![]() Once dry, you can now enjoy your freshly grouted wall or floor long into the future. Work the haze off the tiles and it’ll be obvious when the haze clears and hopefully, you’ll reveal a freshly grouted wall or floor with evenly filled grooves! Step 8 – Let it dryĭifferent grouts will take longer to fully harden so pay attention to this, reading the instructions on your chosen product, and keep the area completely dry during the process. Keep it fairly dry to avoid rubbing new moisture into the grooves as this will lengthen curing times. If a residue is difficult to remove, especially on coarse finish tiles then it may be best to use a grout stain remover, like this intensive cleaner from LTP. It will harden up considerably and you can begin de-hazing the tiles with a microfibre towel. ![]() Leave the grout for at least one hour or until it is fairly firm, otherwise you’ll wash the dust into the grout. Check it regularly once applied as it is drying. Note: It’s important to make sure the grout is fairly firm but not hard before you clean it. You want to avoid pushing the grout out – you’re just trying to level it between the tiles.Īt this stage, your tile surfaces should be devoid of any real grout and will instead be covered with little more than a ‘haze’. Use a fairly dry sponge, just enough water to maintain lubrication, and push directly along the edges with your index finger. ‘Tooling’ is the process of finishing your grout lines to a smooth and even finish. You want to avoid pushing against the vertical and horizontal angles of the grout between the tiles. At this stage, a nice and even finish should emerge. Sponge away until you’re clearly revealing the surface of your tiles. Moist is the keyword here – make sure your sponge is NOT wet and especially not dripping. Now it’s time to step up the clean-up operation by using a moist sponge. Keep the tool you use for this nice and dry – you don’t want to add any moisture into the mix at all at this stage. The idea isn’t to scrub the wall clean yet, but simply to remove enough grout that you can see your tiles and assess the gaps between them properly. Use a squeegee or similar rough but dry sponge to remove the bulk of excess grout. Knowing when to stop can be tricky and it’s best to keep going until you can see that each groove is filled evenly and to the top. Work on smaller areas of around 2ft x 2ft before spreading more grout across the whole area as the joints begin to fill. Spread diagonally and forcefully to push grout deeper into the joints. Try initially to load your wall with a generous layer of grout, enough to adequately fill the joints. Try and scrape your trowel around the bucket or barrel, keep the motion even and try to prevent grout from falling onto the floor. Step 3 – Prep trowel and begin application This is due to the particles of colour, sand, hardener needing to be all mixed as one. Note: It is important to use a whole bag of grout, which you’ve shaken well. Once you’ve properly mixed your grout, leave it to stand for 5-10 minutes – allowing the mix to pre-harden very slightly, easing the process of application. Make sure you get dry grout from the bottom of the bucket into the mix. Once all the water is absorbed into the, you’ll notice the consistency change to an even sludge. Try moving the bucket slightly in a twisting motion, almost like a cement mixer. ![]() Follow the manufactures instructions you’ll likely need to pour water in whilst mixing with your trowel. Pour your chosen grout into a mixing bucket. Tip: Tape-off areas you don’t want to be covered in grout, e.g. Remove larger particles and vacuum between the tiles to remove any particles and debris. Do not chip the tiles but smooth out grooves between the tiles. Prepare your joints by smoothing out excess adhesives. ![]() Tile Grout for your specific tiling and room, e.g.Visit one of our stores or order grout, tools and accessories online. Use our guide below to ensure you achieve the professional results you desire. However, as it is the last step in the process, it is often overlooked and when rushed can result in a poor finish. Grouting is fairly simple – arguably much simpler than fitting the tiles in the first place. From kitchen tiling to bathroom tiling and flooring, you’ll need to grout properly to protect your tiles from dirt, moisture and other sources of damage and wear. Grouting is the final and most important step in finishing any tiling project.
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