I think I need more grouting advice

18 years ago

I posted over at the John Bridge forum, but I know Bill and others come here, too......

I'm doing a tumbled stone backsplash, limestone I believe. The tiles are mostly smooth, but a few of them have some rough spots, and there is a bit of variation in the thickness of the tiles. The tiles are 4x4, 2x4, and 4x2, in a random pattern, so my grout lines are all over the place. Before starting the kitchen, I did a small sample project to practice laying tile, and last night I tried to grout that small project, again for practice. I'm using Custom sanded grout. It turned out ok, but I'm not ready to move on to the real thing. Problems:

1. Using the float to "squeegie" off the extra grout is not super effective, seemingly because my tiles are not glass-smooth like the ones in the demos I watched (hehehe) and because though I tried to make everything really flat, it is not perfect. Tips?

2. Maybe I just have to accept this, but it took *forever* to sponge off the tiles, and it is really hard with the little tiles not to work grout out of the groutlines and onto the tile surface. I tried to wait till the grout was setting a little, but I was terrified the grout would dry on the surfaces of the tile.

3. My grout dried overnight, and it is a bit grainy/rough. Should I have smoothed over all the lines? I was worried about mixing in too much more water in my attempt to smooth it out. I prolly also overworked it a bit trying to sponge off the tile.......ack!

4. Right now the grout looks splotchy, and I'm hoping that is just because it is still drying. Is this normal, or does it indicate I made an error?

5. Maybe this would be a good place to use a grout bag?

6. Any other tips? I know that as a newbie there is just going to be a learning curve to deal with, and that is fine, but I'd like to feel a bit better about this before trying again!

7. I 'm also having second thoughts on the color, but it is still drying.....

thanks! Here's pictures for reference:

mini-tile project:

The real thing:

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Comments (9)

sandsonik
18 years ago
I feel your pain! The splotchy grout could be because you used too much water washing off the tiles, and washed some of the pigment out of the grout. I've been told that the less water, the better, and to keep wringing out the sponge. I understand the panic that sets in though, when you're agraid you'll never get the grout off the tile!
It doesn't look so bad though, you're being too hard on yourself. Maybe you need to tackle it in smaller sections, so the excess grout isn't too hard to get off and won't require too much scrubbing or water?
muscat
Original Author
18 years ago
I wrung that sponge out so much that my hands were aching, but you are right- that is my concern.

I should add the detail that the tiles are sealed.

How does one "end" each section, if you are working in small sections, and you have such an irregular pattern like this? I'm worried about it looking weird/mismatched, or grout drying before the grout right next door gets done, and that they wont bond well together?
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fern76
18 years ago
Hi!! I love your final layout of the backsplash, I know you agonized over it for a while! Was there a particular pattern (I have one that I Printed that you did) and could you give particulars about the tile?

Oh, and I think your grouting looks pretty good, I might go with something lighter, I would worry that it might overpower the rest of the kitchen...

Thanks,

Fern76
bill_vincent
18 years ago
Let the grout dry out for a while before you worry about the variation in color. If it doesn't get any better than that, there's a good chance it's not from too much water, but rather inconsistant mix (you didn't mix it enough). Secondly, if you go back and begin to wash it immediately after floating the grout, you're right-- you'll be wiping streaks until you take every bit of grout out of the joints. let it get to the point where it's beginning to haze up before you go back to wash. Also, try and make the grout a bit on the stiff side. It'll be much easier to clean afterward.
muscat
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks Bill! You are a life saver! My "weekend" is over now, but I'll tackle it again next weekend, and I can stew over the color that whole time :)

Fern- thank you! The tiles are a natural tumbled stone called "seagrass" and I got them from Arizona Tile, but I have seen very similar things elsewhere. (Arizona had by far the best price, and really good customer service.) There is a fair amount of variation in color and in the amount of shell/fossil bits in each one, but I wanted that variety. The glass accents are Sonoma Tiles "tantrum" in Tiki green and Tazo green. As far as the pattern goes, it really is random. If you have something printed out, it is prolly the little layout that Holligator made just to encourage me to "go random". I never had something printed of my own. I really did just lay them out on my dining room floor till it "looked right" and I did have to go back and mess with it a lot. First I did the field tile, then I went back and replaced 2x2's with glass tiles where I thought they'd look best and be well visible. (They are too expensive to get stuck behind the coffee maker!!!) The hardest part was trying to decide how much of each tile size to buy. If you are planning something really similar, I'd be happy to look up those details, since I ended up with very little waste, but enough tile to practice with first.
pharaoh
18 years ago
Post photos when the grout has dried. It always looks better when it has dried...
Circus Peanut
18 years ago
I found that a balled-up, only very slightly damp microfiber cleaning cloth worked much better than a sponge for cleaning off the haze -- perhaps give that a shot, too? Best of luck!
cork2win
18 years ago
Ditto on the microfiber towel. I've been experiencing your exact problems as a newbie grouter myself, and trust me, it gets better! It's just a LOT harder than you think to get the grout off the tiles and looking good.

Also, someone told me about something called "grout release" that you can put on the tiles before grouting to make the grout come off easier, but I haven't tried it. Might be worth a shot for your particular project. Good luck!!
muscat
Original Author
18 years ago
Pharoah, it does look better dried, but it is still splotchy, so I'll have to take more care mixing, etc.

circuspeanut and cork2win, I'll defintely try the microfiber! That recommendation came up here before, but I cannot remember who said it. I could not remember if that was to polish after, or to help with the haze. It is also nice to know that it is normal for this to be hard!

:)