Mapei ultracolor plus love it or hate. - Tile Advice

[afright]

Me for one have decided that I hate the stuff,did a 12m2 WC in metro tiles what a nightmare it was using this grout no sooner you put it on the wall the stuff sets straight away I know yesterday was hot which did not help,I mixed it as they say and even wet the tiles but still it was hard going, so now have decided that I'm done with this stuff and will now only use BAL in future for ceramic's.

 

[Ian]

Not a fan myself, have been using it this morning and it just sets too fast. It makes me rush and that's not how I like to work. Really struggling to find coloured grouts that I like using at the moment, even grout 3000 is setting too fast in this weather, I had a mix go rock solid in the bucket after 20 mins on Friday. Very frustrating.

 

[afright]

I don't mind using it on porcelain but will steer clear using it on ceramics,I think you can not beat BAL grout for ceramic's it just made the day really hard in future if the customer wants me to use it then my price will go up.

 

[Ian]

If you think ucp is hard to use, try the new micromax 2!

 

[DHTiling]

There is always Weber

 

[nybor62]

ardex sf best for me,

 

[afright]

I have used micromax 2 think its far better than ucp ,do use weber adhesive never tried there grout always stuck with BAL for years,do like ardex its just that a few customers seemed to go to tile giant and come away with Mapei grout the job in question was having Bal white grout which I was supplying until she shopped at tile giant then came back with coloured grout.

 

[Del W]

Done 14sqm metro tiles in ucp a while ago with no problems, must be the temperature.

 

[StephenR]

Ultracolour is very very sensitive to the water content. If mixed exactly as directed, and I weigh the water and grout on kitchen scales, then even if slightly under on the water, the mix will be stiff and it will go off mega fast. A touch more water, and I mean just a tiny bit, sometimes only a sprinkle of what sticks to your hand when dipped in water, can be enough to get it a touch more wet and then the set time changes by quite a bit.

However this may all be relative. I can only use a mix with 0.3 to 0.4 litres of water so 1.5 to 2kg of grout in one go. I set the timer for 20 mins and I had better have used it by that time as it's time to sponge off. If cool, then maybe 25 to 30 mins. If it's on the stiff side, then that time drops to 10 mins. That's the kind of difference a few splashes of water makes. Also a mechanical mixer is a must and makes the set time longer.

But too wet, and it sticks like the proverbial and makes sponging off a complete nightmare.

I haven't used any other type of grout in years and I've had the nightmare set times mentioned in the past. The above is how I got round it.

cheers,

Stephen

 

[afright]

To much like being a chemist rather just use less complecated grouts.

 

[Rookery]

I prefer UCP. I think that its just a case of getting used to how it mixes & the setting time. I used to use BAL but I prefer the finish of UCP. Except the white, in which case I use BAL Microflex which is good. Not tried the Micromax 2 yet.

 

[Ian]

Ultracolour is very very sensitive to the water content. If mixed exactly as directed, and I weigh the water and grout on kitchen scales, then even if slightly under on the water, the mix will be stiff and it will go off mega fast. A touch more water, and I mean just a tiny bit, sometimes only a sprinkle of what sticks to your hand when dipped in water, can be enough to get it a touch more wet and then the set time changes by quite a bit.

However this may all be relative. I can only use a mix with 0.3 to 0.4 litres of water so 1.5 to 2kg of grout in one go. I set the timer for 20 mins and I had better have used it by that time as it's time to sponge off. If cool, then maybe 25 to 30 mins. If it's on the stiff side, then that time drops to 10 mins. That's the kind of difference a few splashes of water makes. Also a mechanical mixer is a must and makes the set time longer.

But too wet, and it sticks like the proverbial and makes sponging off a complete nightmare.

I haven't used any other type of grout in years and I've had the nightmare set times mentioned in the past. The above is how I got round it.

cheers,

Stephen

Mixing in small amounts is not recommended as far as I'm aware, Mapei advise to mix the entire 5kg with 1litre of water.

 

[StephenR]

Mixing in small amounts is not recommended as far as I'm aware, Mapei advise to mix the entire 5kg with 1litre of water.

I agree. The amount I'm talking is in the region of 1% and I bet the scales aren't that accurate so the mix is what Mapei suggest is correct. The ratios I'm using are the same as 5kg for 1l and both measured on scales. The darker colours don't seem to need the extra while white and the lighter colours seem to. Also, a mechanical mixer works better than anything I've attempted by hand.

cheers,

Stephen

 

[wayne]

Try using Nicobond flexible grout plus. Like ucp but slower setting and really easy to work with.

 

[Mark@Tilemaster]

Hi Brian, I hope your well pal. Just noticed your comment on Grout 3000, 20 minutes is far too quick, the idea is a minimum of 30 minutes pot life. What colour was it please that you were using and if you have any left over a batch number would be ideal?

It is always difficult in these conditions are you fixers know but please son't stop using the product, let the manufacturers know of these issues, its our job to put this right!