Tec Power Grout or Mapei Flexcolor CQ Grout?
amandawarfield
3 years ago
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millworkman
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoAvanti Tile & Stone / Stonetech
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Tried Mapei Flexcolor CQ grout? Recommend?
Comments (18)I bought this when I was tired of trying to figure out the best grout for my shower and let a Daltile salesman sell me this product. It was supposed to be close to waterproof, but once you buy it you find out it is not. I have done many tile jobs in houses I have lived in, so grouting is hardly new to me. It is one of the easier parts of tiling and my wife and I can grout and clean tile quickly. After reading all the horrible reviews after I bought it (check all the Flexcolor CQ colors for more reviews), I thought about returning it. But I convinced myself some people never have good experiences and some never read instructions. I read and reread all the instructions and looked at lots of videos. I applied in small (3 sq. ft.) areas and wiped down excess immediately and kept at it. It was too no avail—the tile looks dull and the haze is thick. A white scrubbing pad (the mildly abrasive ones that disappear as you use them) with an abrasive tool and a microfiber cloth will get a lot of it off the next day. Not sure whether I have to get tile haze remover from Mapei for this (I promise myself never to buy Mapei products again). I only did about 15 sq. ft. so far. I will apply Grout Release today to the rest of the almost 200 sq,. ft. of tile I have. They recommend that for bumpy tile, but even with subway tile the haze is very bad. Applying the grout is very, very time consuming on a wall. It is highly sanded and does not adhere to itself well when wet, so pieces of it constantly fall off the float. It is important to add and tape visqueen or other covering to floors and any other surface you don't want grout on because removing it is very hard. It does not easily get it into spaces between tiles, though because it is sanded it works on wide and narrow spacing. The previous owner did this shower and did a bad job—including walls not square or plumb, so tile spacing was very difficult. That is one advantage of this grout—it works from 1/16 to 1/2". It claims to be color consistent and does not stain though it doesn't matter much on subway tile. It took me an hour to do the small amount with constant cleaning. Probably a very, very small amount on the float is all that works unless you are doing a floor. Having to constantly go to the bucket for small amount slows you down even more. This product has been on the market for quite a while. Some love it and some hate it. The reviews on the internet show both contractors and homeowners have the same reactions of love and hate. There is hardly any in between. Maybe after doing this for 5 or 10 jobs, you can master it, but for contractors that means expensive calls backs and for homeowners that means aggravation, extra work and maybe more money. A good product for a masochist, someone with a variety of tile spacing because of poor initial construction and maybe to avoid color issues. For the rest of us, almost anything else has to be better....See MoreHas anyone used "Avalanche" white grout by Mapei?
Comments (41)In case this thread is still helpful to folks, we used Maipei's newer item: ULTRACOLOR PLUS MAX in Pure White. It comes in two colors (pure white and black). Advertised as brightest white on the market and it is indeed very white! We did a new shower with white subway (daltile artic white) and it looks great with this grout. We used maipei frost color on the marble floor (which looks way lighter than the maipei pamphlet shows) and the two colors and materials look nice together. Good luck grouting everyone!...See MoreFlexcolor CQ ok for 1/16" grout lines?
Comments (4)The established standard for measuring flatness is done from high spot to high spot. The valley can be no more than 1/8" over a 10 foot peak to peak span. It is NOT to be measured with the peak in the center of the 10 foot span....See MoreMapei grout help
Comments (6)Bill, I am reading many comments that epoxy grout will yellow over time because of UV rays. Would this only happen if direct sunlight hits it or after long term exposure to any up light, even if filtered. Would Mapei‘s Flexcolor which is an acrylic grout have the same issue?...See Moreamandawarfield
3 years agoj_vedders
3 years agoBrianne Margolin
3 years agoUser
3 years agoeld6161
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoAltair
3 years agoBrianne Margolin
3 years agoJacquie
2 years agocrews115
last yearBrianne Margolin
last year
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