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But then, you replaced your tiles, and you saw that those spaces in between the tiles are positively unsightly! What are you even supposed to do about these things? Welcome to the wonderful world of grouting. Anytime you inject material into cavities or cracks in between tiles, this is exactly what you are doing. Normally, this involves a mix of cement, sand, water, or chemicals, and extends to other structures aside from tiles. But for our purposes today, let's focus on the household tiles variety. What difference would it make if my tiles had grout or they didn't? Whenever you install tiles, you will notice that with few exceptions, there is always an unsightly space between each of them, and this is precisely what grout tries to address. When you look at a properly grouted tile floor, you are looking at something that looks a lot more crisp and finished than otherwise. It's smoother, it's better, and it's a lot less likely you'd end up tripping on it.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. Grouting allows you to prevent moisture and dirt from getting in between and under the tiles, prevents them from rubbing against each other, and stabilizes your tiles.
If you've seen a bad tile job where the tiles are coming apart and they look incredibly dangerous to trip on, a lot of the time, poor grouting is the main culprit. If not, it's highly likely that the grouting deteriorated over time, which is why aside from regularly cleaning them, it's important to retouch, then at some point, reapply grout to tiles to keep them in tip-top condition. Not all grout are created alike, though, so even the selection of grout is an important part of the process. We don't need to lose you in all the details, but the main things that will determine what type of grout you need to use would be the actual space between your tiles, your preferred colors, and the material your tiles are made of.There are three main types of grout available in the market today : sanded grout, unsanded grout, and epoxy grout. Power grout is a new development that's also gaining popularity, but it's mainly these three types that are commonly known. Each of them serve a specific purpose and aren't just interchangeable with each other.You use sanded grout for large gaps of about 1/8 of an inch or more. The sand that's mixed in the grout is what keeps the joints together very solidly. That being said, if your tiles are made of marble or other similar materials that scratch easily, you might want to skip out on using sanded grout.Unsanded grout is just that - unsanded. It's also frequently used for smaller gaps, since sanded grout will generally have too much sand and not enough ground in between those joints. It takes a bit more finesse than sanded grout, a bit more pressure to apply, and is often stickier in consistency.Epoxy grout doesn't need to be sealed unlike sanded or unsanded grout, and is not porous. It also has anti-bacterial properties and is less likely to crack over time. This grout is often best used in places that deal with food, or swimming pool tiles, countertops, and the like. As you can anticipate, epoxy grout is a lot more expensive than its cement-based counterparts.Even with this crash course on grout, there is still so much to learn and so much to discover. When it comes to retouching grout, though, we're the experts, so reach out to us and we'd be more than happy to provide you with all the knowledge you'd need.
