After grouting some saltillo tile I have noticed that every now and then there is a soft portion, soft enough to dig a fingernail in. The joints are 3/4″ and I used a commercial grout mix that says it is for Saltillo tile with 1/2″ to 1 1/4″ joints. Also I used Acrylic Mortar Admix at a ratio of 1 admix to 2 waters. Most of the time the joint is so hard that a nail probably wouldn’t scratch it but then there is a small soft area.
Any ideas or suggestions as to what I have done wrong?
Thanks,
Walter
Replies
That brings back bad memories. For anyone who has never done saltillo, grouting is a huge effort because of the wide and deep joints. It's like pusdhing wet beach sand around.
My guess is that you have some places where the grout powder did not fully mix with the weater ... dry "bubbles" of grout, like lumps in gravy. I would suggest digging out the bad spots and regrouting the voids. I never used the admix, just the bags of saltillo grout.
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