I alluded in the floor grouting post that using epoxy grout over cementitious grout is a big investment. But it comes with benefits. Its stain resistance, hardness, and durability make epoxy grout an excellent choice for wet area applications such as kitchen counters, backsplashes, floors, and other heavy-traffic areas.
We used the epoxy grout for the bathroom floor, and I intended to also use it for the walls – at least some of them.
Because the epoxy grout is such an investment, we decided to limit its application to wet areas, i.e. those walls that are most frequently exposed to water, specifically the shower stall and the sink backsplash.
Here are a couple of tips we can share if you decide to use epoxy grout:
Purchase small batches. The risk of running out of time with a small batch is less than with a larger batch. And you can always complete the job in sections.
Or, if you do purchase a large batch like I did, have enough helping hands to get the job done in time (Thank you Rubani and Cathy!). And if you run out of material, you can get an additional small batch to finish the job, just like we did.
Before finishing the job with a final batch, let everything cure for a day or so and go over your job with a fine tooth comb looking for imperfections. Mark them and touch them up with the final batch.
This is more of an issue on vertical applications (wall grouting) than floor grouting. You are working fast and unlike with floor grouting, you don’t always get a good look at the grout lines, which makes small imperfections almost inevitable.
Put protective covers on the floor (we used cardboard) to catch the inevitable dropped blobs of grout. This way you don’t tread them into the tiled floor and you will have less to clean up, which saves you precious time.
Invest in a couple of good rubber floats. These are specified for epoxy grout and assure a speedy installation.
Make sure you familiarize yourself thoroughly with the clean up instructions and have all the clean up equipment ready before you start mixing the components. If you don’t get the clean up done within the specified working time window, you may be left with a permanent haze from the epoxy residue on your tiles.
And with this last step I can conclude the series of blog posts on bathroom remodeling that started with “The risky bathroom”. I hope you enjoyed the read and found some useful information.