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Tec Dove Gray Grout?

11 years ago

Anyone use the Tec dove gray grout in there remodel? I would love to see a pic if you did and also how was the Tec grout to work with? My husband will be tiling for the first time and I am worried we might end up with some problems. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Comments (25)

  • PRO
    11 years ago

    Try a test board with spare tiles.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Here are pics of our DIY Tec grout in Dove Gray. We used the matching Tec silicone caulk (probably a little heavy handed, but we had a lot of uneven spaces to work around). Wall tile is Subway Ceramics Avalon - so it is a softer, antique white, not bright white.


    As for the product application, no real complaints, we waited about 3 weeks for the tiles to set before grouting, and followed the instructions. Worked in pretty small batches. It cleaned off the surface of the tile amazingly, but don't know if that was the grout or the tile. It's been about 2 weeks since we have grouted and I have only taken a quick shower in there once because we had plumbing issues downstream. I have not sealed the grout yet (unsure what to do).


    There's a thread on John Bridge that has me scared to get this grout wet - sounds it either performed just fine, or it falls off of the walls. That's about where I am right now...

    http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=97210

  • 11 years ago

    Thanks everybody, kats737 the Tec grout that John is referring to on his forum is the Tec Power grout, not sure if this is what you used on your shower or not? I think your walls look great but I guess the true test will come as you use it. We are looking to use the Tec design color grout where you add your chosen color and a grout boost to a grout base. Would love to hear if anyone has used it.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Yes, right, i used the power grout because a local tile store had it in stock. Well I did bathe the dog this morning and splashed the walls with no issue. Baby steps!


    I did see the 'design color' grout at lowes - maybe check there for product reviews? The only thing I could think of is the pre-mixed dry grout is probably easier to get a consistent color which would be better for large areas. We worked with pretty small batches and were careful about using the right amount of water + mix. I don't think doing water + grout + color + boost in small batches would be very enjoyable.


  • 11 years ago

    Kats737 glad the water test worked out for you, I am sure everything will be fine. Yes if we go with the Tec design color everything has to be mixed at once and then you have to move from there. Maybe I will start another post and specifically ask about grout. Thanks for your help!

  • 11 years ago

    I prefer the Power Grout.

  • 11 years ago

    GreenDesigns, Can you tell me why you prefer it? Is it easy to work with and did you have any fall out like the one poster referred too?

  • 11 years ago

    The Power Grout is all that 2 out of 3 of my tilers will use. The third is a Mapei guy. No callbacks due to color inconsistency, and no mold issues. ''Fallout'' is an installer issue. Gosh knows what.

  • 11 years ago

    Thank you everybody!

  • 11 years ago

    Tell me more about this design colour grout? I am looking for a coloured grout for an accent. But they've all discontinued everything but grey and beige. :(

  • 11 years ago

    Hi Amberm145, the product I am looking at is available at Lowes and it is called Tec skill set design color. You choose the color you want and then mix it into the grout and add the boost product if you want to seal it. They have some colors available on line but they have many more in the Lowes store on display. Here is a link that might be helpful http://www.tecskillset.com/tile-installation-products/step-3/TEC-Skill-Set-DesignColor-Grout.html#.ValVS4r3anN

  • 11 years ago

    Darn, they don't seem to have that at Lowe's Canada. Oh, well. I'm looking for a green or blue anyway, none of these grout colours are doing it for me.

  • 11 years ago

    Sorry you couldn't find anything. Hope it works out for you.

  • 10 years ago

    Is the TEC Dove Gray a light or medium gray? It's hard to tell. What undertones are there? Blue, green ...?

    We used Silverado for our floors and it's a bit too light, so we're going with Dove Gray against white subway tiles.

    Thanks!

  • 10 years ago

    I would put it as a medium gray and fairly neutral. It looks darker when the light in the bathroom is dim (filtered through the window) and lighter when the LED lights are on.

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks kats737! On my grout sample, which is a little tiny rectangle, it looks like green gray. On the paper color selector, it looks green/gray/taupe, so I'm glad to hear it has neutral undertones.

  • 10 years ago

    You can check out my houzz profile album for the bathroom to check. The pics above I took in daylight.

  • 10 years ago

    Hi kats737 - the pictures are great, thanks for sharing!

    Did you use TEC Power Grout? It does not need sealing. Can I ask why you waited 3 weeks before grouting? Was it just timing?

    I saw that post on johnbridge.com too and it made me very nervous.

  • 10 years ago

    Yes, we used the power grout. We waited 3 weeks mainly because of diy timing and my indecisiveness on color :)


    So far I'm happy with how it is holding up. I used to be able to scratch at it with my fingernail when it was wet, but not anymore. I do wipe the shower down after I use it and let the exhaust fan go a good bit. I don't want it sitting soaking wet forever.


    I have not not sealed it yet and am unsure if I will

  • 10 years ago

    Hi kats737 - I know what you mean about being indecisive! I've never had to make so many decisions before. Renovating is very costly and disruptive!

    What parts were you thinking of sealing?

  • 10 years ago

    I was thinking of sealing the shower. Because it does provide some measure of water resistance.


    I do dry it off after I shower, and have been pretty good about keeping the fan running.

  • 9 years ago

    kats737 - we used the same color Tec Power Grout (professionally installed) in our shower and in our mosaic tile floor. We are having the same issue you mentioned above (being able to scrape the grout out of joint line with a fingernail when wet). In the shower, it's actually just dissolving when wet and we've decided it has to be replaced. But it would be a HUGE pain to remove it from the mosaic tile floor. The floor grout seems a little harder, but I can still scratch it out with a fingernail when it gets wet a month after install. Did yours actually harden over time? How long did it take? Thanks.

  • 5 years ago

    I know this is an old thread but I was wondering how does dove gray grout hold up overtime does it appear dirty and hard to keep clean?

  • 5 years ago

    @Janine Lynn I've had Tec Dove Gray Power Grout installed for 5 years and it still looks like new and while I am not super vigilant about cleaning it, I'm pretty careful to not get a lot of soap/products sitting on it. I probably use scrubbing bubbles on it every 6 weeks, but otherwise rinse it with water.


    I think we only have had one area where some Serratia marcescens cropped up and it was quickly taken care of with a round of Tilex. I will say the matching caulk probably needs to be redone in a year or two as there are a couple stubborn black spots.