Epoxy is pretty much bombproof. It's a little more difficult to work with (I've been told) so some contractors may try to discourage you because they either don't have experience with it or don't want the extra difficulty.

Use epoxy grout and have it done by someone with experience applying it. This product can be stiffer than standard grout, so it takes strength and good technique to force it into the grout lines.

Thanks so much! One sales associate at a tile store said that tiles can crack with Epoxy grout since it is so hard. Any thoughts on that?

My five year old epoxy grout and porcelain tiles look the same as the day they were put in.

roarah, that is great to hear!

Any sense of if epoxy grout works just as well with glass tile?

Bob Villa says it's good with glass:

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/545-using-glass-tile-for-a-handcrafted-look/

Olychick, that is encouraging! :)

I should have added that my shower with epoxy grout is 11 years old and like Roarah's, it looks brand new. And I don't baby it at all.

Olychick, that is so awesome to hear! I hope we have the same results! :)

And ours is only 5 years old, but the same experience as Olychick... :-)

newenglandsara2-

Whoever told you at the tile store about epoxy cracking tile doesn't know what they are talking about. Maybe this could happen when it was being installed if someone pressed incredibly hard on an improperly installed or defective tile, but that is not a reason to opt out of using it. The only down side to epoxy is that it's quite a bit more expensive, both for the product itself and because it could take longer to do the grouting, but you won't regret the extra money given what it will accomplish/prevent.

Wow, good thing you checked in here to give better information and avoid a possible disaster! I had a glass sink spontaneously crack (didn't explode, thank goodness). I never would have thought of the possibility of glass tiles failing because of temperature changes. Yikes!

I poked around a bit more (since Villa seems to be a non reliable source) and found this:

"Epoxy is a two-part resin that together with fillers can be made to look like grout. Epoxy grout has always been appealing from the homeowner’s point of view because of the problems with ”regular“ grout, and its apparent pluses –it is not porous and does not require moisture to set.

The glass tile industry has historically discouraged the use of epoxy materials because they tend to be very inflexible, making the entire installation rigid and prone to cracking. There have also been installation difficulties and safety issues. Epoxy-based grouts have had a tendency to be very sticky, making installation and cleaning difficult. They have also had a ”toxic“ odor.

But not all epoxy grouts are equal. Some chemical companies now claim a more flexible product. For instance, when used in conjunction with spacers and a special sealant, Latricrete recommends its Spectralock grout for small mosaic glass tiles.

– John Dumbrille"

CreatiiveTile-

Thanks for the professional input. I was thinking of regular tile with my comments, and zoned out on the fact that the OP was originally talking about glass tile hexagons. :-(

So is epoxy the recommended grout for a porcelain shower tile, to prevent mildew? Any downsides?

The only downside is that it is significantly more expensive than regular grout.

do you have any brand recommendations? Also, I've read quite a bit of comments that epoxy turns yellow over time but they were from several years ago. Is this still an issue with epoxy or has that been resolved? I'm going to be using white grout on white tile so i don't want any yellowing, especially if i'm paying more for it.

Just make sure your tile person is well-experienced with applying epoxy grout and uses a quality name brand, like Laticrete, etc. I specified epoxy grout in bathroom remodels in my house 5 years ago and 8 years ago and they still look like they did on day one.

@kudzu9 i'm nervous b/c he definitely mostly uses Tec Power Grout but said "i can use anything you want." Did you use white epoxy by chance? I heard the yellowing is just with the white grout. thanks!

Sorry...mine are very light grey and very light cream. Hopefully, someone with white grout will comment. But, if this is a concern for you, is there any way you would be open to choosing a grout color with some tone to it rather than pure white?

i have a white shiny porcelain tile and was really hoping to go with something bright white although if I can't find something that stays white, I may have to consider that. thanks for all your input!

When we installed our Lunada Bay agate hexagon tiles last fall we used Fusion Pro Artic White. We've experienced no yellowing but we've had it installed less than a year.

We're planning to use Fusion Pro acrylic grout for our upcoming Fireclay bathroom tile installation. When I asked the rep at the local Tile Shop about using epoxy grout for its stain repellent properties he told me he prefers Fusion Pro because it's an acrylic-based (not epoxy) grout that has higher stain resistance on par with epoxy grout, but it's easier to install than epoxy grout.

He also said epoxy grout costs more and there's usually more waste with epoxy grout because you have to mix complete batches at once. YMMV.