I mixed it EXACTLY AS DIRECTED ON THE LABEL it did not work

We used Tec In Color Advanced Performance grout in our shower. Unfortunately, it is also eroding with the worst areas near the drain and any water that drains from the niche.

No, there is obviously something wrong with the mix, It should have been recalled. So many tile jobs have been ruined.

We are currently experiencing similar issue with Tec Power Grout (Mist) not curing. After 5 days any contact with water causes grout to easily scrub out. Not sure how much of it is just the colorant, but there is a gritty texture to what comes out. Installer says he mixed according to directions, but I do know he mixed in batches. Tec has offered to send the acrylic hardener, but we are concerned about whether this is a solid long term solution. The grout issue is on the floor of a laundry/mud room where we have installed slate tile. It will definitely need to be cleaned and scrubbed regularly as it is a high traffic entrance area with wet winters. If you have used the hardener, would you please share your long term results? Does anyone know if this can wear off like a sealer or if it is truly a permanent hardener? We are trying to discern if it's best to use the hardener and hope for the best, scrape the grout and and regrout with a different product (would appreciate recommendations), or just rip everything out and start from scratch. We are concerned about tiles being damaged from grout removal. The room is currently empty, and we really want to avoid any future issues before washer/dryer and cabinets are installed. Thank you for any feedback!

Hi Abby, I'm the Area Technical Manager for TEC and can tell you that the hardener is a permanent solution. Your same lifetime warranty for using Power Grout is not compromised. You will still be covered and can call us if you have any future concerns. That said, I always strongly recommend a small test area before completely your whole project. It takes two consistent coats to really work. It soaks in and won't wear away like a normal sealer. If you're not satisfied for some reason, we'd rather know before the whole job is done with the hardener.

Abby, I applied two coats of the grout hardener as instructed by TEC to our guest shower (seldom used) and to our master bath last February 2018 and it is still holding. I've had no further problems with the shower grout washing out. We took our chances and used TEC Power Grout on our entry way floor tile last fall and, thankfully, have had no problem.

Abby, I had the same problem and regretfully applied the acrylic hardener in my master bath. It gave the grout a shiny plastic look, among many other issues. We then had to color seal it, and it still stains more than any other grout I have in my house. It also has white mineral-like deposits that keep reappearing in areas. If I could save you the nightmare that I have been through, I would highly recommend removing the power grout and using a different product. You will avoid the lifetime of maintenance and worry over a bad product. If I could afford it I would have the power grout removed and replaced with something else.

I’m also experiencing the same issue. We used the unsanded grout mixed with Boost additive. After the first couple of uses, I noticed stains below the grout. I spoke the store clerk who spoke to the area manager and were advised to use simple green to see if the left over residue will come off. While it did help in some areas, it did not for everywhere. When I run my finger through the tile, there’s a white powder that is left. Also, when I scratch the grout with my nail, it is literal coming off. Can someone tell me what’s wrong? I don’t think this is normal and I’m really concerned. We saved so long to re-do the bathroom and the glass tile was not cheap. Help please.

We too now have a problem with the Tec Power grout. Had our kitchen remodeled starting April, 2017. We had a porcelain floor laid with grout between the tiles. When I wipe the floor with a wet paper towel, the color of the grout comes off on the paper towel. I am also starting to have cracks in the grout. We have contacted the people who laid the flooring to see if they would stop by to look at it, but haven't had any luck. I'm at a loss as to what to do. The company that remodeled the kitchen has changed owners since. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Kathy
Contact TEC support at 800-832-9023. I didn’t get much help from my contractor but
When I called this number they were very helpful. They quickly sent me the acrylic that others mentioned and when we tested it on a small section it made the grout hard as a rock. I’m skeptical how long this will last but the folks at TEC did seem like they want to work with you. Bummer about the kitchen. another option to explore are grout companies that clean/remove grout and then reapply it. Best of luck.

We have the same issue as everyone else. The grout was installed just a few months ago but rubs off easily when it's wet. Will Tec do the right thing and compensate me for the cost of the grout hardener and for hiring someone to apply it?

I always use power grout and never , never had a problem. The people that have issues just did not follow directions or they hired an incompetent hack of a tile setter. The art of tile setting is on the same page as an electrician or plumber. The people you hire should have impecable references and skill. Tile setting is not a Do It Yourself skill which everyone will have you believe .It is a profession and art. and 80% of the Tile Setters today are hacks .

Very slow speed mixer, do not whip up and entrap air. allow to set up and use almost no water to clean excess on tile. Grout joints of 1/8 inch are pressing the limit.. A absolute must is a rigid tile supporting structure. Do not expose to moisture for at least three days. And make sure the product is new stock. Power grout that has been opened has a very , very limited shelf life. Even un opened bags that are exposed to excessive humidity and temperature swings make it questionable to use. The Reps. for Power grout will not tell you how sensitive to many variables this grout is. That being said, this highly chemically complicated grout is defective when there are so many variables that can make things go bad. A good product , just complicated.

Also one more comment. Mix power grout in amounts of 1/8 th of a bag at a time Be precise with the water and powder amount per bag instruction. Trying to mix 1/2a bag or more at one time is asking for problems.

did you watch your tile setter actually measure and mix. and grout and clean. don't assume he is doing things right

We used the premixed Designer FX grout in our walk-in master bath shower, installed by a professional tiler with over 20 years of experience. The first issue was that the color of the grout was not even close to the color of the sample. I had purchased several tubs from Menards and there was definitely two different colors in the same tubs with the same color name and numbers. So the tile grout is NOT the color that we expected. Then about 2 months later, we noticed that the grout was starting to "wash away" out of the grout lines, It appears that the grout has allowed water to wick behind the glass tile and now it looks very different than the tile where water does not touch. To tear out and replace, it will be almost $14,000. We have been in contact with a rep from TEC. Will see what happens!

To Kenneth Pastoor- Do you really think that all of these people and their tile installers mixed the grout incorrectly?! Clearly there is a problem with the grout, as I would know because I used this grout and it dissolved before my eyes In my new master bath. The grout is of poor quality AND there are a lot of people out thousands of dollars because HB Fuller didn’t test their product correctly and the Company admits it! Please stop insulting everyone here in this forum.

We are having problems too with the Tec power grout And we’ve built this house 3 years ago.

Here are photos of our master shower grout. When scrubbed with brush to remove mold/mildew it comes out. Also, what is this white hard mineral like deposits?

Not seeing your photos but I am also seeing white mineral deposits in our shower. Our contractor refused to come back and replace grout. I can't find anyone who will replace the grout after the other contractor left me with the disaster.

We are having a similar issue. Did a test sample of our marble tile with the Grout hardener TEC recommended. Once applied to the grout it appears as though someone took clear nail polish and painted the grout lines. the tile is honed making the glossy finish on tile more noticeable when the light catches it. I’m at a loss. Think I’d rather crumbling grout than this. Not sure what to do.

We are in the same position. The grout hardener did not work at all for us.

We are discovering this same problem. We had our bathroom rennovated by a contractor. The job was done by a tile professional who touted this "new, amazing product", TEC Power Grout. Originally, the grout had what I thought were air bubble holes but I didn't think much of the issue as the job was done professionally. Only two years later, the grout is coming loose in chunks. I had the leftover bag of Power Grout and tried to repair the damage but it doesn't hold for all the reasons mentioned in earlier posts. Now, I am looking at complete removal and replacement of the grout. I am sure I won't be using this product again ! I see that there is method to filing a claim - I will do that.

We moved into our new house less than 2 years ago and immediately after we moved in I noticed the grout was soft. TEC Power Grout was installed by a professional installer. When I clean, it drips out of the cracks. I can rub a moistened finger across it and it comes out. We have a shower room in our master bath, a large shower in the lower level, tile on the backsplash in the kitchen and the sink wall in the master. All of the grout is coming out in every area. TEC sent the acrylic sealer and paid to have a professional painstakingly paint it on every seam. The acrylic sealer peeled off as soon as it got wet. The sealer was also very shiny. Not a great look next to our tile. It has now started turning white and a hint of blue as it gets older. It looks terrible. I hope TEC will make this right. We will have to tear out all of our tile and start over. It's a huge project. I don't know how the grout could fail in every area of our house? I can understand a bad batch here or there, but not every place we have grout!

What a mess! I'm still in the same position I was in, can't find anyone who will work on someone else's mistake.

My bathroom looks like the subway tile in the persons photo above. It is awful and almost a year later! what an awful product!! How does anyone get reimbursed with this mess!! What a waste of a ton of money!! Even on my wall that gets no water the grout comes out just when i clean!! So mad!!!

Amber, mine is still not fixed. As I said above, no one wants to fix anyone else's problem. I still get pissed off every time I look at my shower.

Our tiler used Tec Power Grout on our porcelain wood look tiles. They are about 2 years old. No issues at all❣️Sorry to hear all the issues you have had.

Old post. But I'm having the same issue in areas with mapei ultracolour that was installed in my bathrooms.... I think it's installer error as the grout lines weren't properly cleaned prior to grouting and also one other area was replaced since they initially used the wrong colour. They're coming to redo some areas but I have a feeling epoxy grout is going to be in my future.

I’ve experienced issues with TEC Power Grout and I am also an attorney. If anyone has interest in discussing their experience, let me know and I’d be happy to talk. Petra Bergman, Esq. | pgbergman@vorys.com

I just got off the phone with TEC after having the same issue with no curing and powdery grout that I can remove with my nail. Apparently it's my fault for not mixing the ENTIRE BOX OF GROUT with the boost. Funny how the box gives measurements and I measured. Nothing says to mix the entire box unless you are worried about pigment. Guess what? I'm not worried about pigment it's white grout not colored!

I am having the same issue @jschettle2 our bathrooms are identical we have the same subway tile and exact same tile floor. The supposed sealer did the same thing to us. Have you gotten any resolve with TEC?

No, Kyle Morski, we haven't resolved this yet. I am going to attempt getting the grout out of the walls, but the floor will have to be torn out and done over. We are still trying to get a resolution with TEC.

Same issue as everyone else. Professional tile setter, multiple batches, and weeks of curing. They sent my contractor the acrylic hardener, but it’s peeling off after just a couple of months.

This grout is garbage.

old post. Anyone have any luck. Same issues as everyone else. Was sent the hardener and also colorant to add after, i was told this seals the grout as well. Has anyone actualy had luck with that?

The hardener worked in most spots but it also leaves a film on the tiles and starts to peel off after a couple of months. 😬

Did anyone use this colorant as well? tec support sent to me along with the hardener. supposed to make the color the same everywhere and also seal it

They sent the same thing to my contractor. One of the guys from TEC said that the acrylic hardener they have is the same thing as the grout color sealer except that the colored one has pigment in it. If you’re going to use the color sealer, be sure to clean the tiles with simple green after the color sealer has cured or the sealer will leave a residue that makes the tile look darker.

Did you gave good results HHoHowAfter using HowAfter using towAfter using thwAfter using theAfter using the colorAfter using the color sealer

The good news with powdery grout is that it's easy to remove. Tedious still depending on tile size. Mosaic/penny tile will be a nightmare.

Us mapei ultracolor FA. I regrouted two shower walls that my tiler did that was powdery bc he mixed and washed with too much water. I did it myself and the mapei cures hard. Eventually I'll have to redo my shower floor which are 4*2 mosaic. Could be worse I guess.

As for all new performance grouts they are very sensitive to water ratio and they just aren't as hard as traditional Portland cement grouts of the old days. I'll never do a tiled shower floor again. Acrylic or preformed composite stoke pans from now on. Or large format porcelain slabs. Grout lines suck.

I am also having these issues, and found there is a current class action lawsuit filed in Minnesota against the manufacturer. I have reached out to the attorney handling the case to get additional details.

Do you have any other details about the lawsuit, and how we can get involved? I am still dealing with the grout problem after several years. Customers shouldn’t have to pay to redo showers because of a faulty grout and a negligent company that continues to sell the faulty product.

The company made a substance to apply over the top of the grout to fix the issue of it not curing - Ours is fixed now and has been since 2017

I am glad that worked for you, based on this thread it has not worked for hundred of other people and made the problem worse. The grout should work as advertised, like all other brands do. That is not the case and that is why there is now a class action. I am just letting those who have not been as lucky as yourself know so they can participate if they choose.

Same boat here! I could try thinking about what hell this has been. Anyone have any resolution that has worked.

Charolette, reach out to Petra Bergman. Her contact is above in the thread. She can help.

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district- 

courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2022cv02173/202868/272/

We had a company demo and remodel 2 bathrooms beginning in 2024, and ultimately completed in early 2025, and was drawn out for several different issues but in large part due to failed grout. We used tex grout in 3 colors: optic white, jet black, and starry night. They did one bathroom at a time and there was ample time for grout being left to dry because the baths were not finished, and not used for well over a week after the grout was done. All 3 colors of group remained soft and did not cure. The company had to go to the manufacturer and then had to remove ALL of the grout from the brand new bathrooms. After they removed it all, they regrouted everything using new grout from new bags provided by tec. Once the instructed time period passed, they applied the hardener to all of the grout. Once that cured, the color of the dark grout all had a plastic-like film over it, so they had to then paint all of the grout with some kind of colorant. Fast forward one year, I finally got brave enough to do a thorough deep clean on the bathroom and use non-erosive clearers and a grout brush. Sure enough, spots of the grout are washing out! Now what Tec?!?! We followed all of your steps and the grout was COMPLETELY re done, but I cannot even clean the grout.

There is actually a class action settlement (www.powergroutsettlement.com). Homeowners can submit claims for the realized or prospective cost of repairing their power grout installations in a few easy steps. If you have questions about the claims process, I’d encourage you to check out the settlement website, call the class administrator’s, or contact class counsel. But it’s definitely worth it to submit a claim as doing so can yield up to $29,250 depending on your damages. And if you know people who are eligible, please encourage them to do so, too!