Grouting of tile joints

At the end of repair work, I want to finish them as soon as possible, but often the speed interferes with quality, especially when it comes to laying tiles. If the tile is already in place, and there are very few - to clean the seams, take your time and do everything as carefully as possible, then the result will definitely please you. Qualitatively made grout can help hide the errors that could occur when stacking. With poor trowelling, all work will go wrong, and the appearance of the tile will be spoiled. So, let's talk about how the grouting of tile joints takes place.

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Start of work

Work should be started after the tile dries.

Important! It is advisable to wait at least a day, or better - a week.

To make this work easy, you should act in the following order:

1. Any items that are near the masonry: appliances, cabinets, plumbing - must be covered with a film to protect against contamination.
2. Choose the grout.
3. Preparing tools and materials.
4. For the seams to be even and beautiful, first clean the tile from debris and crossheads. To do this, you can wrap a knife or screwdriver with a cloth and wipe all joints. Work carefully so as not to chop down fresh tiles.
5. Moisturize the surface with water from a spray gun.
6. Mix the grout with a prescription from the package.
7. Let's get to work.
8. Clean the masonry.

Important! There are comments on the Internet that the separators can not be removed, but they can be grouted with them. But this will affect the quality of the work, since the cross can be seen under the grout layer, and the appearance of the tile will not be perfect.

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Types of construction mixtures for grouting

In general, all materials can be divided into two types according to their composition.

Epoxy resin

These products contain epoxy resins and hardeners, thanks to which joints more tolerably tolerate various effects, including chemical ones.

For home use - this is not the most comfortable grouting, because it is expensive enough, it stretches very much, is not suitable for very narrow joints, and it is very specific in application.

Important! Usually, such funds are used in non-residential premises, for example, shopping malls or in production facilities.

Cement

Most often these are dry mixtures that must be diluted with water or other substances. In construction shops, you can find already divorced compounds, but usually their cost is higher than the dry ones.

Important! When working with any of the formulations, use caution and use protective equipment for hands, eyes and respiratory tract.

Depending on the additives included in the mixture, there are three main types of cement grouts:

• dry mix;
• latex mixture;
• industrial cement.

Important! There are also elastomer-based seals, but these compounds are used not for seams, but for filling gaps when laying.

Making a choice

Which brand to choose depends on your wishes, but consider the following recommendations:

1. For a house, it's better to stop the choice on a cement basis.
2. The seams should be darker than the tiles. Thus, you will emphasize the geometry of the forms, and also allow less emphasis on the dirt that inevitably accumulates in the seams over time.
3. Please note that too light grout quickly fades and fades, so to leave a fresh look for longer, choose darker tones.

When the choice of materials is made, you can go and work.

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How to wipe the seams?

In the absence of experience, a beginner should first look at a couple of videos on how to grout the tiles, and get an idea of ​​the sequence of actions. Then you should prepare the tools.

You will need:

1. Protective respirator and goggles, since the work is very dusty.
2. Gloves - better rubber and a few pairs.
3. Roller and spatula rubber or silicone - to apply the composition to the seams.
4. Mixer construction - will qualitatively mix the mixture, as well as save time and effort. If you find the mixer was difficult, you can mix the solution manually, but you have to work hard.
5. The actual grouting - depending on your choice: colored or white, moisture resistant, simple.
6. Mixing container.
7. Water tank.
8. Sponge for washing dishes or a cloth.
9. Water - for surface washing and composition dilution.
10. Sealant - suitable for your tiles and rooms.
11. Trowel.
12. Brush is thin.

Having prepared all the tools and materials, you can start working.

Preparation of dry mortar

Precise instructions for preparation of the product should be indicated on the packaging, be sure to follow the steps to ensure that the grouting of the tile joints is beautifully done. In general, the process can look like this:

1. Pour into the mixing tank water at room temperature, in the specified amount.
2. Pour dry mixture into the water.
3. Mix the composition with a mixer or manually until smooth.
4. Leave the mixture "relax", but no more than 10 minutes.
5. After - once again we mix well and start work.

Sequence of work:

1. Spread a small amount of composition on the masonry with a spatula.
2. Use the trowel and distribute the composition over the surface.
3. Act better at an angle of 30 degrees, indenting movements.
4. Press on the grater or spatula with effort to fill the joints as much as possible.
5. To check the composition at the time of drying, you can try to distribute the grout in a small area and record the time.
6. After the test, you will understand at what intervals you can clean the joints.

We use a trowelling bag

There is one more option, how to grout your own hands. If after laying works it will be difficult to clean the masonry - experts recommend using a trowel.

Principle of work:

1. Insert the nozzle into the joint dimensions inside the bag, fill it with the composition.
2. Next, gently fill all the seams with the composition, placing the nozzle directly into the seam. The work is reminiscent of casting cream on cake by pastry cooks.
3. For the best effect, you should move along the entire length: first horizontally, then vertically, and not according to the shape of the tile.
4. After the first application, it is necessary to check if the joints have settled, if necessary, repeat the procedure.
5. A perfectly stitched seam looks a little concave, so if necessary, trim it with a sponge or a finger.
6. The excess grout should only be removed after it has been seized with a metal sponge.

Important! Stir the mixture continuously to make it homogeneous, and remember that the solution quickly solidifies, so do not make it too much, and as it is used, dilute the mixture additionally.

Let's analyze and one more important question, how to remove superfluous structure from a tile.

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How to remove the grout?

In order to remove all traces, there are several stages. Consider them all.

Stage one: dry cleaning

After completion of work on the seams, you need to remove the entire excess formulation:

• For this you can use the grater.
• Hold the tool at an angle of 90 degrees.
• Then it is necessary to wait about an hour, until the composition hardens a little.

Phase two: wet cleaning:

1. To begin this step, you should check to see if the application has been seized.
2. Take the sponge, soak it, and swipe over the joint.
3. If the composition reaches for the sponge, you need to wait a little longer. If not - you can safely proceed to the second stage.

Procedure:

1. Collect water in the container, take a sponge.
2. Rinse the tile with a sponge, removing the main dirt.
3. Next, more thoroughly clean the tile in circular motions, rinsing the sponge as needed.
4. Always follow the seams when working. They should not have holes.

Important! At the end of the work, you need to adjust the joints. You can do it with a thin stick for manicure. Make sure that all seams are as level and equal as possible.

Stage three: finishing

After leveling, you must finally rinse the tile with water and wait for the composition to dry for about two hours. The final cleaning is best done by protecting the respiratory system, since a large amount of dust is possible during cleaning.

Important! If the sponge does not remove all the dirt, take a carpet brush or a metal dish brush.

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Apply sealant:

• After final cleaning and drying, it is possible to apply sealant. It is necessary that the tile lasts a long time, there are no spots on it, it does not deteriorate due to moisture.
• The choice of sealants in building stores is very large, depending on their purpose. For example, from the appearance of stains, the tile will be protected by a liquid transparent version.
• Sealants come in different bases, but the most common are silicone, lacquer and acrylic. In order to understand which option suits you best - you should consult with a specialist, and inform him about the material from which the tile is made, its features, and also the composition of the grout.
• When sealing only the seams, you can use a thin brush, when covering the entire tile - use a roller.
• Then it is necessary to wait for complete drying. Here everything depends on the composition. There are quick-drying grouts, and there are those that need about a week.

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Solving the problems of

It happens that all work is done, but cracks start to go from the wiped up places. Variants why this happens, a little:

1. When preparing the mixture, there were violations - the amount of added water was more than necessary according to the recipe.
2. It is possible that the seams were not sufficiently moistened before work, and the tile absorbed all the liquid from the composition.
3. On the packaging, manufacturers must specify the width of the seams. If this moment is not taken into account, the cracks will appear.
4. The cause may also be poor leveling of the surface under the tile.

How to fix it?

1. For the white grout, the following method can be used: with a screwdriver, carefully remove the cracked layer and apply a new layer, observing all the rules.
2. For color grouting this option is not suitable, because the seam can change its color. Accordingly - the composition will need to be removed completely. This method is very expensive, so for color variants of grouting, proceed from the very beginning in accordance with the instructions.

You can, of course, leave seams and with cracks. However, with the passage of time you will notice that the cracks become more and more extensive, and repair will still be inevitable.

But if you prepare well and perform all the work well, the result will definitely please you. Successful repair!