What Happens If Ceramic Grout Lines Are Too Close

One key to success is to remember that grout has a limited working time and can dry before you know it if you grout an area that s too large the grout will set up and become difficult to work with or remove.

What happens if ceramic grout lines are too close.

Use unsanded grout for lines smaller than a inch wide since it will shrink as it dries. Allow the grout to dry completely for 24 hours. I am also assuming that when you say zero joint you been the tiles are butted up to each other and there is no space for grout. I tried to keep as much of the grout up on the tile so excuse the uneven ness of the grout lines.

Since this is what all customer request from the installer most installers and contractors find pride in very close grout lines and they consider it a sign of a high quality job. Because a medium size grout line is easier to work with and in most cases can hide some slight imperfections it is often the choice of both experts and the average diy homeowner. Grouting is the final step of installing ceramic wall tile after the tile adhesive has fully cured. Medium sized grout line widths 1 8 to 1 4 inch require the use of sanded grout and are typically featured when moderate size variation occurs among the tiles or when tiles with lugs are used.

Be sure not to use a lot of water because this could wash the grout back out of the joints before it dries. Well my 17 x17 porcelain bathroom floor tiles are butted so close not even 1 16 spacers will fit for any grout. The close ups show that i should run a box cutter between the tiles to clean the thin set in some areas. None of the thinset from placing them on the floor have come up between the tiles.

Industry standards do not recommend butting tiles together whether they are a stone tile or a ceramic tile. Grouting is not difficult to do well but it is even easier to do poorly. Note the white tiles in the pics i have gone ahead and grouted the best i could today. The tileman asked if i wanted a thick grout line or butted.

Answer answer the joint between two adjacent tiles is referred to as the grout joint which is what i think you are referring to. As far as i ever knew grout lines in a shower should not be overly close together because if they are too narrow they could crack leak more easily. Some even want to install their tiles with no grout at all. I think this might be a bigger problem.

I also can t imagine how maddening it would be to set such small tiles with basically no grout line. How to lay tile without grout lines. It keeps moisture out of the substrate helps keep tile lines straight and. This will give the grout time to set in the joints but not enough time to dry on the tiles.

Wipe up the excess grout from the tiles with a damp sponge after about 10 minutes. Grout is a necessary and integral part of many tile jobs for several reasons.