No, just a regular shower, custom sized and with a window and glass door (reusing the glass from the frameless shower we had previously.)

SpectraLock is highly respected, although I'm partial to the Fusion Pro. It does require 7 days "cure time" but is antimicrobial, stain proof and never needs sealing. Any leftover grout is good for a year in a closed container.

Fusion grout seems to be a good product although it is fairly new and it has not been around long enough to properly evaluate it's performance as opposed to spectralock epoxy which has a great track record. However if your contractor is leaning to fusion it may be because his tile setters are not used to grouting with epoxy grout. If that is his real reason I would go with fusion because if they are not experienced with epoxy grout they may leave grout residue and grout haze on the tiles...

For a regular shower I would use either Laticrete's SpectraLock Pro Epoxy or Permacolor grout. Ideally you have a system in place from one company like Laticrete, Ardex or Mapei. I have never seen anyone use the Fusion Grout before. I believe it is urethane based and because of this I would never touch it. For some reason all the people that promote Fusion Grout don't seem to use or it or ever have a renovation picture showcasing it. This leads me to think it is being ramped up by marketing agents not builders.

FP is not urethane based, according to CBP. It is, however, a "Single Component Grout."

It can't be epoxy since epoxy's require two components to make them up. The resin and the hardener. If it's not Urethane then what is it?

Urethane Grouts have the same Water Warning for a week. Same as Fusion Pro.

The data sheet for Fusion Pro reads more like the materials you would find in your car's gas or in paint thinners. The data sheet list multiple ingredients and urethane is not one of them.

Ingriedent List for Fusion Pro: http://www.custombuildingproducts.com/media/2907940/msds_fusionpro_en.pdf

Some toxic stuff listed there. How does it harden? Do the VOC contents leave the Quartz behind? If so do you need to be out of the house for a week?

As you said, it's NOT urethane. Only component I don't recognize is "Bentonite."

Fusion Pro is an excellent grout. Along with Flexcolor CQ and Plasma which are comparable products by differing manufacturers.

"Only component I don't recognize is "Bentonite.""

Bentonite is a type of clay. I used to use it for fracturing ledge when I had to break up stone that couldn't be blasted. Drill holes, pack them with bentonite, and overnight the clay would expand and fracture the rock.

>>>

Fusion Pro is a good grout. If it's what your guys use and you can find a color you like, no worries. As has been said, heed the cure time.

Does it Cure Mongo or do the VOC contents evaporate? I think there is no curing but rather evaporation instead.

Cement based grout have a reaction between cement and water. Epoxy grout has a reaction between resin and harder but these new age grouts have none. So you have to think that the VOC content that is the same stuff pretty much in paint thinner just fumes away.

How else would it get hard if no reaction is in place?

My last steam shower that just wrapped up I used Permacolor by Laticrete. Used Laticrete 254 to set tile.

My newest job is a large format tile. I used Laticrete 254 and a little 3701 to set the floor tile and used Laticrete's SpectraLock Pro to grout it. Going to use the Epoxy grout as well in the shower later next week.

I like using Epoxy when I can because I can custom make the power match perfectly my tile installs. Grout recommendations should really stem from people using grouts with great success. I would be curious to see any recent grout jobs where a new age grout was used. Like I mentioned before most of the people promoting these grouts don't appear to be using them.

I did a little more research on this grout and it appears it cures by evaporation of the water content in it. That I find weird since water is not listed on the data sheet. This quote from a

"Fusion Pro dries and builds strength as the water leaves the product. If the conditions are damp or wet this is slowed down. I have seen shower floors that are still soft, when the walls are hard. Generally I have found that the mud bed under the tile was not fully cured before the grout was installed. The residual moisture in the mud bed will extend the Fusion Pro cure time. If the walls are grouted first and care is not provided, a lot of rinse water ends up on the floor. If the floor is not allowed to dry before the Fusion Pro is installed the excess water on the floor and in the mortar will slow the cure. This will greatly affect the durability of the grout. Of course, high humidity in enclosed rooms can also slow the dry, it is important to keep the air moving.

If you are having problems, please call our Technical Service at 800-282-8786. If you are not satisfied with the answer please send me a PM.

FYI, we have fully cured samples of Fusion Pro that have been underwater for over a year and the product is still hard. But, it has to be fully dry before being submerged. " -
Steve Custom Building Products - Technical

Not once have I ever seen a shower where the floor grout was soft and the wall grout was hard. The review from the technical dude at custom makes me wonder what shower builds if any I would use this stuff on.

This shower's grout I think was Prism. Not my work but I am working on the same home. The shower's grout joints never seem to dry. They always look wet.

The performance of the grout can be dictated for sure by the quality of the installer. The choice in shower drains and waterproofing systems. This shower has a good drain. Average waterproofing. Nice tile. So why does it not dry out?

I suspect the grade on the shower floor is less than 2% or that the wrong thin-set was used to set the tile and the grate trim is blocking any weepage of water under the tile assembly. Just a hunch. In the master I fixed the shower grading. Switched the Kerdi membrane out for Laticrete's and suggested a smaller tile size for the floor. I increased the pitch and made sure the tile was set higher than the drain. I also used a Butech tile profile and trashed the stock grate shown above.

It will be a good science experiment. To even up the head to head battle the master shower is a steam shower and the kids shower just that a simply shower.

It cures via moisture evaporation. It "dries out".

Whoops, wrong product.

Kate, I'm concerned about your term "mastic." If it was (premixed" mastic, it will take forever for it to cure...and the moisture will inhibit the Fusion Pro from drying out in a reasonable time frame. Please tell me that you used a thinset...a powder that mixes with water.....

Also, I am unaware of a Fusion Pro that "mixes with water." All I have seen is a "single component grout" that is premixed in a pail. Do you have a link to this or can you confirm it?

Sorry, got my product names mixed up.

We used Fusion Pro on our 12 x 24" tub/shower walls last fall. This was a DIY and the grout was easy to use. No problems with hardening or softening or crumbling or whatever. We especially wanted a grout that would be virtually maintenance free and that is what we got. I would use it again without hesitation.

We used Laticrete 254 thinset and Permacolor grout. Time will tell how it holds up. Husband did the work, and he did say he really liked the Permacolor grout. It is sanded, but no scratching of tile or the glass mosaic border.

This shower was supposed to be grouted today but will be pushed off till Sunday or Monday. More Laticrete SpectraLock Pro going in. With Epoxy grout by Laticrete and 18"x36" tile - this shower should be super easy to keep clean....

ACO Linear Shower Drain

Thank you for the detailed and spirited discussion, it helped my decisions.

I am tiling a bathtub surround and after reading the pros and cons, I am OK with both Fusion and Spectralock and will use whichever is available at our tile source. If both are available, I would tend towards the Fusion as a DIY homeowner because of the simpler storage and application.

Your welcome. Many products come and go in this industry. Products that will be going in the next ten years (my opinion) will be these grouts like Fusion and the foam boards like Kerdi Board. My thoughts.

Epoxy grout is not hard to install. Only thing is that you need to clean well. I find a microfiber rag is the best thing to use.

Custom Colour: 87.5% Bright White 12.5% Sautrene

This is just installed. I set the grout - that took 30 minutes to place it. Then I cleaned the bucket and the grout float. Then I used fresh water and no cleaning agent to do a pre wash. Just the centers of the tiles not the grout joints. Then I cleaned the bucket and set up the initial wash with the cleaning package ad mix. This is when I shape the grout joints and clean up nice.

Then you clean the bucket and set up the final wash. You wait an hour for this. After the final wash with the proper ad mix agent I go back right away with the microfibre rag. You feel areas the sponge missed. The micro finer rag leaves the floors flawless. Not a Laticrete spec but something taught to me by a pro. Once you go Microfiberrag - you can not grout the same way ever again. Even with cemenitous grout I do this.

I have another grout job this Sunday or Monday. I take a quick video and post it here so you can see what I do. Maybe it changes your mind about Epoxy grout. I used to hate grouting. Hate the unknowns. The random colour changes on and on. Then I tried SpectraLock Pro by Laticrete. Now I can custom make colours and get the same perfect results every time. I just don't use it for steam shower builds. That's it.

Thank you John, drying speed is significant and critical in wet applications. I am cringing at the thought of using Fusion grout and telling the family "You have to wait a week before you can use the bath" I could always hose them off on the patio a la Pulp Fiction, but there is always one that will complain.

measure_twice - "....drying speed is significant and critical in wet applications. I am cringing at the thought of using Fusion grout and telling the family "You have to wait a week before you can use the bath"..."

A week is if the thin-set and mortar bed is all ready dry. If you have a traditional mortar bed and then tile that by itself could take a good month to dry.

How did you build the shower?

Can you tape some plastic down to the floor and check for moisture still escaping?

Definitely epoxy grout. We use the epoxy grout in all of our showers and kitchen backsplash's. Some homeowners even have us grout their entire homes floor with it.