There are a number of factors that contribute to loose or cracked grout in your tiles. A common cause is too much deflection in the substrate, which causes the grout to crack and may even crack the tile if the deflection is too severe. Another cause is when the grout is packed insufficiently into the joint. This usually happens with wall tiles. When there is not enough force used when grouting a wall tile, it is easier to bridge the joint to the back that is not penetrated by the grout. This can especially happen for joints that are narrower than 1/8 inch that use sanded grout. This is usually not recommended by many grout manufacturers since sand grains tend to bridge a narrow joint easily. When this happens, the grout may only provide lesser strength and may only work on the surface.

Moreover, another reason for unpleasant grout is when the grout is packed once cement hydration has started. Keep in mind that cement-based materials have a pot life. If water is poured to the mix once the grout starts to cure, the grout becomes plastic but may not cure sufficiently enough into a hard block. Instead, it will only become weak and crumbly. Grout that is made with excess amounts of water or polymer additives may cause pinholes and weak structure. This happens when liquid that goes into the grout completely evaporates first, except for the liquid that is used up by cement hydration.

Another common grout problem is variation in color. This very commonplace condition is due to improper techniques when doing the grouting procedure. There are a number of reasons why grout color variation happens. One is when unclean or excessive amounts of water are added into the grout mix as well as improper mixing with water or other additives. Adding more water after the first mixing to re-hydrate the mixture; mixing partial bags especially if the colorant is unevenly distributed; improper packing of joint; failure to cool the grout or using a previously-opened grout bag especially if it has already accumulated moisture can also contribute to unevenly colored grout.

Also, wiping the grout too soon and with excess water, which leads to incorrect cleaning of the grout and its haze off the tile, is another reason as well. Other reasons also include leaving the thin-set adhesive fill to show through, as well as plastic spacers in the joints and insufficient cleaning of sponges.

In addition, dirty footwear or tools can cause the grout to stain, especially if it has not yet completely set. It may take a longer time to cure the grout if the floor is cold, although its curing time may be on the bag.

Furthermore, another reason why there is discoloration in the grout is because of the tiles' increasing penetration with surfaces that are heavily textured. These tiles are usually similar to natural stone and may be very appealing. However, its textured surface may sometime require removal of grout haze before the color has set sufficiently with the cement.

Sometimes, the installer may find it difficult to remove the grout out of the more texture spots in the tile without the use of acid or other extra means if s/he waits for the cement to cure further. Smoother tiles, however, can allow him/her to wait longer, which also enables the color to set fully before removing the grout hazing. You may consider using epoxy grouts when using uniform grout with a tile that is heavily textured. The color is not dispersed in water and is also not affected by cleanup in many epoxy grouts.

Now that you know the different reasons that constitute grout problems, you can now know better what to do to avoid these grout issues from happening again.

Tags & Keywords :