How to Grout Floors Like a Pro

Even DIY beginners can successfully grout a floor if they tackle the job with care and pay attention to some of the secrets the pros use. The staff at Unique Flooring, a leading flooring store in Oceanside, has a few simple suggestions for grouting your floors like the professionals.

Mixing the Grout
Instead of preparing the grout with water, many professionals use a 100 percent water replacement with a liquid grout additive to provide resistance to water and oil-based grout stains. No further sealing products are needed if you take this step. Prepare and mix the grout in small batches, and make sure the grout mix is not too wet. Ensuring the grout mix is firm will be helpful later on in the cleanup step because it prevents overwashing the floors and creating concaved fillings in the joints.

Applying the Grout
Work in an area of about one square meter at a time. Using a grout float held at a 25-degree angle, push the grout across the grout lines to make sure you’re filling in the joints completely. When holding the grout float at a higher angle, you can also clean the excess grout off your tile floors, which will make cleaning up much easier.

Cleaning Up
After doing a few square meters of work, pause that task to use a bucket of clean water and a sponge to wash down the most recently grouted areas. The sponge should be fully rung out so no water is dripping. Make several passes back and forth, stopping to rinse the sponge frequently. The rest of the film on the floor can be damp-mopped after the grout has set. Keep in mind you don’t want to wash the newly grouted joints too aggressively. Ideally, the joints should remain as full and flat as possible and not become concaved. A concaved grout joint will collect dirt from foot traffic and excess mop water will pool there, contributing to discoloration over time.

For additional DIY flooring tips, contact the flooring and design experts at Unique Flooring in Oceanside. In addition to tile floors, we also carry many other types of high-quality products, including the Berber carpet, COREtec vinyl planks, and Provenza flooring Oceanside homeowners love. For a free quote on flooring and installation services, give us a call today at 760-945-0010.