After my tile laying extravaganza, grouting and sealing felt like minor tasks — especially since I’d taken the week between Christmas and New Year’s off and had several days to finish them. Yet somehow I really dreaded grouting. My dad called it “the pits,” and even Katie Bower admitted it was the hardest part of tiling for her and Jeremy. The home improvement store guy also hinted it wouldn’t be fun. Couldn’t we just leave it alone?
Of course it had to be done. I’d already postponed the work twice — once when I mixed the grout wrong (I misread “3 cups/1.4 liters” as “3 liters”) and a snowstorm kept us from getting more, and another time when an accident involving a train and an SUV delayed me until too late. In retrospect, those delays were a blessing.
We’d purchased nonsanded Polyblend grout from Home Depot early on because nonsanded grout is recommended for 1/16″ grout lines and won’t scratch marble the way sanded grout can. We bought “bright white” for the shower and “nutmeg” for the floor, though nutmeg leaned redder than we wanted. Over break someone suggested checking a specialty store like The Tile Shop for higher-quality grout with more mildew and mold resistance and a better color range. That tip changed everything.
At The Tile Shop we found a superior color selection and a real color guide that let us hold tiles next to actual grout samples instead of relying on printed labels. We switched to “standard white,” which matched our tile more subtly than Home Depot’s “bright white,” and “mocha,” a browner alternative to the red-tinged nutmeg. It was the same price as the Home Depot product, so it felt like a win. We were relieved we hadn’t already used the first grout choices, which would have made our shower look too stark and the floor too auburn.
With better grout in hand and after letting all tile set for at least two full days, I gathered the supplies — most of them leftovers from my dad’s projects — and prepared to grout. My toolkit included:
- A grout float
- Sponges
- Buckets (one for grout, one for water)
- Paper towels and rags
- Flexible Grout Admixture
- Grout Release
- Marble Sealer
The first step was prepping the surfaces with grout release and marble sealer. The grout release acts like a protective coating, making it easier to clean excess grout from tile faces later. We applied marble sealer to the floor, which also served as the grout sealer later — handy.
Next I mixed the grout. Determined not to repeat my earlier mistake, I followed the instructions carefully. Instead of using plain water, we mixed the powdered grout with Flexible Grout Admixture, which the tile specialists recommended and which helps reduce shrinking, cracking, and discoloration. The mixture should reach a toothpaste-like consistency — creamy but not runny. I mixed in small batches that I could use within about 25 minutes to avoid it drying out.
Many people warned me that mixing by hand would be unpleasant, but using a paint stir stick and some elbow grease it wasn’t terrible. After letting the mix rest for ten minutes and remixing, I got to work with the grout float. The float, which is like a rubber trowel, helps push grout firmly into the joints. I held it nearly flat to pack the grout into the 1/16″ lines, then scraped excess off at a 45-degree angle.
After eight to ten minutes of grouting, I used a lightly dampened sponge to remove remaining grout from tile faces and to smooth the grout lines. Light pressure and clean water are key; too much water can wash out the joints. The pre-applied grout release probably helped the cleanup go smoothly. I refreshed the sponge and the bucket water a few times as needed.
Grouting the shower was a bit tiring and repetitive, and I stopped to mix fresh batches a couple of times — in total I used about 3 lbs of a 5 lb container for the tub/shower surround. When the shower was done, it looked transformed: the grout filled the dark gaps and returned the focus to the tiles themselves rather than the lines between them.
Grouting the floor went faster. Darker colors require more powder and attention to color consistency, but the larger tiles and fewer joints meant I used only about 1.5 lbs of grout. Once the sponge work was complete, a thin haze from grout residue remained — a common issue.
The marble sealer we’d applied beforehand helped reduce haze, but it didn’t remove it entirely. I tried damp sponge passes and then switched to a dry paper towel, which required elbow grease but effectively removed the remaining haze without reaching for stronger chemicals. After repeated wiping both the shower walls and the floor passed a “no-haze” check.
After allowing the grout to cure for 48 hours — we actually waited 72 because of a minor water mishap when a sink valve accidentally got turned on — I sealed the grout. Sealing was straightforward: I applied several coats of sealer to the floor and used SurfaceGard on the tub/shower surround to protect against mildew and staining. Sealing slightly darkened the grout, which helped the mocha blend even better with the tiles.
Once sealed, the room felt nearly ready for use — we just needed to install fixtures and caulk a few edges. Grouting wasn’t as painful as I feared; careful prep, the right products, and patience made it manageable. The results were worth the effort: clean lines, properly filled joints, and a shower that finally looked finished.
Psst — Want to read the earlier chapters of the bathroom makeover? Check out Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, a little teaser post, and Chapter Four on our blog.