More happy dances were in order this past weekend after I finished grouting the pink wall tiles in my master bathroom. Yes, things are really starting to take shape in there — getting ever closer to a finished bathroom. Pam asked me to do an impromptu video to show how my bathroom is looking with freshly grouted walls — so if you have about four minutes to spare — why not listen to me geek out about wall grout. You can even play a fun game and count how many times I say, “exciting.”
I had such a good experience with the SpectraLock expoxy grout that I used to grout my bathroom floors, that decided to use it for all the walls as well. This time I chose the “bright white” color.
Grouting vertical tile joints is much more difficult than working on a horizontal surface. Your biggest foe will be gravity. Since my floor was finished, I covered it with protective paper and taped it down to ensure no grout from the walls got on the finished floor. Even if you do your walls first and floor second, it is still a good idea to put down paper or tarps to catch all the grout that falls off the float when grouting. Once this epoxy grout dries on a surface, it is difficult to remove.
The instructions on the SpectraLock container say that use with narrow or vertical joints can leave out up to 10% of the color mixture to make the grout easier to apply. I forgot this when mixing up the first batch, and it was extremely difficult to get into the tile joints. For subsequent batches, I left out about 8-10% of the part C colorant, which helped immensely.
Starting on the inside of the shower and working my way around the room took me about three solid days, spread over two weekends. If I thought grouting the floor was a workout, grouting the walls was like total body bootcamp. It took a lot of strength to force the grout into all of those small 1/16 vertical joints — from the tippy top of the shower down to the floor. Let’s just say, my arms feel sore just thinking about it.
In the end, the walls look amazing. Up next is the last step to finish off the tile — caulk. The inside corners of all the walls, joints where the floor and wall meet, and the top edge of the bullnose tile are all in need of some caulking. It is important to caulk the corners instead of grouting them because caulk allows for slight movement in these areas. Grout applied to corners will likely crack over time.
Also on deck, the electrician is coming to hook up the lights and fan and I’ve chosen a paint color. Then there’s that little job of building the vanity. Eeek…
Stay tuned.
Hello Pam,
I did see the email from from marketing when I got home from work today. I’m going to take pictures in the morning when I have the best lighting and foward. I did speak to some one in customer service from Merola Tile website but he wasn’t very helpful. Although he was the only one left in the office at the time so I will also try back on Monday. Keep you posted on with both marketing and customer service. Hope we can resolve this issue. Eventually would love to send you photos of our work we put in to restore our 1958 home. Thank you for your help and contacting Merola as well.
Hello Pam,
Finally able to provide an update. Sorry for the delay. Elizabeth at Merola Tile was very helpful and responsive. I sent her photos. Turned out to be grout hazing. Phew!!! I purchased the hazing cleaner on amazon. Took longer to arrive then expected and then we had our 2 years old birthday party. But this weekend we finally got a chance to put in some work. With great results!!!!! It’s gone from nearly all the tile. There is a very tiny amount left in the worst pieces but unless you knew where to look it would not be noticed. This was a huge relief not to be an issue with the tile. I would like to thank you as well for your assistance in contacting Merola tile also. Hope to get started in our other bathroom soon and complete the blue bathrooms restorations as well.
Melanie
Well that’s great to hear!
Hi where are the pink tiles from oplease? Thanks. Alex
Hi Alex, Kate used B&W tile. Use the search box to find stories about the company. The company is listed here in my big roundup: https://retrorenovation.com/2019/01/22/12-places-to-find-4-x-4-ceramic-bathroom-tile-in-vintage-colors/