I agree that it is pricey. I was on the fence...but we went with it in the two bathroom re-tiles we did in the past two years. I got tired of dealing with staining/cleaning issues, and I liked the idea of not having to seal it regularly. It's important to have someone do it who has experience because it is really stiff material and takes a lot of muscle to get it applied and skill to make sure you don't have residual traces left on that would be extremely difficult to remove after the grout dries. On our last re-tiling job, the very experienced tile guy took 10 hours of sweaty work to properly epoxy grout about 400 sqft of tile...and this was a large format tile with relatively few and small grout lines. I don't know how much extra he is quoting you to do this, but, if you like the idea of no maintenance, and you can manage the added expense, you might want to opt for it.

Thanks! Cabot & Rowe, I have not talked to him about grout. But I was reading about Fusion Pro on a much older thread and am going to ask him about using one of these better grouts.

Fusion Pro is my "go to" grout for most any installations. A little more $ than regular, but about the same as most epoxy grouts. True to colour, antimicrobial and never needs sealing.

I had epoxy grout used in my tile shower and I LOVE it. I wanted bullet proof for cleaning because I have well water that grows lovely algae/mold. I wanted to be able to use products with bleach in the shower because that's about the only thing that gets it clean. It's been about 6 years now and it still looks like new.

Whoa! Cabot and Rowe -- you just scared me because my new marble subway shower has epoxy grout. Products (marble and epoxy grout) came from a reputable tile store here. What do I need to know? The shower is finished, glass is up, but i haven't used it as I just got the final inspection and haven't moved into the master suite.

Using Mapeii and it was very expensive epoxy grout.

Tell me more, please!

Please be sure it was epoxy and not acrylic. Mapei makes Flexcolor CQ, an excellent grout which is NOT epoxy, but instead is acrylic. The liquid part of epoxy grouts will grow into the marble edges, darkening the tiles or creating a halo effect around the edges. The same holds true for the natural fissures and pockmarks in the surface of some natural stones. This is where precise industry terminology becomes important. Find out exactly which grout was used and let us know.

Mapei Opticolor Large Commercial Unit 40039000 MAP - $273

It was mixed with Opticolor grout colors throughout my house. The shower walls are the only marble tiles and my powder room the only marble floor. Everything else, shower floor, bath floor, vestibule, laundry, sunroom are porcelain tiles.

The powder room is black/grey marble hex and was done in the summer. I had to use the sink in there while my kitchen was being built. I've seen no issues with the wet floor.

Edited to add: Our tile/grout supplier told my contractor to seal the marble tiles twice before grouting. It was done. Does that help?

Maybe it's because we hadn't tiled before, but we didn't find using epoxy grout to be especially difficult - did about 150sqft of 1 inch hex, and a tub/shower alcove plus ceiling with subways - with Laticrete Spectraloc Pro Premium - I really can't understand why a tiler would charge more than the extra material costs to use epoxy. Dh did say he learned a little bit with each batch (we tiled in three phases).

Opticolor is an epoxy grout. The sealing will help, but it will not stop the liquid part from seeping into most marbles. This happens in a few days. If you don't see it by now, then you got lucky.

From the Opticolor instructions Note: Marble, granite, limestone, agglomerated stone
and slate are natural products consisting of a vast
combination of minerals and chemicals that may cause
the material to behave or react in a manner beyond
our control. Therefore, determine the suitability of all
materials before proceeding with the installation. To
ensure desired results, a mockup installation is required
before the actual installation.
See MAPEI’s “Surface Preparation Req

The marble in the shower has been up for over a month, Maybe it'll be okay. I'm shocked that my knowledgeable tile shop didn't warn about this issue.

Hunzi, This is a common mistake for DIYers. Cement based grouts are much easier to apply and take less labor. Acrylics take the same time but require more skill. Epoxy grouts have a much smaller margin of error. If one isn't as skilled with epoxies, the risk is higher therefore the cost is higher. If a cement based grout job comes out poorly, the correction is the easiest. Acrylics are medium PITA, and epoxies are a first class PITA to replace. Contractors have to account for risk when figuring what to charge a customer.

Use Flexcolor CQ and grout it yourself. Just read the directions and it's very easy, looks great and is bulletproof!

We will be having our contractor install tile and we will not be going with epoxy. What is the best grout/sealer?

What grout is he using? If cement based, Aqua mix sealers choice gold, or Miracle 511, or Dupont bullet proof, or Ultra Solv..... depends on the tile greatly. If using an acrylic grout or a urethane, no sealer needed for the grout. You may still need sealer for the tiles no matter what grout you use.