Any problems with micromax 2??

[AMtek]

Has anyone else had problems with the micromax 2? i used it on a job last week and i got the pebble as the sample card was the closest match to the tile but when it was mixed it was a very dark brown, almost chocolate so i mixed some white in to see if i could get the colour right and although i ended up mixing it 50/50 white and pebble it was much darker and a different shade to both the sample card and the colour on the bag, not only that but the pebble silicone was a completely different colour to both the sample card and the grout! so i sacked the pebble off and went with jasmin which was a closer match to the tiles but not the same colour as the sample card. Next was the smoke, although the colour wasn't far off the sample card colour when the grout started drying back it was very patchy and stayed like that when it was completely dry. I didn't wash down too soon, i mixed it well, left to stand for 15mins, mixed again then used it.

Has anyone else had a problem or suggest what is going wrong and if it is "operator error"?

 

[tubs]

Used white today , mixed then left for 5 minutes then mixed again, looked like light grey but dried white , part from that been ok but never used a colour yet.........all those grouts you used must have been expensive !!

 

[DHTiling]

Mixing grouts together... shame on you ..

 

[AMtek]

Mixing grouts together... shame on you ..

I didn't know there was anything wrong with mixing colours? they were both micromax 2?

I took the pebble back tubs and they changed it for jasmin, said they would show the bal rep and get him to call me but still waiting. The white was left over from the downstairs loo on the same job

 

[DHTiling]

It causes shading issues and then tilers scream to BAL etc that grout is crap... Don't cross mix products..

 

[AMtek]

right, not had that problem but if its not recomended then i won't do it again

 

[DHTiling]

right, not had that problem but if its not recomended then i won't do it again

Sorry to have sounded abrupt but it a pet hate of mine when tilers do it..

 

[AMtek]

When you say shading issues do you mean from using more than one mix of grout and them not being mixed to exactly the right percentage and being slightly different colours or one mix of grout drying patchy?

I've always done it and never had a problem. haha

whenever i have mixed two colours i have measured out with a margin trowel to get the colour i want then mixed the ratio of dry grout in a bucket with a lid and give it a good shake to mix the two and make sure i have enough dry grout to do the whole area with the same bach. But saying that if it isn't good practice then i won't be doing it anymore

 

[DHTiling]

All i can say is if it works for you then hey ho proceed.. but i use a few brands and keep the colours as they are to work to formula .. i have seen a few tilers mix and match and the shading is real bad.

 

[The D]

When I first started tiling we only had white grout for walls and all the floor grout was sand and cement the only reason we started using pre mixed grout was so it did not mater who did the grouting it would be the same and any patching could be matched in with no problems.

 

[charlie1]

I've had similar issues with webber grout today, charcoal has dried slightly patchy! Ragin

 

[kilty55]

havent used the micromax grout but tried the silicone last week and no thank you

same goes for weber grouts and silicone didnt like them, its mapei for me

pci was my favourite but shes gone and left me:nonod:

 

[AMtek]

I'm thinking that i might start using mapei, had a couple fo issues with bal grouts recently and the price of the micromax 2 is ridiculous! only problem is that the only place i can get mapei is B and poo!!

 

[AliGage]

Im a little curious with something you've mentioned on the first page.

You let it stand for 15 minutes?
Micromax is rapid setting. You weren't tempted to add more water were you? Too much water in micromax would cause colouring issues.

 

[STEVO]

Have you no tile giant near you? They stock Mapei.

 

[afright]

Have only used the white its ok to use found it great on floors,yes I know white on floors but thats what the customer wanted.

 

[AMtek]

Im a little curious with something you've mentioned on the first page.

You let it stand for 15 minutes?
Micromax is rapid setting. You weren't tempted to add more water were you? Too much water in micromax would cause colouring issues.

No, never add water to grout or addy to get it back if i can't get it back by knocking it up with the bucket trowel it gets chucked. I say 15 mins but i let it sit while i checked all the joints over again, went to grab grout float and fill wash boy so it may have been less than 15mins. I found the pot life to be pretty good we did 3 of the 4 walls in the bathroom on one mix then a second mix with the smoke for the final wall.

 

[Peter]

Did it dry out the right colour in the end? Used a Botament grey grout lately that mixed up black but dried out as intended medium grey.

 

[AMtek]

the jasmin dried fine, no problem with that but the smoke was still a bit patchy 2 days later, grout cleaner then sealer helped slightly. It wasn't bad to be honest, customer was fine with it and 99% of people wouldn't notice but i would.

 

[jlktiling]

Imo the grout swatch cards are a poor representation of actual colours, but at least they have them so you can give your customer an idea of the colours.

 

[AMtek]

Thats the problem, the pebble was a completely different colour, i'm not talking a different shade of the right colour, i mean totally different

 

[andy8758]

Matching grout colours from a card is as reliable as matching car paint colours. Gives a general representative but never going to be completely accurate. I wish BAL would at least let us buy the proper grout samples (if they are too cost conscious to give them to us for free) - it really helps when speaking to customers during quote building.

 

[prceramics]

used it today ( jasmine ) mixed it up as per instructions and it was really thick think there will be a few teething problems

 

[Ian]

used it today ( jasmine ) mixed it up as per instructions and it was really thick think there will be a few teething problems

What tiles did you grout? I've found that it sets on the tile face far too quickly, washing off was a bit of a mare.

 

[prceramics]

was just some cream ceramic ones done my usual wash off routine witch usually leaves the tiles spotless and there was some grout residue on the tiles after so had to do another wash , mentioned in topps that it mixes up a bit stiff and they said i was the first tiler to say anything negative about it and everybody else loves it