Flexible grout

[SELWOOD]

Hi Everyone
I've just joined and would like some advice. Basically my grout is starting to come out of the gaps between the tiles. The floor is a wooden floor which has a small amount of movement and this is causing the grout to crack and come out of the gaps.
Should I use a mastic grout or is there something better, your advise would be appreciated.

 

[DHTiling]

Is this downstairs or upstairs floor..?...

 

[david campbell]

try bal flexible grout mixed with the admix solution or some similar make

 

[hillhead]

Mapei's grouts are flexi too,but i think a flexi addmix in the right grout would do the job !!

 

[grumpygrouter]

try bal flexible grout mixed with the admix solution or some similar make

BAL do not advise mixing admixes with their flexible grouts David. Better to add the admix to standard grout, it is more flexible than normal flexy grout then.

 

[pete f]

has the floor been overboarded it sounds like it hasnt no matter what grout you put in it will crack

 

[SELWOOD]

The floor is downstairs and it has been overboarded with 2 mm thick plywood sheeting, why is there a problem with overboarding? and is there a mastic that would do the job?

 

[grumpygrouter]

The floor is downstairs and it has been overboarded with 2 mm thick plywood sheeting, why is there a problem with overboarding? and is there a mastic that would do the job?

On the assumption that this is not a misprint, then this is the reason why you have got cracking. Wooden floors are normally overboarded to add strength and therefore remove any deflection in the floor. If you have overlayed the floor which already has movement with 2mm ply you have just added another layer of problems.

Absolute minimum thickens of ply you should have used was 12mm and even then this does not comply with british standards guidance which states 15mm or thicker.

It is unlikely that you will solve your cracking problem by using a more flexible grout. You need to cure the source of the problem which is the movement in the floor first.

 

[Dan]

That's spot on Grump's.

 

[SELWOOD]

Thanks for all the great advice, would it be possible to use some sort of flexible mastic instead of grout

 

[Dan]

You'll probably find the tiles will eventually lift, not matter what grout you use to grout them up with. It is the adhesive under them that's not flexing enough. If you did manage to grout them all with some form of mastic you'd probably find the whole lot would be loose eventually, and you'd find the tiles themselves start to crack as they take the stress of the floor.

Really, the propper way to go about that would be to lift the tiles and re-fix them after making the floor rigid. Then you'd be able to use a good single-part flexible adhesive, or a two-part flexible adhesive, and then a flexible grout to match.

A really rough work around could be to use an epoxy resin to grout with, not cheap but is really really flexible and will not come out like your current grout is. The problem would still exist and your actual tiles could still be lifting, flexing and cracking eventually as a result of the floor deflection. That's the problem, not the grout or the adhesive.

 

[DHTiling]

This is why i asked if it was down stairs or up...

You say down stairs....could this possibly be a floating floor....is the substrate chipboard with no fixings...?..

 

[lb66]

Hi Everyone
I've just joined and would like some advice. Basically my grout is starting to come out of the gaps between the tiles. The floor is a wooden floor which has a small amount of movement and this is causing the grout to crack and come out of the gaps.
Should I use a mastic grout or is there something better, your advise would be appreciated.

Hi you need to use a flexible grout. Mapei Ultracolor Plus is a rapid setting flexible grout suitable for use on wooden floors. I think this will sort out your problem.Did you secure the floorbefore fixing -screwed at 300mm centres?

 

[Pawelzik]

I complete agree with Dan´s advice. The actual construction is too weak. Any cement based grout cannot avoid the upcoming problems as mentioned by Dan. And epoxy grout is not the solution to cover the weak construction problems. 2 possible solutions:
1. Go ahead as per Dan´s advice.
2. Leave it weak as it is an fill the grout with Silicon.:20:

 

[2020Tiling]

On the assumption that this is not a misprint, then this is the reason why you have got cracking. Wooden floors are normally overboarded to add strength and therefore remove any deflection in the floor. If you have overlayed the floor which already has movement with 2mm ply you have just added another layer of problems.

Absolute minimum thickens of ply you should have used was 12mm and even then this does not comply with british standards guidance which states 15mm or thicker.

It is unlikely that you will solve your cracking problem by using a more flexible grout. You need to cure the source of the problem which is the movement in the floor first.

ive a floor with deflection (floor boards) so am i right in thinking over-boarding would cure the deflection ? didn't think that over boarding cures deflection? would of thought that the floor would need to be taken up and made rigid first ?