Available in different colors and styles, grout is primarily used to fill the spaces between the tiles. Such that, the empty spaces in between two tiles do not appear odd to the viewer. It ensures that the surface looks as shining and beautiful as on day one and also leads to a longer life. These grout are available in the online and offline market and you must choose the best one for your bathroom. Let’s know more about the best grout for showers and by the end of this article, you will definitely have the needed knowledge to bring the best product home.
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Features to Consider While Choosing the Best Grout for Showers
Water-resistance
For a grout, which has to be used in a shower or bathroom, it must be water-resistant. You should not allow water to stand for a longer time. It may help mold and other undesirable germs to grow affecting its lifespan.
Anti-flammability
It is always advisable to buy an anti-flammable grout. It will not support fire in case of any such happening. Having such a grout may prevent fire to be violent.
Non-toxicity
A non-toxic grout would cause no ill effects on your hands while applying. Furthermore, it will never produce any fumes which may prove dangerous to you. It is always better to look for a non-toxic grout as the chemicals from which grout is made nowadays generally lead to grout being toxic.
Color
Grouts are available in various colors in the market. You need to choose them wisely as per your need so that it will complement the space where it is applied.
Stain-resistance
With advancing technologies coming day by day, there is grout, which is stain-resistant. So you do not need to worry if there are kids today at your home. The reason is your tiles and grout will look afresh and new no matter what may fall on it. For your kids, you may want to check out safe shower heads for children, too.
Width of the Joints
For the joints with a width of less than 1/8 inch, unsanded grouts whether cement type or epoxy type is used. For widths greater than this, sanded grouts are used.
Less Dry Time
The grout must take less time to get dry. However, this time should be such that you could take off that extra grout that is deposited on the surface of the tiles.
Care and Maintenance
Years of exposure to stains and dirt, grout can start losing its color uniformity and shine. The grout you are choosing should need minimum maintenance. Otherwise, it should get cleaned with a normal degreasing agent to give it new look again. You can find more in this article.
Mildew Resistance
Continuous falling of water on the grout in a bathroom may cause mildew to grow on its surface. This is no less than a big problem for homeowners. Preventing and removing mildew requires quite an effort. Such a mildew resistant grout will help to retain the look of your bathroom in addition to keeping it hygienic.
Best Grouts for Showers Comparison Chart
PRODUCT | DETAILS | ||
---|---|---|---|
Custom PMG165QT Simple Premium Grout |
| View On Amazon | |
Laticrete SpectraLOCK Pro Premium |
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Perma Tile Waterproof Grout / Non-Shrinking |
| View On Amazon | |
Red Devil Tile Grout, EZ Squeeze |
| View On Amazon | |
Red Devil Inc. Premixed Tile Grout |
| View On Amazon |
Best Grout For Showers (Updated List)
1. Custom PMG165QT Simple Premium Grout
The Custom PMG165QT 1-Quart Simple Premium Grout is a no-mix, no-mess alternative to traditional grout, also perfect for grout restoration. The unit is created for grout joints from 1/16-Inch wide to 1/2-inch wide.
The sanded, shrink and crack-resistant formula is also resistant to common household stains. Furthermore, one of the main attracting features of this grout is its resistivity to mould, thanks to the protection by moldgard technology. The product is suitable for tile types such as grouts ceramic, mosaic, quarry, porcelain, stone tile, marble and granite. Also, it could be used for wet areas such as tub surrounds, shower floors and shower walls. However, this unit is not appropriate for steam rooms, areas exposed to prolonged water exposure or underwater.
Pros
- No mixing
- No mess
- Stain-resistant
- Crack and shrink resistant
Cons
- Porous stone can be stained by grout
- The finished product may end up sandy and gritty.
2. Laticrete SpectraLOCK Pro Premium
Looking for the grout that would look just perfect with the color of your tiles? Laticrete SpectraLOCK Pro Premium is the right choice for you then. It is one of the best epoxy grouts, which are made up of a mixture of filler powder and epoxy resins in the right proportion.
This grout has become very famous during the recent times because of its user-friendly properties including its unmatchable strength and longer life. Unlike other grouts, it is totally immune to chemicals, how much strength they may be. Not only chemicals, but this grout is also totally ineffective to exposure of any type of grease and so its shine will remain as new as ever. Its color will remain uniform throughout its life and is totally resistant to stains and marks so that the beauty of your tiles remains intact.
One of the main attracting features of this grout is its resistivity to mold, which will not let it degrade with time leading to its long life. It makes it an ideal choice to be used in bathrooms. All these features, when taken into account make this grout the best pick for your shower though some people marked it as too thick to be used for small gaps.
3. Perma Tile Waterproof Grout / Non-Shrinking
Always chosen by professionals, this grout has been packed with each and every feature it takes to be the best pick-up for your shower. It is really important to find the right grout. The grout is one of the most important factors, which will define the mood and look of the whole space. It is counted as one of those tile grouts. It will not just retain the previous look but will further enhance it through its uniform color distribution and superior quality.
Not only it performs its basic function of locking the shower tiles very well, but it also keeps out water making the surface waterproof. It is generally seen that it becomes noticeable when grout comes out from between the tiles. However, this tile grout of superior quality never falls out. Also, it always gives the surface a finished look. What people love the most about this grout is that you do not need to be a professional to apply it. You need to follow the simple instructions provided on the container. Also, it hardens very fast and you do not have to wait for so long. Therefore, you will face no problem removing excessive grout on tiles when you do so within hours of its application.
4. Red Devil Tile Grout, EZ Squeeze
Need to work on cracked and loose grout or want to fix some curling edges then this is the product you are searching for. When everything needs to be perfect, this grout is known to give a finished look wherever a crack or damage is noticeable. Water will not have any effect on its life, as it does not let it go inside due to its water-resistant property.
Due to its superior quality, its color will never fade out and always remains constant as the day you bought it. This grout comes in a patented one of its kind squeeze tube, which makes sure that you get a regular supply of grout until the end. It also makes it way too easy to be used by anyone. It is perfect for use in large-scale projects and also in small spaces and mosaic tiles. Not only repairing cracks, but it also works well while fixing wallpaper edges in your home or specifically, bathroom. As everything has some pros as well as cons, there are some issues with this grout too like high cost and grout peeling off after some days of application.
5. Red Devil Inc. Premixed Tile Grout
Featuring a carefully decided grouting composition, this grout is there to serve you well with its unmatchable quality and affordable cost. It is provided in a squeeze tube to ensure that you can apply it as required even without any professional help. Such a tube also ensures that you can apply the grout in small spaces with the same ease. Also, it eliminates any form of spores and moisture to accumulate over its surface, which otherwise acts as the food for mold, and mildew. In this way, this tile grout is an effective mold and mildew resistant.
Another advantage of this grout is its water-resistant feature. It does not allow water to stand on its surface so you do not need to worry at all about watermarks or algae deposition. Where other grouts need a lot of time for cleaning and other stuff, Red Devil Inc. Premixed Tile Grout does not need much maintenance but a much lesser time is just enough to yield very good results leading to its long life. Many people found it more appropriate for use in light fillings, not for the wider ones, and a bit hard to work with.
Difference Between Sanded and Unsanded Grouts
There can be various types of grout having different uses and areas of application. It includes cement and epoxy grout: Cement grout is used traditionally for so long now and is much simpler to use and Epoxy grout is made up of filler powder and resins which impart to it several unique properties. Thus, this latter has become very trendy over the past years. Both these types of grout can be sanded as well as unsanded. There are many deciding factors on which it depends on which type of grout would work perfectly.
- One of the most basic differences between the two is their components from which it is made. Cement type unsanded grout is a well-proportioned mixture of pigments in powder form and water in Portland cement. On the other side, epoxy type unsanded grout is made up of several resins and a hardener. On the contrary, the composition of epoxy type and cement type sanded grouts is mostly the same but only sand is an extra component in these grout. The sand makes the mixture thicker making it more long-lasting.
- Both these sanded and unsanded grouts can be used with the floor as well as wall tiles if applied with care. But cement-based sanded, as well as unsanded grouts, are generally used for home-based applications. On the other hand, its counterpart is used where the tiles will have direct exposure to chemicals and dirt.
- The most important difference is the width of the space to be filled between two tiles. This size matters the most while deciding which grout to be applied. Unsanded grout should be used when space between the tiles is 1/8 inch or less wide. Due to its silky texture, it is used more often with ceramic wall tiles as it can support the tiles situated vertically. Sanded grouts should be used for joints, which are wider than 1/8 inch, more appropriate for use in wall tiles and flooring tiles. Moreover, it might cause pinholes to occur in the joints which, if noticeable looks are odd. Spaces wider than 3/8 inch requires highly concentrated sanded grout mixture, which is often available at retail stores very easily.
- Apart from the size of the joints, the type of tiles is another important factor. Sanded grouts should be used with floor tiles as unsanded grouts can break under such high pressure. Unsanded grout should be used with highly polished tiles, for instance, marble as sanded grouts can lead to damage to such tiles.
- To quote a few places in your home, sanded grouts are more suitable for use in the bathroom, shower pan, and kitchens. Unsanded grout finds its use in shower wall, rectified tiles, and bathroom wall while naming a few.
Types of Grout
A mixture of cement, water, and many times sand, grout comes with different additives. Thus, it finds different applications according to these. Some of them are:
Cement Grout
Famous for it’s easy to use features and simpler preparation methods, it is one of the most common grouts used in bathrooms. One of the most attractive features of cement grout is its affordable price and high quality, which forms an unmatchable combination. But apart from such advantages, it has some disadvantages too. It peels off because of the formation of a porous surface. To avoid this, it must be sealed as soon as it gets dried.
Epoxy Grout
Made up of a number of resins combined with a filler powder, epoxy grout comes very durable and full of strength. Not only it has a unique feature of hardness, but it is also immune to most of the strong acids and greases. Unlike cement grout, it does not need any sealer to form a layer over it. Because the grout is water and mold resistant itself. It does not require much time to dry so you do not have to wait for much longer while applying epoxy grout. All these features cause the epoxy grout to be a bit costlier than cement grout.
While reinforcing your bathroom walls and floors, do not forget about looking for shower curtain liners or a shower valve.
Grouting Shower Floors and Walls
You need to understand that a bad grout can make your whole bathroom area look dull and imperfect so you need to be extra careful while applying grout in between the tiles. The steps to grout shower floor and wall are:
- Vacuum out all dust or debris accumulated in the joints where grout is to be filled. However, keep in mind that you do not scrape it out too fast or too hard. This may cause scratches on the tile’s surface, which may look bad. If you are having a problem doing this, you can use a sharp-edged tool. It may help you in pushing all the muck out from the space in between the tiles.
- Mix the grout with the right amount of water as prescribed on the cover pack. Make sure that the whole of the grout is dissolved and no lumps are formed in the semi-solid mixture. You can do it in a bucket with your hand or a margin trowel. Mix until it looks somewhat like peanut butter. It is advisable not to use any churn or paddle to mix the grout. It may introduce air into it that may weaken the strength of the mix.
- Curve the bucket towards you and take some grout out through your float. Do not take an excessive amount of grout initially as falling off grout may cause stains on your tiles.
- Firstly, apply the grout on the walls and then on the floor. Carefully apply the grout diagonally and put it into the joints. Be careful while doing it to avoid dropping out on the floor. Also, on vertical surfaces, apply the grout in an upward direction.
- Fully compress grout diagonally with pressure wherever is left.
- After you have applied the grout in between the joints, it is time to remove the extra grout with your float. Remove as much as extra grout you can by moving your float against the surface in a serpentine motion. This motion will help you in distributing the grout evenly. Also, let the grout enter wherever required preventing any grout to go waste.
- Once the grout has dried for about 25 to 30 minutes at least, begin cleaning up a surface with a sponge. Keep in mind using a special hydrophilic sponge and not an ordinary one that is used in kitchens. Sweep it diagonally as you had done with a float and take out the extra grout from the tile’s surface. After every pass, rinse that sponge in a bucket full of water and reapply it several times. Make sure that it is not too wet while sweeping.
- After the surface has been cleaned properly, now is the time to smoothen and level the grout lines. Keep running the sponge that you have to gently press by your index finger wherever you felt the surface is uneven and rough. Do not do it too hard as the grout may peel off the joints.
- Do not touch the grout for about half an hour and let it dry completely. Now use a towel to clean the haze off from the surface. If you can arrange a microfiber towel for this purpose, it would yield the best results quickly and effectively.
- It is always advisable not to grout inside the corners. There are chances that the corner in which grout is applied often gets cracked with time. You can use a complimentary color or a neutral color caulk that suits the color of your grout to fill it in the grout.
Tip: Save some amount of grout in case there may arise a need for a touch up in the future. Here is a very informative article on how to grout tiles.
In Brief
Comes in different packages for small-scale and large-scale use, interior and exterior use, grout is made to give your shower a finished look. It helps to bind the tiles together for years once applied with care. The color of the grout depends on the color of your tiles, whether mosaic or cement tiles. They are very much prone to dust and are exposed to water if used in a bathroom. But grout nowadays is immune to damage caused by standing water, mold, and mildew, thanks to its anti-stain and water-resistant features. Available with many user-friendly features, grout is worth using all the available options to bring the best grout for showers today!
Please visit Beyond Shower for the best bathroom fixtures and furniture. We have reviews of a wide range of products from the best outdoor tankless water heaters to the highest quality wax rings for toilet seals.