What Grout to Use on Each Type of Tile?

You may have chosen your tiles, which is often considered the easy bit. Now, you have to select and purchase the right grout for the tiles you intend to install. This can be a confusing task for those of us who have never installed tiles before. So, let’s take a look at the various types of grout available for your project.

Expoxy Grout

This grout tends to be used in commercial installations and swimming pools. It is not recommended to use this grout in a residential setting. This type of grout creates an impermeable layer to act as a water tight barrier. The grout limits the growth of bacteria and cracking doesn’t occur. Bare in mind, you will need to clean this grout with special cleaners after installation.

 

Reflective Grout

This type of grout can be used as an alternative to unsanded grout, but it depends on your own personal taste. It boasts urethane grout characteristics whilst using a round glass bead aggregate. This means you can really make your glass tile or metal tiles stand out with this grout. The grout allows the light to pass through, which is able to offer an almost three-dimensional, reflective, translucent look.

 

Sanded Grout

Sanded grout is perfect for ceramic tiles and may also be used with the installation of porcelain tiles and natural stone. This is a grout that is made up from a cement-based mortar, with little bits of sand mixed through. This tends to produce a grout which is stronger than unsanded grout and tends to be used where the joints in the tile are greater than an eighth of an inch.

Unsanded Grout

We find that unsanded grout is ideal for a wide range of tiles, such as glass, glazed, glossy and metal tiles. This grout is made up of cement and tends to be used in installations with joints that are quite small. We’d recommend using this grout for both floors and walls where the joint spacing is around a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch.

 

Urethane Grout

Urethan Grout is a water-based grout which offers excellent protection against any staining, and has great crack resistant properties. It can be used not only in a residential setting, but also for commercial tile installations too. Installation is a breeze with this grout, as evidence suggests installation time is cut down by half compared with a conventional grout and this type of grout doesn’t need to be sealed.

If you are looking for tiles for your next project, head over to https://www.belktile.com/ to browse through a wide range of truly excellent tiles!