished marble tile with sanded grout. Any thoughts? Here is the tile: https://www.houzz.com/products/carrara-white-marble-polished-arabesque-lantern-tile-12x12-sheets-set-of-5-prvw-vr~22102241
weedyacres
8 years ago
Bill's post very clearly said sanded grout doesn't scratch marble. Sanded vs. unsanded decision is based only on width of grout lines.
User
8 years ago
Sanded, soft grout float.