Grouting floor or wall tiles

A woman is spreading grout on a freshly laid tiled wall with a grout board. — Be careful and make sure bubbles don’t form in the grout, especially when you’re grouting wall tiles.

Introduction

You wouldn’t believe how many mistakes you can make when grouting tiles. Above all, the right material and the right technique can decide whether your grout will be a source of pride for a long time to come or whether you’ll have to replace it after just a few years. We think it’s better to do it right once rather than wrong over and over again. That’s why we’ll show you what to look out for and how to grout your new tiles in our guide.

It should go without saying that your safety is paramount at every stage of the project. Make sure you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. You can find everything you need to know about the protective clothing required for each type of task in our guide.

You need

Tools

Cordless combi drill with the impact function switched off

Utilities

Grout board
Tile washing set
Grout mixer
Large bucket
Tile trowel

Materials

Grout

L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Let's go - step by step

Step 1 3

Mixing the grout

A woman is mixing fresh grout for a tiled wall with a cordless drill and a grout mixer.

You need: Cordless combi drill with the impact function switched off, Grout mixer, Large bucket, Grout

Have you decided to re-grout your bathroom wall? And you’ve already put up the tiles? Then it’s time to finish your DIY project and grout them.

You must make absolutely certain that the grout matches the tiles and, above all, is suitable for where you’re going to use it. Patio tiles have a completely different composition to bathroom or kitchen tiles. This also has an impact on the grout. Plus, the method you use to grout your tiles will differ depending on what they’re made of. Porcelain stoneware tiles will require a different process to mosaic tiles or cement tiles, for instance.

You can find all the information you need as to what the right grout is for your tiles and where it is suitable for use on the packaging. It will also tell you how to mix the compound. A cordless combi drill with grout mixer will definitely help you with this. But please make sure you switch off the impact function before you get started. This will make it easier to work and ensure that the water and powder mix evenly. Right, let’s get started!

Before you start grouting, you need to thoroughly clean the tiles, paying particular attention to the gaps between them. Then, mix the grout until it thickens.

Step 2 3

Applying the grout

A woman is applying grout to a grout board with a trowel.

You need: Grout board, Tile trowel, Grout

Use the trowel to take some of the grout out of the bucket and put it on your grout board. Then, apply the grout to the wall using diagonal movements. This will make sure you don’t create any cavities. Make sure not to leave any gaps unfilled between the tiles when spreading the grout. By the way, the space between your tiles should be at least two millimetres wide. There are also standardised tile spacers you can use to make sure they’re the right distance apart.

Step 3 3

Leaving the new grout to dry and cleaning it

A tiled wall with fresh grout is being cleaned with a tile wash float and water.

You need: Tile washing set

Once the grout is evenly distributed between your tiles, you need to leave it to dry properly (image 1). You can tell if it is dry enough by the fact that the grout becomes matt. This can take up to 24 hours, depending on the manufacturer. Then take your tile washing kit and clean the tiles with water. Make sure you move the float in rhythmic, circular movements (image 2). Once you’re finished, your new tiled wall is all done!

Tip: As a final touch, polish the tiles with newspaper rather than a cloth. This will stop fibres being left in the fresh grout.