Grouting Natural Stone

Some stone tiles, especially travertine, are full of holes and surface cavities. You may love the open, rustic look of these nooks and crannies, favor the smoother appearance of the stone’s surface filled with grout, or prefer a look that’s halfway in between. First, always seal natural stone. Next, to achieve the rustic look, simply tape off the surfaces of the tiles with blue tape before sealing and grouting 1. If you prefer the smooth, filled look, simply grout after sealing the stone tiles.

	The texture and features of natural stone are visible and ungrouted.
	For natural stone that’s partially filled, the tile surface should appear clean. Grout joints will be shaped and full but should not appear wet.

Spread the grout as usual, taking care to ensure that the bigger craters in the tiles are fully filled.

For the in between look, tape off only the holes and cavities that you wish to leave open and not fill with grout (it is better to tape off more holes at first, as you can always grout them in later if the tile looks too rustic). Spread the grout over your taped or untaped stone 2 and wipe down, leaving the blue tape intact. Allow the grout to dry, polish the overall surface, then remove the tape 3. Finally, polish off any remaining haze from the previously taped areas.

	1.  Use masking or blue tape on tiles to prevent grout from filling holes.
	2.  Grout over taped areas with care.
	3.  Remove tape to expose the holes and texture of natural stone.

Excerpted from Tiling Complete, 2nd Edition by Robin Nicholas and Michael Schweit.

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