Split face tile backsplash--question

13 years ago

Well, we are winding down our kitchen remodel--made so much better by all the generous folks on this forum. One final (?) issue has cropped up, however. We had a split face tile backsplash ( 1" x 2" tiles) installed last week, and my builder grouted it over the weekend (while we were away, unfortunately). I was under the impression that the grout should be as minimal as possible--just to fill in the slight spaces where the tiles don't quite meet (for example, at the edge of an individual sheet of tile). I do understand that some grout will get caught up in the 'crags' of the split face, and will remain as part of the 'character' of the backsplash. When I arrived home and saw the finished work, there was so much grout on the face of the tiles, that the color of the tiles themselves was hardly visible. Is this the way it's supposed to look? Is there anything that can be done at this point to remove some of the excess grout?

I tried searching on this forum for split faced brick, but the postings that come up are not even close to what I am asking. Thanks in advance for any/all advice!

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Comments (6)

steff_1
13 years ago
No, that's not the way it's supposed to look. They were supposed to pipe a small amount of grout in with a grout bag similar to pastry and cake decorating. You didn't post pics, but I'm picturing that they must have troweled grout over the whole wall as would be done with a glazed tile.

You should not see any or very little grout. It should look almost dry stacked. My SIL has split face backsplash and they had to come back and add grout to a few places because they used so little.

I don't think you can remove all that grout from the stone now unless they really sealed it before hand. If the grout seems stuck it might have to all be redone.
cat_mom
13 years ago
I don't know what the time frame is for grout haze removal, but it should be done sooner rather than later.

We have a split face tile backsplash over the sink and border (in tub surround) in one bathroom. I helped out our tile installer (his assistant) with some of the excess grout removal. I used a shop towel (we get the big package of white terry towels at HD) to rub off any hazing/excess that could be rubbed off, and a utility knife (just the point of the blade) to scrape out grout in those "crags" and concave areas, and then rubbed or brushed away the grout dust with the towel. I did this on and off over the course of a few days until it looked like I'd gotten most of it or at least as much as I wanted to.
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cat_mom
13 years ago
steff_1 posted while I was typing. I sealed the tile with a couple coats of sealer before installation and then again after I had scraped out the excess grout.
steff_1
13 years ago
It's possible with a split face stone that you could try popping some of the excess grout off with a scraper and see how it looks. Take a utility knife to the grout lines. Since your stone has a rough face it might not ruin it if it gets a little rougher. The grout is probably completely dry by now so it will take a lot more work to get that off than if it had been done the same day like cat mom did.
pharaoh
13 years ago
I used split face stone on an accent wall in the kitchen (not on the backsplash). Did not grout because there was hardly any room and I wanted the dry stacked look.
cat_mom
13 years ago
I worked at it over the course of at least a few days, if not close to a week (XT grout needs 7-10 days to cure/get wet, so I couldn't seal it for at least a week after install anyway).