I need to retile a bathroom. It has been a long time since I did any tile work, but it looks like (other than the now universal use of backerboard) little has changed.
I wonder if there is any new thinking on grouting. Seems to me grout, which is not waterproof, is not the ideal substance to use around showers. It there any better substitute, such as siliconized caulk?
If anyone has any experience with using caulk as grout, I’d like to hear about it.
Replies
properly applied grout is waterproof, but is somewhat porous, a grout sealer will help somewhat.
there are no substitutes for a good grout job for ceramic tile that i know of.
for best results, the tile should be set with grout lines as wide as the tile is thick. molded in spacers are usually not adequete for grout strength
for a bathtub area use a polymer modified wall grout(not sanded like floor grout) and minimize the water when mixing, ie just enough to make it workable
use a damp sponge to remove excess and to tool the joints. too much water will weaken the final grout
I framed a wall mirror in border tile and used caulk instead of grout. It seemed to work ok, but shrunk into the joints quite a bit. It's not subjected to water or extensive cleaning, though.
Most of what I've read about tile these days says that the concentration is on installing a waterproof backer. Recommendations include Denshield, which is waterproof, or cement backer board which the installer coats with any number of various waterproofing systems.
Something new is epoxy grout. It's completely non-porous. Installation is not as easy as regular grout, so I'm told, but I've never used it.
If you decide on good ol' grout, the newer grouts are polymer modified, so they are a bit more flexible than the old ones. Also, it's important to not mix the grout too wet, because it dries more porous and is more subject to cracks than if mixed stiffer.
I did a patch in my shower after a repipe, and grouted all of it except the transition between the new and old tile. That one row I did with caulk instead of grout. This is four years old, and you can't tell which is grout and which is caulk.
-- J.S.
Epoxy grout sounds like what you want, drawbacks are it's expensive because you have to buy a set which generally is 25 lb. and you can only do about 10 sq/ft at a time and then clean because once it sets it's very hard to clean off tile. On large jobs it is a 2 person operation 1 grouting & 1 cleaning right behind him/her. If it was me I would use a latex modified grout & seal it, if your grout lines are larger than 1/8" use sanded grout as unsanded has a tendency to crack in anything larger, double caulk tub seams, all plumbing holes and corners.