Questions about Grout
A:
Tiles are a very rigid material; they are installed into
properties which are constructed of many flexible materials such as wood. Even
new sub-straights such as concrete screeds in new houses will continue to
shrink for many months after installation whilst the surround house can expand
due to the change in season heat and central or under-floor heating.
The gaps left
between the tiles are vital in stress reliving and of these minor but important
movements, thus preventing the pressures from transferring to the tiles and
cracking them. The gaps between the tiles are filled with a material called
grout.
Specific grouts are available to suit narrow or wide gaps
and wall or floor locations.
Grouts are available in different levels of
flexibility and additional special fluids can be mixed with the grouts upon installation
to further improve their performance. A typical need for a flexible adhesive
and flexible grout would be above under-floor heating to cater for the expansion and
contraction caused by heating up and cooling down the floor.
A:
There are a broad range of colours available. However for
practical reasons it’s traditional to install a white grout on walls and a grey
grout on floors. Grouts are available in a broad range of colours to compliment
your tiles should you wish to choose a colour other than white or grey.
I have
many examples of coloured grouts to show you if you decide to select a coloured
grout.
Silicon (for sealing the periphery of the room or sealing
around bathroom furniture) is also available in different colours to compliment
your tiles and grout selection. Although the traditional white almost always
matches basins and toilets and will always look clean.
Modern grouts and tiling silicon are available with anti
bacterial properties to prevent mould formation and maintain hygiene.
A:
I can fix your problem, however the current grout cannot be
simply patched up, it is effectively removed down to a certain depth and replaced with
new grout. This has to be done carefully using special tools in order not to
damage the surrounding tiles. This is a time consuming job if automated tools
are not used.
It’s very important to note that your grout issue may simply
be reflecting a bigger problem behind your current tiles and grouting. If for
example the last tile installer fixed your tiles in a shower over non-tanked
plasterboard then its very possible that your walls may need replacing. It
would be incorrect of anyone to re-grout on top of a background that has
failed, the new grout will fail again and your original problem will
simply get worse.
I will be able to advise
if you have a bigger potential problem and the remedial solutions required when
I visit your project.
A:
As explained earlier it’s necessary to have a gap between
tiles to cater for flex and expansion. The recommend minimum gap sizes are 2mm
for wall tiles and 3mm for floor tiles. Its normal to have smaller gaps on
walls than the floors, typical gaps on floors are between 3mm and 6mm but
sometimes, depending upon floor tile or to match existing floors the gaps can
be much wider.