Grout

[CitadelBlue]

'm installing a soaking tub and want to tile about 18 inches up the wall on 3 sides. Tub is in, backer board is up and I'm ready to tile. I've used thin-set grout (adding water) from the big orange box store (HD) for my past tiling (mainly floor) jobs. Have heard good things about the epoxy grout (premixed in a can you just need to add the part c - color and you are good to go - problem here is the other box store (Lowes) no longer carries this brand) .....

Anyone have a preferred grout and thin-set brand?

 

[slickgt1]

Lowes carries, it, they are just lazy *** retards who don't know what they carry. Laticrete is what you should be able to find.

More importantly, why only 18"? What are you doing with the rest of the wall?

 

[45 ACP]

Lowes carries, it, they are just lazy *** retards who don't know what they carry.

 

[racerbob4]

Thin set is the adhesive and grout is what you put in the space between the tiles.

 

[slickgt1]

I say this, only because I went into 3 of them, only to have the workers tell me they don't have anything like that, or they don't sell it anymore, wasting over 4 hours of my life. Then I called up my tile expert friend, who not only told me that they are morons, but told me exactly where it was in each damn store. Guess what, in the tile section, but not where the grouts are, oh no, that would be too smart. In the next section by the cans for waterproofing. Idiots.

 

[Dakota00]

'm installing a soaking tub and want to tile about 18 inches up the wall on 3 sides. Tub is in, backer board is up and I'm ready to tile. I've used thin-set grout (adding water) from the big orange box store (HD) for my past tiling (mainly floor) jobs. Have heard good things about the epoxy grout (premixed in a can you just need to add the part c - color and you are good to go - problem here is the other box store (Lowes) no longer carries this brand) .....

Anyone have a preferred grout and thin-set brand?

I don't understand the need of epoxy grout for a soaker tub? Make sure you are using thin-set to apply the tiles, not grout.

 

[darkk]

I recently did two bathrooms with subway tile. The grout we used is a ready mix in a tub from Lowes and comes in colors. It has a long working time, and is water resistant, mold and mildew resistant, stain resistant, crack resistant and no sealer required, and it goes a long ways per tub.

 

[Baada]

I used the epoxy grout that you mix the color in on my bath floor. I got it from Lowes by the way. At any rate, I chose that over the mix with water stuff because it was supposed to be stain proof. I used a light tan color and it is not stain proof but then again I haven't really tried to scrub it. Regular floor cleaning and it is much darker than it was. It was easy enough to work with though.

 

[osu69]

Leave the epoxy grout to the pros. There's no advantage to using epoxy grout around a tub, the working time is short, and the product is expensive.

Unless your margins are extremely thin, use sanded grout.

 

[bluesman2a]

I just finished 3 entire bathrooms with epoxy grout, including 2 large showers. It's the bee's knees. Won't support mold growth, and won't stain. I have it in my shop shower, and I can attest to that.

I used the CEG Lite product that's available at Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...0053&langId=-1&keyword=ceg lite&storeId=10051

I liked it and would use it again if I needed those properties.

The most important thing to know is that you do not work it like normal grout and you use a special epoxy grout float.

The best things I saw out there talking about how to work epoxy grout was this:

Biggest thing is clean-up. Notice in the videos you do NOT wait for it to haze over like traditional grout. If you do that, you will have haze FOREVER. Also use more water when cleaning and GET THE SCRUB PAD for clean-up!!!

 

[Azzurro]

Great information Bluesman2a! I actually work for a leading manufacturer of tile installation products (MAPEI)...100% solids epoxy grout is still the best grout if your looking for stain, mold and bacteria resistance. There are also various manufacturers that have introduced "industrial strength" epoxy grouts; best for heavy duty applications such as commercial kitchens or say garage floors.

Another option (but still not as good as epoxy) is to use an additive with cementitious grouts such as: MAPEI Grout Maximizer, TEC Grout Boost, LATICRETE 1776 Grout Enhancer, etc... These additives are used in-place of water with Portland-cement-based grout to increase resistance to water and oil-based stains.

 

[rlitman]

Biggest thing is clean-up. Notice in the videos you do NOT wait for it to haze over like traditional grout. If you do that, you will have haze FOREVER. Also use more water when cleaning and GET THE SCRUB PAD for clean-up!!!

I did an area around an entrance door with slate tiles and epoxy grout. More important than all of that, is reading the manufacturers instructions carefully.
Mine told me to use a vinegar solution to do the cleanup, which dissolves the haze IF you get it in a certain period of time. The timing can be a bit critical, but it should all be spelled out in the instructions (and can vary somewhat between products).

 

[PecosBill]

We use a lot of epoxy grout, but I would never use it in my own personal house. It is overkill in a residential setting, and it doesn't have as an aesthetically pleasing look as cementitious grouts. Sealer technology has also come so far, that there is no reason to even need the benefits that come from epoxy.

The Laticrete product is called SpectaLock, and Lowes has an on again/off again relationship with Laticrete over the past few years. You are much better off purchasing from a professional tile outlet anyway.

 

[slickgt1]

We use a lot of epoxy grout, but I would never use it in my own personal house. It is overkill in a residential setting, and it doesn't have as an aesthetically pleasing look as cementitious grouts. Sealer technology has also come so far, that there is no reason to even need the benefits that come from epoxy.

The Laticrete product is called SpectaLock, and Lowes has an on again/off again relationship with Laticrete over the past few years. You are much better off purchasing from a professional tile outlet anyway.

Around here, NYC, the pro tile joints, they **** you with their prices. $40 a kit, adds up quick.

 

[1fastvx]

Check out urethane grout. All the benefits of expoxy grout without the install issues.

http://www.starquartz.com/

John

 

[1fastvx]

Forgot to mention we userd the StarQuartz2 at the link above.

John

 

[PecosBill]

We use StarQuartz, or QuartzLock, in some situations, but I am not completely sold on it. In a garage, I would stick to 100% Solids Epoxy. And, Slick, the reason for that high price at the pro shop is there are different types of epoxy grouts. While Laticrete's SpectraLock or Mapei's Opticolor are more installation friendly, I would be more comfortable with a 100% solids, Industrial Rated epoxy like Mapei's Kerapoxy or Laticrete's SpectraLock 2000 IG, both of which are pro level products.