We remodeled our kitchen last year. We chose glazed ceramic tiles with 1/8” grout joints. We know now that the tiles we picked are quite porous. Our contractor used Mapei Ultracolor plus FA. It was powdery and crumbling onto our counter. He blamed the issue on the sealer we applied (he does not seal grout) and would not help us. We did check with Mapei before purchasing regarding our sealer choice. We then hired another tile guy to regrout. He used Keracolor U mixed with an additive and unfortunately the grout is still powdery. I don’t think he removed enough of the original failing grout and am not sure if the porousness of the tiles could also still be a factor. We are considering taking the backsplash down and starting over but I’m particularly concerned about grout stains from food behind our cooktop. I’ve discovered that even sealed cementitious grout seems to stain easily and splatters from cooking (grease, tomato sauce, etc.) are impossible to get out. Does anyone have suggestions regarding grouts that work really well behind a cooktop? I know that epoxy is an option but I’ve read that it can be difficult to work with. Looking for non epoxy options for grout that are highly stain resistant and easy to work with.