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Expert Answers
Why hasn't my grout harden?
QUESTION
My bathroom marble floor has been grouted twice now and has not hardened. I have a water softener. Would that make a difference?ANSWER
ANSWER - If you are using a cementitious grout it should harden. If you used too much water in mixing the grout and/or too much water in cleaning the grout during the installation of the grout you can weaken the grout causing it not to harden.In some cases if the grout dried too fast it may not have been able to fully hydrate, so if you wet the grout again it can then continue to harden.
I have never heard of water softener water affecting grouting.
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We are using Mapei kerapoxy grout in a new DIY finishing ( general contractor did most of the new build) of a tiled shower and bathroom floor. Once we open the 1 gallon container, are we battling the clock, or can we reseal the container for a short time, say a day or two? Thanks!
Kerapoxy is a two part epoxy. Once you open and mix them together you need to use it all and relatively soon. It is possible to mix a portion of the units, but the ratios has to be perfect or it won’t set up. Read the product data sheet for details.
Hello–we have Mapei Ultracolor Plus FA grout installed by a contractor in our shower, bathroom, and backsplash that has dried soft and powdery and gets softer when wet. Is it possible to harden this type of grout using a sealant? If not, does it need to be removed and replaced?
Normally a grout dries soft either because it dried too soon before it fully hydrated. If this is the case, normally if you wet tile grout for 24 hours or so it will harden.
Sometimes the grout won’t get hard because either they used too much water in mixing the grout or too much water cleaning the grout during the installation process. There are clear liquids like liquid glass or other products that manufacturers recommend that can possibly harden the grout. Contact Mapei and ask them what they recommend.