OK, I got the tiles (25mm x 40mm) with 5mm gap up on the kitchen wall above the work surface.
Next stage is to do the grouting.
Do I need special tool for that or can I just make up grout mix and poke it into gaps with my finger and smooth off with, say, a pencil? With such large tiles , it doesn't seem to be need for a grout float?
Do I fill the horizontals first or the verticals? Or does it not make no difference?
I am minded to fill internal corner joints with silicone instead of grout. Is that the recommended way?
Also, fill the joint between work surface and bottom row of tiles with silicone bead? Is that good/bad?
Use a rubber edged grout spreader. Theyre only =A31 or 2. Slop the grout onto the tiles and run the spreader all voer to get the grout into the gaps. Go over it repeatedly to push it in well. Wipe grout off the surface by moving the spreader at 45 degs to the gaps, this leaves nice concave grout.
theres no distinguishing, just slop it over everything.
You'll have sore fingers if you do. That stuff is very abrasive. Use a paint scraper or a credit card to apply it and a finger shaped implement of your choice to smooth it.
No difference
Silicone if it's going to get wet, but not otherwise IMO. I don't like it because, unless it's perfectly done, it tends to picks up grime in every little imperfection (of which there are a few when I do it :-)).
Yep - you can get a fairly rapid rate of fill that way. And a decent (but not expensive) rubber "float" can take 95% of the excess off the surface making cleanup easier (see below).
That's how I did it - do a m2 at a time or so and keep an eye that it is going well (ie no missing bits).
Then after 1-2m2 depending on your speed and the grout type (I'm basing this off mix it yourself Mapei Keracolor) it will be firm enough, but not too hard to sponge off.
Now take a bucket of fresh water and a nice big cuboid tiler's sponge, wipe gently with a slightly wet but not dripping sponge *on the flat* (ie not at an angle) and using several passes and rinses leave the tile face clean ish (no lumps, but haze is fine). Depending how long you do this or how wide your joints are, you can control how much you recess the grout line.
Leave the haze - it dry polishes off later.
Note - this is for regular grout - epoxy would be a different kettle of fish (I expect).
For walls that are solidly coupled (ie brick wall to brick wall), I grouted mine - but I did add some additive to my grout that imparts slight flexible properties (Mapei Fugolastic).
That was for a shower/bath so actually much less critical for you - use grout as you go.
But if the walls were stud-walls (any covering) or wall to wood/metal/plastic I would use silicone as stuff just moves more readily.
I also siliconed my wall-floor joint.
Silicone is good. Grout will usually crack here and it is the one place you will have occasional standing water.
The trick is to engineer a decent gap (3-4mm or so wide) and clear it of grout so you can pump in a decent bead of silicon right in to the depth of the tiles. Applying a quadrant of silicon across the surface of the tiles and worktop is pretty much guaranteed to fail in short order.
Epoxy is much the same: use a stiff heavy-duty grout-spreader, epoxy is harder to spread and you probably want to work a smaller area at a time. To clean off use a scotch-brite type scouring-pad and water in addition to the sponge.
Yes. However they're simple and cheap. You need a soft bladed squeegee, probably a specific grouting squeegee, to get something stiffer than a window cleaner. They you need a natural rubber tiler's sponge (both from Axminster) which works better than a cheap PU sponge. If it's epoxy grout, take it off the tile surface when still soft with a pack of kitchen plastic mesh NON-ABRASIVE scouring pads (don't use 3M or Webrax abrasive ones). Also wash these in use (dunk in a bucket and squeeze) and discard these as they fill with hard grout, otherwise they scratch your grout surface.
The rest is easy and quite fun. Mostly work diagonally or crossways in detail, as working along the gap tends to pull it out.
For the cost of a rubber faced grout float (i.e. under a fiver), I would get one anyway since its so much faster.
Makes no real difference. If you really want the sculpted finger look, wickes will do you a rubber finger that does not wear out and bleed all over the grout!
Yup, saves them cracking later.
yup silicone again - anywhere you may get movement.
What consistency should the grout be ? In the future I will go for fairly thick (whipped cream or thicker), not sloppy, since it then firms up much more quickly in the gaps, ensuring that you don't wipe out too much when sponging, and it is spongeable before the grout film you get sets too much on the tile surface. Simon.
Anyone know of a good video of a professional grouting, with good lighting and close ups so you can really see the exact technique and consistency of the grout, how much he sponges off, how much grout left on the file surface etc ? Simon.
Probably a little less stiff than you want - as, at least with the Mapei, it firms up a notch during the first 5 minutes after mixing. seems to hold there for another 15 minutes at most (in the pot) and then rapidly becomes unworkable (though even at 30 minutes you can still use some for patching small missed bits.
YMMV, probably hugely with manufacturer and type. As I found zero problems blending in (ie working new grout to grout I did yesterday - with white grout there isn't much to go wrong) it's probbaly best just to experiment in a less obvious location - once you've found the right mix and style of application it speeds up...
You could start the way I did - mix using kitchen scales exactly to the instructions - at least you know you'll be in the right ballpark, as the manufacturer intended. It's very sensitive to ratios.
I found a wooden spoon and a stainless kitchen bowl (large one) ideal for mixing the small quantities I needed on each batch.
The fine surface film wasn't a problem IME - a dry polish with kitchen roll after an hour or three sorts that out. If you are doing coloured tiles with a bevel edge as I did, a dry kitchen roll at this stage is just rough enough to smooth the grout off to a nice cut line finish without damaging the bulk - a fingernail just to clean up any reticent bits can also work.
If you leave that 24 hours, it becomes *much* harder.
Have the sealant ready too - stick that on as soon as permitted (the spray ones at least can be applied whilst the grout is still damp after the polishing. At least before it sees any real world abuse.
No - but a rummage on Youtube might find some good snippets. I found a few that weren't high quality photographically, but the bloke did seem to know what he was doing and just watching how he applied the grout and how fast was quite revealing.
With normal grout I skip the sponge stage altogether. However much you leave on the face of the tile, it comes off easily with a coarse rag. Just more dust, that's all
But be sure to clean it off before the epoxy cures completely. Once it's properly cured it's really hard work to clean off. It might be easier if grout resist is applied before grouting, but I've never tried that.
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