Grouting quality - advice needed

[Dave]

Your worrying too much. Its a simple fix. Yes the air bubble holes won’t really cause harm , it’s more an aesthetic look.

 

[Badger2021]

Your worrying too much. Its a simple fix. Yes the air bubble holes won’t really cause harm , it’s more an aesthetic look.

oh, really? if that's the case, I can live with it the way it is... I thought that people were saying that it will make grout prone to water damage and reduce its lifespan?

yeah, I do worry cos it's an awkward conversation and I am not sure that trying to fix it won't make things worse. If someone is content to leave grout looking like this, I'm not sure that they will be able to fix it to a good standard.

 

[Dave]

oh, really? if that's the case, I can live with it the way it is... I thought that people were saying that it will make grout prone to water damage and reduce its lifespan?

yeah, I do worry cos it's an awkward conversation and I am not sure that trying to fix it won't make things worse. If someone is content to leave grout looking like this, I'm not sure that they will be able to fix it to a good standard.

If the grout is hard then wetting won’t hurt it, personally I would be asking for it to be corrected as that’s what you paid for.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[Badger2021]

If the grout is hard then wetting won’t hurt it, personally I would be asking for it to be corrected as that’s what you paid for.
Let us know how you get on.

Thanks, will do. The grout is hard but not as hard as it can be. I did a small sample to pick the colour and it is set much harder on that (and no bubbles). Will speak to the guy and see what he says...either way I need to make him aware in case there are issues further down the line. Thanks for your help.

 

[Marak Moore]

I think you are missing the point a little bit. Its a simple fix for a tiler,if you are grouting quickly (for whatever reason) there may be some pinholes, usually seen up the later/next day (after the airbubbles burst) and filled. Its part of the job, you have every right and expectation that this be done correctly. If this tiler is worth his salt, he should have no complaints about finishing the work.

 

[Kevbos]

I'm looking for some expert advice and hopefully some reassurance....

I've just had a complete bathroom renovation finished by a tradesman who specialises in bathrooms. In general, I am really pleased with the outcome and the contractor has been a pleasure to deal throughout the project. I have, however, some worries about the quality of his grouting and I want to be sure they are valid before I bring it up with him.

The wall grout has a lot of pinholes (photos attached) all over, including the shower enclosure and the area directly above the wash basin (less of an issue but still). I am not that bothered about how they look, but I do worry about the water ingress. To top it off, the tiles have been laid directly onto a gypsum board (not the waterproof kind) and the walls have no tanking on them. When I queried it, the contractor told me that it's because it's a bath shower so there is no point in installing tanking as full waterproof-ness cannot be achieved around the tub - since then I've read that tanking any type of shower has been mandatory since 2018 (is that correct?). These two things coupled together (no tanking membrane and holes in the grout) do worry me, it was an expensive project, which also caused a massive upheaval, and I don't want to have to revisit it in a few years time. Are my worries groundless? Any expert advice would be appreciated? Thank you.

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Can I ask if the tiles are mosaics ? And really I'd be more worried about the grout that is round what looks like a bath edge ?? And no Silicon ?? You may get small amount of water through pin pricks in grout !that can be easily fixed , but grout against any bath or shower tray with no Silicon is more of a worry

 

[Badger2021]

Can I ask if the tiles are mosaics ? And really I'd be more worried about the grout that is round what looks like a bath edge ?? And no Silicon ?? You may get small amount of water through pin pricks in grout !that can be easily fixed , but grout against any bath or shower tray with no Silicon is more of a worry

Hi, they are oversized metro tiles, not mosaics. There is a bead of Silicon around the bath - I think the picture you mean is a bit of a windowframe...I've spoken to the tiler and he will return to fix it so all good, thank you for your suggestions.

 

[Badger2021]

I think you are missing the point a little bit. Its a simple fix for a tiler,if you are grouting quickly (for whatever reason) there may be some pinholes, usually seen up the later/next day (after the airbubbles burst) and filled. Its part of the job, you have every right and expectation that this be done correctly. If this tiler is worth his salt, he should have no complaints about finishing the work.

thanks, I have asked the tiler to fix this and he agreed to come back this week at some point. I was overthinking it probably based on my previous (bad) experience...

 

[Badger2021]

UPATE: Hi guys, so the contractor came in to fix the issue this week. I marked up on the holes and he did imply that I was being crazy about some of the smaller ones as apparently if you inspect anyone's grout up close you will see those. I disagree as there are even areas in his own grouting that do not contain any or hardly pinholes. The shower area was riddled with them.

Anyway, he did not rake any of the existing grout out at all, instead he told me that the best way is to put wetter mix (wasn't this issue caused by too much water in the first place) onto the existing grout lines - I had alarm bells ringing about putting grout onto grout but when I queried it he assured that that it will be fine.

This was done on Wednesday, today I used the shower for the first time and some of those lines are running...fed up is an understatement. Any suggestions on what would be the best solution in this case. Shall I give it more time to cure or is it beyond hope?

 

[Dave]

Over wetting the grout weakens the strength/hardness of the grout. There is a reason there is a mixing ratio on the back of the bag. If over watered it won’t fully hydrate/set.
It needs raking out and doing properly.