How to Grout Tiles: Choosing the Right Grout

As you go about learning How to Grout tiles, one important thing is to choose the right grout. There are many different kinds of grout in the market. Make sure to pick the one that is right for your circumstance.

Your choice of grout type will be affected by the type of tile you use and the gap between tiles i.e. the grout width. For grout widths less than 1/8" unsanded grouts are commonly used, while for grout widths 1/8" or greater, sanded grouts are commonly used.

Here are some common grouts and there qualities:

Sanded Grouts:

• Mainly used if grout width is 1/8" or greater
  
• Made of cement and sand
• Sand in the grout makes it rough and scratches surfaces. Therefore don't use it on marble tiles. If you are going to use marble tiles, then make sure that your grout width is lesser than 1/8" and use unsanded grout
• Mainly used for ceramic and stone tile
• Make sure to seal properly. It is very absorbent and if you don't seal it correctly anything liquid spilled on it will be soaked up by the grout.
• Stains easily

Unsanded Grouts:

• Mainly used if grout width is less than 1/8"
  
• Made of cement (i.e. similar to sanded grout but without the sand)
• Used effectively on marble tile
• Is also very absorbent and must be sealed correctly
• Commonly called as wall grout
• Stains easily

Epoxy Grouts:

• Resistant to staining and have very low absorption power
• No water present in the mixture
• Difficult to apply
• Can be quite messy

As you can see it can be quite intimidating to decide which grout to use. It is best to
use the help of a professional. And that is just what Randy does in How to grout tiles videos.

How to Grout Tiles: How to choose grout color

One of the first things you need to know about how to grout tiles is that you must choose the right color. Not choosing the right color of grout, will make your tile work look awful. And put all that hard work to waste.

I remember walking into a friend's kitchen and the tiles were just jarring to the eyes. At first I couldn't figure out what it was that was causing the disconnect. And then I realized that it was the grout. They didn't choose the right color and the grout and tiles just didn't match. Instead of working together, they were working against each other.

There are so many colors of grout that it can seem like a tough choice. What color grout do you choose?

Before you choose the color of grout, remember that the grout between the tiles can be easily seen.

And that if the color of the grout is very light, that the dirt that collects on the grout can also be easily seen.

With that said, here are some things to think about when deciding the color of your grout:

• What is the color of your tiles
• Do you want your grout to blend in with the tiles? If you do, then choose a color that is close to the tile color
  
• Do you want your grout to stand out from the tiles? Note: Make sure that the contrast is not too much. Otherwise you could end up with a checkerboard

To learn more about how to choose the right color and how to grout tiles, check out these videos.




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How to Grout Tiles: Use Videos to Make it Easy

I didn't know what to do and these videos helped me learn how to grout!

Let me start from the beginning.

This summer we decided to do some diy home improvement and as part of that I had to learn how to grout tiles. I went to the library and got some books, but they really didn't help. The books said a lot but words and a few pictures really didn't help me. I am a visual person. I need to see.

So the next thing I did was go to home depot. I talked to the people there and they gave me a lot of tips. But again that didn't help me. I needed to see it done.

My next stop was the internet. Looking back, I really should have come here first. Anyways, after spending hours searching and reading, I found just what I needed. Videos!!!

Videos that showed me exactly what to do. Woo Hoo. Not just any videos. But get this, these videos were made by a tile setter. A person who had been installing tiles for over 25 years. And he still does. Nothing like learning from someone who does it for a living.

Better yet, he had his phone number and email available so that anyone can call him if they have any questions. Wow, that is great customer service I thought. I really don't see too many people giving out their phone number.

And here is what he says "After you watch my easy to follow videos ( which a twelve year old could follow) and you STILL need assistance I will personally be there to assist you!" Meaning you can call him for free if you still have questions. If you buy his videos, not only will he show you how to do it, if you don't understand something, you can call him and he won't charge you.

So not only will you save money (you don't have to hire a tile setter to do it for you), you also have a professional who is willing to help you.

There are 4 videos which show you everything from the basics to mixing & spreading to grouting. He also includes answers to 50 questions that people frequently ask him. I haven't seen a deal like this anywhere.

Here are the How to Grout videos that will really help you.




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