ᐅ Light-colored grout for floor tiles: a good idea or complete nonsense?
Created on: 24 Oct 2017 20:25
K
Kaspatoo
Hello,
we have chosen floor tiles. In stores, they were also nicely displayed on a board with grout lines, which looked appealing. The grout there was light/beige.
(I am not interested in wall tiles here.)
The tiler offers two standard grout colors and also provides several color palettes with additional grout options, which of course come with extra costs.
The owner of the small tiling company, as well as the tile salesperson, advised us against choosing light grout colors because they tend to darken significantly after 1-2 years due to dirt, foot traffic, and cleaning (mopping pushes dirt into the grout lines, as they are recessed, making it “rubbed in”). It is possible to clean it again, but it would require intensive scrubbing, which is very time-consuming.
However, the tiler’s employee who will actually install the tiles, and a tile salesperson from another building materials supplier, said that the darkening after 1-2 years is not as dramatic or intense as described. They also mentioned that with narrow grout lines of 3mm (0.12 inches), the issue of “rubbed in” dirt from mopping is not as severe.
Visually, we would of course prefer the light grout colors. This would increase our costs by about €400 (approximately 430 USD). But that would be money wasted if the color really fades after 1-2 years.
Therefore, I am hoping for some real-life experiences from you. Do you have light grout that has been in place for several years? How does it look?
Thank you.
we have chosen floor tiles. In stores, they were also nicely displayed on a board with grout lines, which looked appealing. The grout there was light/beige.
(I am not interested in wall tiles here.)
The tiler offers two standard grout colors and also provides several color palettes with additional grout options, which of course come with extra costs.
The owner of the small tiling company, as well as the tile salesperson, advised us against choosing light grout colors because they tend to darken significantly after 1-2 years due to dirt, foot traffic, and cleaning (mopping pushes dirt into the grout lines, as they are recessed, making it “rubbed in”). It is possible to clean it again, but it would require intensive scrubbing, which is very time-consuming.
However, the tiler’s employee who will actually install the tiles, and a tile salesperson from another building materials supplier, said that the darkening after 1-2 years is not as dramatic or intense as described. They also mentioned that with narrow grout lines of 3mm (0.12 inches), the issue of “rubbed in” dirt from mopping is not as severe.
Visually, we would of course prefer the light grout colors. This would increase our costs by about €400 (approximately 430 USD). But that would be money wasted if the color really fades after 1-2 years.
Therefore, I am hoping for some real-life experiences from you. Do you have light grout that has been in place for several years? How does it look?
Thank you.
F
fach1werk1 Nov 2017 22:16We used light-colored Nanofug grout in a curved shower lined with glass mosaic tiles made from the mentioned stones. The grout joints remained as good as new for about 4 years in our five-person household before we sold the property. The marble adhesive was also from PCI. Over the years, we used PCI materials several times and were always satisfied with them. On the floor, patina developed—this happened with the light-colored movement joints in the new house.
Best regards, Gabriele
Best regards, Gabriele
Winniefred2 Nov 2017 13:59In our previous rental apartment, the grout on the bathroom floor was light-colored. It was a first-time occupancy after renovation. Within less than a year, the grout showed significant discoloration. For example, the grout in front of the sink was much darker. I wouldn’t do that, and our tiler also advised against it.
fach1werk schrieb:
We used light-colored Nanofug grout in a curved shower tiled with the mentioned glass mosaics. In our household of five, the grout remained as good as new for about 4 years, until we sold the property. The marble adhesive was also from PCI. Over the years, we used PCI products several times and were always satisfied with them. On the floor, some patina developed—this happened with the light-colored movement joints in the new house.
Best regards, GabrieleSo,
- Is the so-called miracle product called "Nanofug" and made by PCI?
- You use PCI products frequently? Does that mean you are a tiler?
- Does "patina developing on the floor" mean I should expect that a dirt layer will accumulate?
F
fach1werk3 Nov 2017 11:56No, Kaspatoo, we are not tile installers. One of our sons-in-law is, and he also supplied the materials. When you have owned an older house for 30 years, there are often jobs where you can use products, for example, from PCI. When you buy from a building materials supplier instead of a hardware store—which is not necessarily more expensive but generally better—you will likely find reliable manufacturers whose products you prefer to work with over time. Tiling was done by us women, while the men handled laying the boards.
Patina on movement joints: The floors in the new build were installed by the tradesman; we are getting too old, and the tile formats have become larger. I can’t say what he used to grout the movement joints, but it’s definitely a silicone. The surface gets dirty and, due to the almost oily finish, develops a film of dirt that I have to scrub out specifically with a small brush since regular floor cleaning doesn’t remove it. The grout color is light beige. The cleaning agent is a common all-purpose cleaner. Using neutral soap made it worse. The cleaning system is Leifheit with abrasive intermediate pads.
Best regards, Gabriele
Patina on movement joints: The floors in the new build were installed by the tradesman; we are getting too old, and the tile formats have become larger. I can’t say what he used to grout the movement joints, but it’s definitely a silicone. The surface gets dirty and, due to the almost oily finish, develops a film of dirt that I have to scrub out specifically with a small brush since regular floor cleaning doesn’t remove it. The grout color is light beige. The cleaning agent is a common all-purpose cleaner. Using neutral soap made it worse. The cleaning system is Leifheit with abrasive intermediate pads.
Best regards, Gabriele
G
garfunkel3 Nov 2017 22:04I had black tiles and white grout in my rental apartment. I’m not sure what material it was.
I wouldn’t choose a light grout color. You can immediately see every little bit of dirt.
Plus, lime deposits can build up in the grout over time, and so on.
I would just find that too annoying.
Besides, I believe it doesn’t really matter whether the grout is light or dark. After living in a place for a year, the only thing you notice is when the toothpaste tube is empty.
I wouldn’t choose a light grout color. You can immediately see every little bit of dirt.
Plus, lime deposits can build up in the grout over time, and so on.
I would just find that too annoying.
Besides, I believe it doesn’t really matter whether the grout is light or dark. After living in a place for a year, the only thing you notice is when the toothpaste tube is empty.
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