Expert Answers in Grout

ANSWER - From your photo the bottom edge of the wall tile where it is adjacent to the transition joint from the wall to the floor has efflorescence staining.  That suggests water is traveling from…

ANSWER - Unsanded cementitious grout should only be used in grout joint widths of 1/8 inch or smaller.  If you use it in wider grout joints it will tend to crack. Sanded grout should be…

ANSWER - The Natural Stone Institute (previously the Marble Institute of America) Dimensional Design manual state that the grout joint on a stone should never be less than 1/16"  wide and preferably 1/8" wide.  To…

ANSWER - Grout joints in a 12x24 inch tile should be at least 1/8" wide otherwise the grout can't fill the joint as it should.  If the grout joint is 1/16" or less then chances…

ANSWER - First of all what happen to the the 3rd wall in the shower?  I will assume it has a different substrate or you aren't tiling it. Not sure why you are using Schluter…

Answer: First of all, all of the transition joints in the shower both horizontal and vertical should not have been grouted with a cementitious grout.  They should have been filled with an ASTM C920 resilient sealant…

ANSWER - It sounds as though your tile installation has failed and is debonding.  It is likely due to compounding deficiencies in how it was installed.  The substrate may have not been properly prepared.  The…

ANSWER -  If water squirts out of the removed grout joint 2 feet in the air, then that is an indication that the water is under pressure.  I assume that the water squirting in the…

ANSWER -  Hollow sounds  on a ceramic tile isn't a defect in itself, but it can be a symptom of a defect depending on the circumstances.   If portions of a tile is hollow sounding or…

ANSWER - You didn't mention what kind of tile you had.  Natural stone of various types are known to contain ferrous oxide that can lead to staining in the tile or the adjacent grout. Since…