Why must grout be porous? I thought the idea of grout was to prevent water from getting through the finished surface (floor, wall) facade. Why doesn’t anyone make an expoy-like product that hardens, is non-porous, and doesn’t require homeowners to scrub nightly to keep clean?
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They make epoxy grout and there are also a host of sealers out there now that work great. Neither is cheap but cuts down on cleaning time once installed.
Nuke
They do make an epoxy like grout.
Someone that knows something more about it will have to tell you more, I just know that its available.
Doug
I just used epoxy grout on a slate countertop- I love it, I think I'll tend towards epoxy in wet areas from now on. I did normal grout in my shower (before I knew of the existence of epoxy grout) and it's difficult to get the stuff fully sealed. It may block the water from large amounts of transmission, but the grout darkens whenever water gets on it.
The epoxy grout is more expensive in materials cost, and it takes a bit more work cleaning afterwards, but it's not really too bad.
zak
like they've said ... several epoxy grouts available.
some with teflon added.
Lotsa tile guys hate them.
me ... don't bother me too much ... for smaller jobs ... I prefer them. They are harder to work with ... and are 100% unforgiving ... U miss a spot on your first wipe down and it's there forever.
First job I did ... I asked the guy at my tile store. He said ... hot water is the trick. It's "almost" hot enough when U can almost stick yer hand in the bucket.
If yer hands aren't burning and red ... it's not hot enough!
The thing I do like about it ... aside from the toughness .... is once that first wipe is done ... yer done. It doesn't haze up ... time and time again.
It can sag on walls ... U have to mix it just right ... it sets almost immediately ...
and it sets rock hard. Plus ... like I said ... sometimes it sags on the walls.
Something else I like about it ... it cost about twice as much as regular grout ... the coverage is way less ... and most of my competition hates to use it ...
So ... my materials rates are usually triple ... and installation triple too for double the work. And if it's a job of any size ... I quadruple that labor for a helper.
The stuff will try to kill ya the whole time ... but at the end ... it's a good kinda tired.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Laticrete makes a product callec SpectraLOCK. It is harder to work with so I suggest a test job before diving in.I pay about $100.00 per unit. I think good for100-150 sq. ft. It is WELL worth it. Red wine, coffee will not stain it. I hesitate to tell customers about it because it is so labor intensive. Hope this helps. Joe.
pictured using epoxy grout someday but w/ a vitreous tile
would have thought slate would have been impossible because of its porosity
or is that w/ a couple coats of the penetrating sealer before grouting?
I used a penetrating sealer before grouting, and then I had to scour with scotchbrite afterwards to remove the resin stains, but it worked fine. You've seen the tile, so you probably noticed that it's honed slate, and not cleft. I imagine it would be difficult with a rough surface.
I'd like to hear how many square feet other people would do at a time- I did about 20 square feet of 12" tile, and I could do a bit more, but I wouldn't want to do a whole floor in one go- I'd be afraid that it would start to set up before I was ready.
zak