Mosaic Tile Grout
These instructions are updated regularly by our staff mosaic artist. Email
Joe Moorman at inspire@mosaicartsupply.com
if you have questions.
Click here for Legal and Copyright Information.
-
Grout your mosaics outside if possible. It's a messy process.
-
The grouts and sealers you need are the same ones used for ordinary bathroom tiling, and the techniques
for applying these are the same. This means that you can ask questions at
the local hardware or building material store.
-
You probably know several people who have tiled a bathroom before. You can
ask these people questions about grouting. Remember that the glues used
are often different.
-
Grouts come with and without sand mixed in. If the gaps between your
mosaic tiles or stones are greater than
1/8", then
you need to use a sanded grout.
-
Grout is available in a wide range of colors.
-
The best color to use is one that contracts with the colors of the mosaic tile.
This highlights your design.
-
If you use gray grout with gray tile, the individual mosaic tiles are lost to the eye,
and the design does not stand out as well.. I usually use a red-brown grout with
gray mosaic tile, a light grout with dark tile and vice-versa, etc. The key concept is
color contrast.
-
In my opinion, darker grouts almost always look better. Plain white grout
can make a mosaic look like a child's summer camp project. Try an off-white or light beige if you think you need a light color. Also remember that grouts are much darker while they are wet and get lighter as they cure.
My favorite choice of grout is a medium to light gray.
-
Read instructions on the grout package before adding water! Most grouts harden within 2 hours. Think ahead and have damp sponges and dry rags handy
to wipe off the grout after you have pressed it into the crevices.
-
I always wait for a few days before I grout a piece. That way I have a chance to change things before they are literally set in concrete.
If you are serious about your work, don't be afraid to take a day off and then come back and pry some of the
mosaic tiles off with a screw driver if you don't like what you see. (Wear goggles.)
-
Seal the
grout with a common grout sealer a few days after the grout cures, just as you would do for any
bathroom tile.
-
Always wear safety glasses when cutting ceramic mosaic tile or glass mosaic tile
or mixing grout. (Grout is mildly caustic and has sand and grit in it.)
-
Avoid breathing the dust from dry grout.
-
If you keep grout damp while it cures, it will become hard as a rock. I regularly mist my piece every 30 min with a fine mist for the first
2 hours, and then mist it every hour or two or three for the next day.
-
If you spray so much that droplets form, then you are misting too much.
Back to Mosaic Instructions
|
