| Grouting Tile | Mixing and Preparing the Grout |
| Applying the Grout | Cleaning Grout Haze |
You should use a grout float to force the grout deep into the grout lines. You do not want to just smear the grout across the top of the grout lines and hope that the grout lines get filled with grout. Taking the time to force the grout deep into each individual grout line will ensure that there are no thin areas of grout that could break through or chip out of the grout lines.
After you force the grout deep into the grout lines then you should use the grout float to wipe as much of the spare grout off of the tile surfaces as possible. When cleaning up the excess grout with the grout float you should angle the grout float over the grout lines and sweep up as much of the excess grout as possible. You do not want to force too much pressure over the grout lines and pull grout out of the grout lines. You do not have to clean all of the grout off of the surface of the tiles because you will use a grout sponge later to clean the grout and form the grout lines. Cleaning up as much of the grout as possible with the grout float will make cleaning up the excess grout with the grout sponge much easier.
The next step in the grouting procedure is to clean up the excess grout with a damp sponge. You should only apply the grout to small areas of tile before cleaning up the excess grout with the damp sponge. You do not want the grout to dry and harden on the tile surfaces before cleaning the excess grout with the damp sponge. You should keep your bucket of water and your damp sponge close at hand so you will not have to be walking back at forth when wringing out your sponge. You should wring out as much water as possible from your damp sponge before wiping off your tile surfaces. Too much water in your sponge while wiping off the tiles can weaken the grout and cause the colored pigments in the grout to get washed away.
You should only clean up a small area of tiles with the grout sponge before rinsing and wringing out your grout sponge. You will use the grout sponge to form a nice evenly looking grout line. This process of forming a nice even grout line is called tooling the grout. You should use the grout sponge in a gentle even manner to tool the grout line and form a nice straight evenly looking grout joint. After you have cleaned up a tooled a small section of grout then turn your sponge over and wipe another section of the tile and grout. You will only typically be able to wipe 2 or 3 tiles before your sponge will become filled with grout and you will have to rinse your sponge out in the bucket of water. You should insert your sponge in the bucket of water and squeeze the sponge a couple of times to clean the grout out of the sponge. Then wring out as much water as possible from the grout sponge and continue cleaning up the grout and tooling the grout lines.
Do not overly wipe the tiles and grout or go back over a section of tiles and re wipe them after they have been cleaned. After you clean the grout off of the tiles and tooled the grout joint to an acceptable level then move on to another section of tiles. Try to not go back over the section of tiles that have been grouted to fix what looks to be slightly imperfect grout lines. Overly wiping the tiles and grout with the grout sponge can often cause more harm then good when grouting your tiles. Overly cleaning the tiles and grout with the grout sponge is another common DIY grouting mistake that can weaken the grout and cause the grout color to look blotchy and faded.
After you have cleaned all of the grout with the grout sponge and tooled the grout lines then allow the grout to dry for 1-2 hours before cleaning up the grout haze. You will see this grout haze form on the tile surfaces after about 20 minutes when the tile surfaces start to dry. Click here to continue reading about how to clean the grout haze.
Grouting tile can be a difficult and time consuming job which also requires some practice and acquired skills. You may want to consider hiring a tile installation contractor to do your grouting job for you. You can read some valuable information here about how to hire a tile installation contractor.
Mixing and Preparing the Grout Removing the Grout Haze