Grouting square edge porcelain tiles - Tile Advice

[Niall]

Hi all
I’m laying 600 by 600 square edge porcelain tiles. Because of the square edge should the grout be brought up to the tile level to protect the Edge.

 

[hk940]

Hi all
I’m laying 600 by 600 square edge porcelain tiles. Because of the square edge should the grout be brought up to the tile level to protect the Edge.

How big of a joint are you using? One way I used to grout marble using a 1/16" joint and wanted to keep the joints full was to grout and try to remove as much grout from the surface. Then the grout dry (Not too long or over night) then use a white "Scotch Brite" pad and carefully remove the remaining grout and haze. I would sometime use a floor buffing machine with the those pads if the floor was more than 300 or more square feet.
if your joints are larger than a 1/16" it becomes more of a problem to keep them full, depending on the finish (matte, polished, cleft) if you wait until the joint is firm enough not to wash out, it becomes more difficult to get it off the face.
I have noticed with some of the newer grouts designed to replace unsanded and sanded if you wash too soon it will wash out of the joints, It seems to work better if you let it really set up.
Another thing is if you can't grout the whole floor at once, when you start to grout the rest (if doing on the same day) of the floor, try to dry any extra water that might be on the ungrouted section before grouting.
Just a very little amount of extra water will make the grout become too soft.

 

[Dave]

Simple answer is to try and keep the joint as full as possible, leaving the grout to set up as much as possible before washing off. Not to much pressure on the initial first wash is paramount to keep a fuller joint.