Grout is the substance that is applied between the tiles in a tile installation. In recent years many new types of grout have been manufactured that will have superior characteristics to normal cement based grouts.

 

 

For many years grout in its classic form consisted of a cement based substance that also contained colored pigments.  This classic grout composition is a dry powder that needs to be mixed with water to create the classic hard, concrete like grout.  Recent technological advances have created grout that is not at all cement based. There are some types of non cement based grout that out perform standard grouts in many areas.  There are also some types of non cement based grouts that are inferior types of grout for a variety of reasons.

Cement based grout is still the most common type of grout being used today.    Cement based grout comes in a powdery form and must be mixed with water prior to grouting.  Cement based grout comes in two basic types sanded and unsanded grout.  Sanded grout contains sand to give the grout greater strength and durability in 1/8 inch or wider grout joints. Sanded grout will have a more course surface due to the sand in the grout. Generally sanded grout will look nicer, be easier to apply and be more durable than unsanded grout.  Unsanded grout is necessary for extremely narrow grout joints and for stone tile installations where sand in the grout will scratch delicate stone tiles during the grouting procedure.

Recent advances in sanded grout technology have produced sanded grouts that contain extremely small bits of sand.  These types of sanded grouts also have sand that does not contain jagged edges that can scratch delicate stone tiles. These newer types of sanded grouts can be used in extremely small grout joints and in stone tile installations. This gives the strength, durability and nice looking grout joints of a sanded grout in tile installations that previously required using only unsanded grout.

Cement based grout when installed correctly will be extremely hard and durable. The extremely hard nature of cement based grout also makes it a brittle, non flexible substance that can easily crack or chip if there is movement in the tiles.  When installing cement based grout it is advised to install caulk in areas between tile planes and other areas where there may be movement of the tiles.  Cement based grout is extremely porous and must be sealed on a regular bases to keep dirt, stains and contaminates from being absorbed by the porous grout.

Applying cement based grout is a straightforward procedure and this grouting procedure has been basically the same for many years.  Cement based grout will always be in a powdery form that must be mixed with water before it is applied.  Applying cement based grouts is done using a process commonly referred to as grouting.  A grout float and a grout sponge are used to apply cement based grout using standard grouting practices and procedures.  The final look, texture and color consistency of the finally installed cement based grout is largely dependent on the skill and technique of the person who is grouting the tiles. Many problems and errors in the grouting procedure can produce non uniform looking grout that can be weak, cracked, deformed or have inconsistent color consistency throughout the grout lines.  Grouting tiles with cement based grout takes some skill and practice to get hard, durable, consistently colored and beautiful grout lines.

The most popular alternative to cement based grouts are epoxy grouts.  Epoxy grouts do not use cement as the boding agent to hold the grout together.  Instead of using cement as the bonding agent in the grout epoxy grout uses epoxy resins to bind the grout materials together.  Epoxy grouts do not need to be mixed with water before applying them and they typically come in a 3 part formula that must be mixed together.  

There are many advantages to epoxy grout over regular cement based grout.  Epoxy grout is a non porous substance that never have to be sealed. Cleaning and maintaining epoxy grout is much easier and you do not have to worry about your grout getting permanently stained from most types of dirt and spills. Epoxy grouts are more durable than cement based grouts and they will also produce much richer and evenly looking colors than cement based grouts.  Epoxy grouts have improved their formulas in recent years so yellowing and color fading associated with epoxy grouts have been minimized to the greater extent.  It is still not advisable to install epoxy grouts outdoors or indoors where they will be subjected to direct sunlight for many hours during the day.  Some types of epoxy grouts can also become soft and week if they are subjected to large amounts of grease like those in a commercial kitchen environment.  There are different types of epoxy grouts and you should always check with the manufacturer first before installing epoxy grout in your particular tile installation.

There are some difficulties associated with installing epoxy grout.  First of all epoxy grout is much more expensive than regular grout.  It also takes a lot more time and attention to detail to install epoxy grout. There is a lot less room for error when installing epoxy grout and many types of epoxy grouting mistakes can easily ruin a tile installation. Grouting with epoxy grout takes practice, precise timing and attention to detail.  With practice and  experience grouting with epoxy grout is not too difficult but many novice tile installers will ruin a perfectly good tile installation due to mistakes made while grouting with epoxy grout.  The timing of the epoxy grouting procedure and the ability to remove all of the epoxy grout haze off the surface of the tiles in a timely manner is essential to a successful epoxy grouting procedure. Epoxy grout that is installed incorrectly or an epoxy grout haze that is not cleaned up correctly will be impossible to fix in most tile installations.  Most of the time the only solution way to fix epoxy grouting mistakes is to replace the installed tiles and start the tile installation procedure all over again.

Another type of non cement based grout on the market today is premixed grout.   There is one type of premixed grout called urethane grout that is a quality accepted product by many tile installers.  The vast majority of premixed grout is a cheap type of acrylic grout found in the big box home improvement stores.  No quality tile store will supply the cheap type of pre mixed grout because it is not a quality product used by experienced tile installation professionals.  Cheap premixed grout contains no cements or epoxy resins to hold the grouting material and they rely on latex adhesives to provide the boding properties of the grout. Premixed grouts do not behave like cement, epoxy or urethane grouts in that they have a chemical composition somewhat like cheap acrylic caulk. Premixed grouts have the advantage of being easy to prepare and apply since no mixing is required. Premixed grouts can also be used at the installers own pace and any unused grout can be sealed up and used at a later time. Since premixed grout has a chemical composition somewhat like caulk they are more flexible and less prone to cracking and chipping than other types of grouts.

There are many disadvantages of cheap non urethane premixed grouts.  Grouting tiles with premixed grout can be difficult and somewhat confusing to people who are used to grouting with cement or epoxy based grouts. The grout haze on the surface of the tiles can be difficult to remove without damaging the grout that is setting in the grout lines. Often times there are visible areas around the grout lines where the grout haze was not completely cleaned off the surface of the tiles. Since premixed grout is chemically similar to caulk it is much more difficult to clean and maintain than other types of grout.

Although premixed grouts are not porous they are much more difficult to clean and maintain than other non porous grouts like epoxy or urethane grouts. Dirt, grease and grime can become embedded in the premixed grout which makes cleaning these cheap types of grouts extremely difficult. Premixed grouts are softer and can easily be damaged with aggressive scrub pads and scrub brushes. Aggressive grout cleaning procedures and products that provide excellent cleaning results on normal cement based grouts can actually soften up and disfigure pre mixed grout lines. In most cases it is nearly impossible to clean up and restore the look of dirty premixed grout. A regrouting procedure is typically the only way to restore the new look of dirty, old premixed grout.

Urethane grout is the newest type of grout used by tile installation professionals today.  Urethane grout is a one part premixed grout but it is not at all similar to the cheaper types of premixed grout sold at the big box home improvement stores.  Urethane grout is sold at only specialized tile shops and is generally only used by experienced tile installation professionals.  There are some obvious benefits of urethane grout in that it can be used at your own pace and the excess grout can be sealed up and used at a later time.  Urethane grout is also the most flexible of all types of grouts and it will not crack or break apart as easily as other types of grout.  Urethane grout is non porous, stain resistant and never needs to be sealed just like epoxy grout. 

The Urethane grouting procedure is much different than grouting with cement or even epoxy grout.   Urethane grout must be installed in very small areas of tiles and the excess must be cleaned up within 5 minutes of installing the grout.  Urethane grout also takes much longer to set and can take up to a weak to totally set in some tile installations.  An accelerant can be installed in the urethane grout to speed up the grout setting time but this can also make the urethane grouting procedure more difficult. 

Many tile professionals choose urethane grout over any other type of grout and find the installation procedure relatively easy.  It is much more forgiving than epoxy grout as far as cleaning up and removing the grout haze from the surface of the tiles.  Urethane grout haze can be cleaned up a lot easier than an epoxy grout haze or even a cement based grout haze.  Specialized urethane grout haze removers allow the urethane grout haze to be easily removed even after it has set overnight.  When properly installed urethane grout is a sturdy non porous grout that can be used in any type of wet area.  Urethane grout requires a specialized grouting procedure that must be strictly adhered to.  Many times errors in the urethane grouting procedure will produce soft areas of grout that never properly set.  It is also vital that all the tile setting materials are totally dry before installing urethane grout or the grout may not set properly.   

All types of grout have their distinct advantages and disadvantages.  You should install the best type of grout that is most appropriate for your tile installation. The types of tiles being installed, the environment the grout will be exposed to and the cleaning and maintenance requirements for the grout are all things to be considered before choosing a grout.   Reading the directions on the grout, calling the grout manufacturer to find out more about the grout or hiring a tile installation professional to install the best type of grout for you is essential before choosing a grout.

You can read some valuable information and tips on how to hire a tile, grout and stone installation contractor at our contractor information page here. . .  Tile Installation Contractor.