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How bad is tile grout, really?

last year

I've never lived in a place with tile on the walls. We had a tile floor with dark brown grout and I never once messed with scrubbing it or doing anything other than what I did to clean the floor.

We are trying to pick tile for the bathrooms and kitchen backsplash and whatever we go with, plan to use a darker grout color to eliminate the need to scrub it to keep looking clean. I'm trying to decide whether I should be extra cautious about using larger tiles to reduce grout lines, or if that's really even a concern.

Featured Answer

Jamie Mileto

last year

Get a really good quality sealer for the grout and it shouldn't be a problem. We use 511 Impregnator Sealer it's in a blue container. The water should bead up on it not soak in.

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Comments (6)

catbuilder
last year
If you want to disguise the dirt, don't go with a very dark, or very light, color. Choose a medium gray. Sealers only buy you a few minutes to wipe up something that will stain, they are not magic. I had white grout (and lots of it) on my last bathroom floor and walls, and never had a problem with it. No shoes in the house, and used only water to clean up spots on the floor. No mopping, that just spreads around the dirty water. After 20 years (and four children), the grout was still bright white.
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Susie .
last year
It depends. In my current house we have bright white prism (cementitious) grout. It is a constant battle in our shower, I think it’s something to do with the water. No issues in the kitchen. Floor tiles are fine as long as I make sure mop water is changed frequently. In the previous house, I used the custom premixed grout, which is an acrylic and had no problems whatsoever. It’s a rental and cleaning up after filthy tenants is fairly easy. House before that was epoxy and I loved it too. The current issue with my shower is maddening, though. I wouldn’t recommend prism.
Laurel C
Original Author
last year
Thanks guys! We are on a farm, so eliminating dirt from coming into the house just isn't feasible. Besides humans, we have a dog, and will likely have additional dogs, and the occasional lamb or calf. Grout is low on the list of things I have interest in dealing with cleaning. I'll make sure to use acrylic or epoxy grout, in a medium color.
Emily R.
last year
"Grout is low on the list of things I have interest in dealing with cleaning." I don't live on a farm, or anywhere near one, and grout is also low on MY list of things I have interest in cleaning!! hahaha
Olychick
last year
Epoxy grout is bombproof; will not stain, never needs scrubbing - nothing seems to affect it. I can't tell you how much I love it.

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