How to Use Epoxy Grout - Pro Tips
With all the attention placed on 5G, self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and smart cities, you may have missed out on another technological breakthrough that’s been available the past few years – epoxy grout.
Unlike cement tile grout, which is made from a cementitious powder mix, epoxy grout is made from epoxy resins and a filler powder. The grout is extremely durable and almost completely stainproof.
Cementitious Grout
Epoxy Grout
Also, unlike regular tile grout, epoxy grout is waterproof. This means no worries about absorbing water when it’s wet. Cement tile can take on water resulting in staining. This water resistant characteristic alone makes epoxy grout the go to choice for pool tile, backsplashes, kitchen countertops, terraces, balconies and glass tile showers.
The aesthetics of epoxy grout also gets high marks. Its signature compact, smooth joints are due to the use of fine grain quartz micro-granules as aggregates, compared to the coarse grain variety commonly used in similar standard products. Besides being smoother and more compact, epoxy grout is UV resistant with zero refraction.
Additionally, the fine grain quartz micro-granules of epoxy grout joints makes for an impeccable stronger joint that isn’t likely to flake, crack or chip. It’s also easy to clean. Cement grout on the other hand is so difficult to keep clean, it’s often referred to as the Achilles’ heel of the tile industry.
Designers and do it yourselfers like epoxy grout because of its extremely large range of colors, which allows this versatile grout to figure into the overall mosaic tile design itself, as well as its fluidity and ease of application.
AquaBlu offers a wide assortment of colored epoxy grout that adds an extra design element to tiling projects. Our Starlike grout Glamour collection has an impressive array of epoxy grout colors such as blue grout, green grout, yellow grout, orange grout, red grout and purple grout. High-performance meets high-fashion in the Starlike grout in this multi-palette collection.
Sound good? Here’s three bonus tips on why you should consider epoxy grout when shopping for tiles for sale:
Grout AND Adhesive: One Two Punch!
Our Litokol Starlike Classic and Glamour grout can be used as both an adhesive and a grout. As such, you can use a single step to install thin glass mosaic tile. In fact this makes for an excellent all-in-one high performance, no vertical slip reactive adhesive for the laying of mosaic tiles indoors as well as outdoors.
Having a grout that’s an adhesive is also a real time saver – for you or the person you’re paying to do the project. Normally, laying down an adhesive and then grouting is a two-step process rather than a single step. Tile adhesive or mortar is used in the first step for laying new tiles. It is basically the “glue” that gets the tiles to stay in place.
The grout phase is normally last after the adhesive has been applied followed up by the placement of tile. Grout fills the space between tiles. This provides a clean, finished look and acts as a preventative measure against mold and bacteria buildup.
Epoxy Grout’s Extras
Besides the excellent color selection, there’s also many additives available that give your grout even more standout personality.
For example, AquaBlu offers glitter epoxy grout with our Starlike Crystal Glass Grout Jewels collection. Glitter grout is very popular right now for floors, countertops and even backsplashes. And no wonder. Glitter grout surrounds glass mosaic tiles with grout lines that are sparkling and shimmering in the light, turning any installation into a glamorous and glistening display.
Another popular additive is metallic tile grout. AquaBlu now offers the Starlike Metallic Grout collection by Litokol, five different shades of metallic epoxy grout (gold, platinum, copper, bronze and rusty) that perfectly complements any mosaic tile with a metallic finish. Metallic colors are often used for matching the fixtures in your home.
Gold grout, for instance, is a great compliment to gold or brass-colored fixtures. Gold is a versatile shade generally used in interiors to create a sense of luxury. This is a particularly good accent color for baths and niches. The variances in gold tones are considerable from glowing yellow golds to warm ambers and rustic antiqued hues. AquaBlu offers a unique 24k gold glass tile called 24k Yellow Gold, and gold grout would undoubtedly be the perfect complement.
There’s even a jaw dropping "Night Vision" additive that can make your grout glow in the dark! This photo-luminescent additive assumes a glowing aspect for a few hours after exposure to natural light during the day. You can fascinate your friends at the pool or patio without substantially modifying the original epoxy grout product color.
Environmentally Responsible
Starlike grout is safe for the environment, safe for installers, and safe for consumers and their pets. That means you can enjoy the strength and reliability of high-quality epoxy grout without worrying about the dangers that many other epoxy grouts present.
In fact, our Starlike EVO is the most environmentally friendly epoxy grout on the market. It’s safe for housing as it has very low VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions. This is important because many products and materials in residential buildings contain VOCs, which may be released over time.
Starlike EVO is also safe for users due to its non-corrosive nature unlike other products commonly sold on the market. All of the EVO products can be transported as regular freight since all are non-hazardous.
This amazing grout is also the only epoxy sealant certified for direct contact with food including meat, dairy, flour processing tables, kitchen worktops, fried food facilities, ovens and bakeries.
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Have a question about epoxy grout? Or maybe there’s something else on your mind. Talk to one of our experts. You can call us at (800) 971-1442 or fill out our contact form. You can visit our website at https://www.aquablumosaics.com/.