Help!! Backsplash grouting crisis

11 years ago

Finally I found travertine/marble tiles for the backsplash that I'm happy with, it is up, we are ready to grout. They are small brick shapes, full of beautiful holes, cracks & crevices as it is natural stone, & I don't want them filled with grout!!! If I cover each tile with artists tape or painters tape before grouting, will that solve the issue? Need answer very quickly , sorry for the rush

Featured Answer

htpitts

11 years ago

I have heard that you should not use unfilled travertine for a backsplash because of the potential for dirt/grease to become trapped in the holes, but can tell you what we did for the tumbled travertine around our gas fireplace. It is either 3x6 or 4X6 and we took masking tape, which just happened to be the right width, and cut pieces to fit each "brick". We then grouted, cleaned and removed the tape. 11 years later, it still looks like new and does not seem to have accumulated any dirt or grease, even being very close to the kitchen. We are only now enhancing/sealing it to darken the color to go with a remodel. It was not sealed previously.

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Comments (6)

gracieclaire
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you so, so much!!! I feel better now, & will try that for sure.
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sueellen221
11 years ago
Would love to see a picture! That is what I chose for our kitchen, and I too, didn't want to compromise the integrity of the beautiful travertine subway tiles!!
gracieclaire
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago

The color does not translate well in these photos, it is much better than it shows. The closest is the one of the countertop. I found that duct tape is the exact width of the tiles, so I covered each one that had indentations, etc to protect it from the grout. It was time consuming but worked beautifully!! If you seal the tiles before, the tape will not stick. So I taped, then it was grouted, then sealed. I used a biscuit color for the grout which worked well. If I could do it again, I think I would use a pale gray. But I'm still very happy with it. I am having a sheet of tempered glass cut to fit the area behind the cooktop, which will be attached with metal stand offs; should be here next week with any luck.
sueellen221
11 years ago
Beautiful !! I can't wait until mine is finished.... We had issues with our granite. Went back and forth with them for 3 MONTHS !!! So ready to have our kitchen back.
jayd17
11 years ago
Do you recall the grout line size?