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txmarti

Does your kitchen floor tile have epoxy grout?

TxMarti
11 years ago

I was going to go with a darker tile so I could use darker grout, but the tile that looks best is very light, almost cream color. I've heard that epoxy grout never gets dirty like regular grout. True or false? I'm not spending the next five years on my hands and knees scrubbing grout with a toothbrush.

Comments (6)

  • bob_cville
    11 years ago

    I have epoxy grout in my kitchen (Laticrete SpectraLOCK PRO) and unfortunately it does get dirty. However the dirt seems to be patina just on the surface, perhaps from slightly dirty mop water drying time after time in the grout joint. However you can use bleach-containing cleaning solutions on epoxy grout, which I'm pretty sure is a no no for normal grout. Also the staining material can penetrate normal grout, and permanently cause a stain (unless it was sealed recently enough) whereas epoxy grout will never need sealing.

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    I saw your other thread and I think tile is a good choice for your circumstances. Despite how people always say "Function, function, function!", you got a lot of "Form" advice on the hardwoods.

    I have light to medium colored tile with a lot of variation, so I don't notice the grout so much--I tend to look at the pattern of the tiles. I have SpectraLOCK marble beige grout. You just have to go with the color that looks best. Too dark and it will stand out. Use a large format tile to cut down on grout lines.

    Epoxy is stain-resistant but not stain-proof. Bob is right that it's the dirty mop water that collects in the grout lines. My installer told me to deep clean the grout with Oxyclean twice a year--spray it on, let it sit a few minutes, and wet vac it off. I mop about once a week and my mop water is not very dirty, so I haven't done a deep clean yet.

  • marcydc
    11 years ago

    I put epoxy in one bathroom (Spectralock) and urethane (StarQuartz Quartzlock 2) in the other.

    Know that epoxy in white or light colors will yellow over time...

    Neither seem to be stained. Both have been there about 2 years. The urethane one is a beige/sand color with a sanded look. The other bathroom has both white with the marble and a dark grey with the limestone.

    Make sure your installer knows how to work with whichever you choose. It's not the same old stuff and haze will happen if they don't do it right. Luckily there is a remover for the Quartzlock haze now.

  • angie_diy
    11 years ago

    I put in SpectraLok as well. I have only been using the kitchen since June 1, so it is a little hard to say how well it will hold up. So far I am quite pleased.

    I have linked my thread wherein I sought GW help to pick the grout color (SpectraLok Latte).

    Here is a link that might be useful: My tile/grout thread

  • remodelfla
    11 years ago

    I have the SpectraLoc in a dark color and can't say for sure if it's not stained due to color or material itself. Either way... maintance is a breeze. I also used a light color grout on my glass backsplash (same brand) and nothing has stained it thus far.

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Interesting. Thank you for responses. I think I'll stick to finding tile in a medium dark color so I can use a darker grout. I wish dh liked the wood looking tile as I'd like to put that throughout the house.

    I think the main problem with our last tile was that it was so light and almost white that the grout really stood out when it was dirty. You can clean it with bleach though. I used Soft Scrub on it all the time.

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