How to grout tile floors

One of the most popular and attractive floor coverings is undoubtedly ceramic tiles. It is suitable both for rooms where the humidity level is constantly high, and for other places - with high traffic or an ordinary city apartment.

The modern market offers an incredibly wide range of ceramic tiles, which allows everyone to choose a material to their liking. But how the coating is laid and processed plays an important role. The final stage is grouting the joints. What do you need to know to avoid annoying mistakes?

Why grout seams on a tile floor?

As you know, tiles are laid in such a way that the same distance remains between each element. This is done for many reasons, which may differ from each other. For example, in some cases, so that the coating does not crack over time due to movements of the base, and sometimes solely for a more pleasant visual effect of the floor.

Why do you need to rub these seams? The reason is simple: if this is not done, dirt will constantly accumulate in the spaces between the tiles. This contributes not only to the deterioration of the appearance of the coating, but also to the spread of various microbes and bacteria.If the tiles are laid in a bathroom or other room where they are constantly exposed to moisture, then in addition to dirt, mold will also appear.

It is in order to avoid such problems that it is necessary to use a special grout for joints, which can be purchased at a specialized store.

What are the types of tile grouts and their characteristics?

Let's take a closer look at the types of grout, their key features and purpose. Another name for this composition, fugue, is more often used by professionals, so don’t be surprised if you hear it from a store clerk.

IMPORTANT! Please note that not every composition is suitable for every room. Most often, only highly specialized grouts are produced, which must not only be used correctly, but also selected correctly.

The base of the fugue can be cement, epoxy resin, or both of these elements combined together. The first option is the most budget-friendly and is only suitable for use in places where the humidity level is very low. In addition, this is a bad choice for high traffic areas - the floors there have to be washed quite often, so there will be no benefit from grouting.

Resin fugues, on the contrary, are recognized as the highest quality, but this is also reflected in their price. Therefore, it makes sense to pay attention to mixed options. They are considered universal both in quality and cost.

Choice of grout

What else should you pay attention to when choosing a mixture?

First of all, read the information on the packaging. Different grouts are designed for joints of different sizes - using the wrong grout can cause the coating to look sloppy and unsightly.There are also universal options - they will fit most modern tiles.

Then select the correct color of the substance. It is best to choose the one that most closely resembles the tile or the pattern on it. You can also choose a shade opposite to the coating - for example, white for black tiles, but in this case you need to be as confident as possible in the result. If something goes wrong and the coating lies unevenly, then such grouting will only aggravate the situation. You'll either have to buy a new one or completely redo everything all over again.

How to properly grout seams on tiles with your own hands

Before starting work, you need to not only wait a day after laying the tiles, but also carefully study all stages of the process. Without this, a beginner will hardly be able to do everything correctly.

First of all, prepare everything you need: a container for breeding, the fugu itself and other available means. Then thoroughly rinse the surface to remove any dirt and wet it with water. After this, dilute the dry mixture and prepare a rubber spatula.

When everything is ready, you can start working and carefully fill all the seams with the prepared composition. Then the treated area will need to be cleaned - first of all, remove all excess with a spatula, and then moisten with a wet sponge.

IMPORTANT! Make sure that there is no dried material left on the tiles - it will be very problematic to remove it in the future. But various stains on ceramics are not scary - they can be removed the very next day during the final correction of the coating.

If necessary, after about a day you need to sand the surface so that no excess fugue remains on it. After this, wash the tiles from any stains and dirt and wet the finished seams again.The work ends here and you can enjoy your beautiful ceramic floor!

Now you know why you need to grout the seams on porcelain tiles, how to choose the right grout, and what difficulties beginners may encounter during this process. It is not at all necessary to contact specialists, because you can handle the work yourself and get the same high-quality and aesthetically pleasing result.