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.