Black floor tiles and white grout - what do you suggest?

[manwood]

I have bought black porcelain floor tiles and want a contrasted look with white grout. But my guess is the white grout isn't going to stay clean for very long once in use and the eventual effect will not look good.

What do you guys suggest to keep the grout on the floor looking white for as long as possible?

If I then need to clean or bleach it at some point in the future, is there anything I can be doing now during installation that might make that process easier or more effective?

I'm not a pro

Appreciate any advice.

 

[Andy Allen]

you can get grout sealers, some ive seen come i a can that you spray on the grout, i havnt used them , but im sure someone on here has, a will be able to let you know what there like...

 

[John Benton]

Welcome Manwood.

What size tiles are you using? What room are they going in?

 

[manwood]

Hi John, and thanks

Bathroom, utility and kitchen - the bathroom floor will often be wet, and the kitchen floor dirty (at least the area near the back door). The tiles are 600mm by 300mm.

 

[John Benton]

We had a thread like this one earlier in the week, and my personal taste, and looking at responses, favour a darker grout i.e. black or anthracite. Putting a white grout to a black tile, you are going from one end of the spectrum to the other, and your eye will be drawn to the white line as oppose to the tile. If you were to use a light grout I would go for a pale or silver grey. In the end it is all down to personal taste. I certainly wouldn't recommend putting white in the kitchen.

As Andy said there are spray sealers available but not used before so can't comment.

 

[TIP TOP]

Hi Manwood,ive done jobs and used a grout sealer spray called sealgaurd and when ive gone back to do another job for the customer 6 months later it has worked and kept its colour:8:

 

[Andy Allen]

forget to welcome you....how rude of me......welcome to the forum..

 

[manwood]

Thanks for all the advice.

John - I think you're right, a silver or pale grey would be a better choice.

 

[manwood]

By the way, can anyone point me to the earlier thread (this week?) where this was discussed? I've had a scan through and can't find it.

Thanks

 

[John Benton]

It was actually about epoxy grout but the colours came into it

http://www.tilersforums.com/tiling-forum/55032-epoxy-grout-wooden-floors.html

 

[Rich]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If you are going to use a contrasting grout like white then be aware that the tiling has to be 100% accurate as any discrepancy will stand out like a sore thumb.

I would go for an epoxy grout myself but if you go for a standard cement based grout then some of the grout sealers on the market are very effective but will need to be reapplied in the future. Have a look at our sponsor LTP for their range of cleaning and sealing products.

 

[BeeTiling]

Welcome to the Forum

As mentioned white maybe to shocking to the eye and will take the focus away from the tiles you have spent the most money on its worth while taking a look at a Manhattan 2000 (110 Mapei) or Silver Grey (111 Mapei) these will just take the focus down on the grout lines and bring more focus to the tile, But its your home so its all about your choice and what you want to live with, A good grout protector id recommend LTP Grout & Tile protector is a really good one used on jobs before dries clear and does the job easy to apply in a spray can and dries clear if oversprayed.

 

[Gall.B]

Dont be washing your floor with bleach or anything harsh or not PH neutral tho, no good for your sealer or tiles

 

[kendo1]

It should be pointed out that a darker colour of grout will look paler against the black tile, even quite a dark grey will look very contrasting. Is it possible for you to try it out first?