In this issue:

• New technology in cement grout
• 1/2 x 1/2 inch square notch trowel

Cement grout ain't what it used to be

For years, the most common question asked with grout was "sanded or non?"

Further, grout has always been sort of a necessary evil with homeowners. It gets dirty and when it's cleaned it turns to some sort of dingy version of the original color.

New Grout Technology

But there's new technology in cement grout and the industry calls this new category 'high-performance cement grout'. They typically share some of the following characteristics:

• denser, so enhanced stain-resistance
• rapid setting
• better color consistency
• low, or no, silica
• no efflorescence
• Usually, advertise something like 'no sealer required'.

Additionally, these high-performance grouts can be used for grout joints from 1/16th-1/2 inch. So, there's usually no need for separate sanded and unsanded versions.

This means retailers only have to carry one grout whereas they used to have to stock two.

Examples of high-performance cement grout

Examples of these products are:

• Ardex FL and FG-C
• Custom Building Products Prism
• Laticrete Permacolor and Permacolor Select
• Mapei Ultracolor Plus MAX and Ultracolor Plus FA
• Plus others

Not necessarily easier for DIY

The reason they are rapid setting isn't to speed up the installation process- despite what may be advertised.

They set up quickly because that's how they control the color consistency. These grouts don't blot and shade as badly as the older grouts.

To get more even coloring, the manufacturers need to make them set up quickly.

But the trade-off is rapid-setting grout. This isn't an easier installation experience for a DIY'er.

Polyblend at Home Depot

Home Depot is still a retailer that carries the Polyblend line of grout (now called Polyblend Plus). This is basically the same as the older types of grout and still comes sanded or unsanded.

The Polyblend grout claims to have improvements such as enhanced stain resistance and color consistency. However, I don't have enough experience with the newer stuff to know how much improvement it has.

I should point out that the new Polyblend Plus sanded grout claims to meet ANSI 118.7 which is the same, more stringent, standard that the high-performance grouts need to meet.

Whereas the non-sanded version meets the old 118.6 standard.

Keracolor at Lowes

I believe Lowes still carries Mapei Keracolor S and U (sanded and unsanded, respectively). Both of these are an example of the older grout technology and both meet ANSI 118.6.

Bottom line

The more modern high-performance cement grouts are better than the grout choices of old but this does come with the trade-off of being a bit more difficult to install.

Also, I'd be cautious of believing everything you read on the labels. For example, 'no sealing required' doesn't necessarily mean it wouldn't benefit from a grout sealer.

Finally, if you're not up for installing the new rapid-setting grout there are still retailers that carry both sanded and non-sanded.

New at DIYTileGuy

​1/2 x 1/2 inch Square Notch Trowel: The Worst Trowel for Large Format Tile?​

I've talked about this in a previous email, but the big 1/2 inch square notch trowel that everyone uses for large format tile likely won't be recommended for use by the tile industry any longer.

Because the notches are so big and square, you have to move the tile back and forth about 1/4 inch, or more to collapse the mortar ridges. With 1/16 inch grout joints, that's impossible sometimes.

Use a 1/4 x 1/2 inch square, or U, notch trowel instead. It still puts down a similar amount of mortar but with skinnier notches the ridges collapse easier.

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