Hello! At the completion of my new kitchen tile installation, the grout I had selected (dark taupe in color) appeared very white once it dried. I expressed my concern and the installer called the owner and he came to the project as they were packing up. The owner told me that the grout color (white) was “pretty darn close” to the advertised “oyster grey” color…..(it’s NOT close in color). I then asked about the previous job he did on our bathroom and how the grout looked absolutely great color-wise. He didn’t want to discuss and left for the weekend stating it looked fine to him but was possibly haze.
The next morning, I took some grout from the same bag, mixed it, applied it between two pieces of scrap tiles and achieved what I would consider “expected/optimal” results. I sent my images to him via email over the weekend, because he wasn’t planning to come back, and I wanted to discuss what happened between my sample and what his guys left on my floor.
He came on Monday and wiped it with aqua mix haze remover which did nothing. He wouldn’t acknowledge my results and just read the color disclaimer from the box stating that varying conditions can cause different results, but he thought the grout on the floor was the right shade.
I have a 20+ year career as a chemist, so I know about controlling conditions and variables. My/his grout was mixed and applied approx 18 hours apart in time. Same indoor conditions, temp indoors at 68 degrees…etc. I photographed my sample right on the same spot on the floor as his grout to control for lighting differences.
My questions: what happed during his grout mixing or wiping or curing that altered/lost the pigments? Why did our grout turn out so different? My goal was to match the grout as close as possible to the tile and I painstakingly selected my grout. Gobs of grout were applied and left stuck in the corners (floor/wall/juncture) that are far darker than the white grout in the joints. Haze left on tiles is bright white.
Grout is Prism Brand grout in Oyster Grey color (shouldn’t efflorescence)
Tile is porcelain 12x18x3/8inch
We argued a bit about my disagreeing that the applied grout on the floor turned the correct color…it’s bright white. He told me “it’s pretty impossible to screw up grout, that I’d never be happy, slapped my check from the previous week down on the counter and quit my job.
Please see photos:
grout on floor with brochure stick from prism
My grout between scrap tiles with brochure colors
Overview of my setup
The next morning, I took some grout from the same bag, mixed it, applied it between two pieces of scrap tiles and achieved what I would consider “expected/optimal” results. I sent my images to him via email over the weekend, because he wasn’t planning to come back, and I wanted to discuss what happened between my sample and what his guys left on my floor.
He came on Monday and wiped it with aqua mix haze remover which did nothing. He wouldn’t acknowledge my results and just read the color disclaimer from the box stating that varying conditions can cause different results, but he thought the grout on the floor was the right shade.
I have a 20+ year career as a chemist, so I know about controlling conditions and variables. My/his grout was mixed and applied approx 18 hours apart in time. Same indoor conditions, temp indoors at 68 degrees…etc. I photographed my sample right on the same spot on the floor as his grout to control for lighting differences.
My questions: what happed during his grout mixing or wiping or curing that altered/lost the pigments? Why did our grout turn out so different? My goal was to match the grout as close as possible to the tile and I painstakingly selected my grout. Gobs of grout were applied and left stuck in the corners (floor/wall/juncture) that are far darker than the white grout in the joints. Haze left on tiles is bright white.
Grout is Prism Brand grout in Oyster Grey color (shouldn’t efflorescence)
Tile is porcelain 12x18x3/8inch
We argued a bit about my disagreeing that the applied grout on the floor turned the correct color…it’s bright white. He told me “it’s pretty impossible to screw up grout, that I’d never be happy, slapped my check from the previous week down on the counter and quit my job.
Please see photos:
grout on floor with brochure stick from prism
My grout between scrap tiles with brochure colors
Overview of my setup
