How to properly grind the seams on the tiles on the floor - the choice of grout and the technology of work. What is the fastest way to grind the joints on the tiles: all the subtleties of grouting ceramic tiles

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From this article you will learn how and with what you need to grind the tile.

In this case, we will use a cement-based grout. It also exists on the basis of epoxy resin.

So, we have (or on the walls, there is no difference). We need to erase it. Where to begin?

Preparing tiles before grouting.

Before grouting, first of all, you need to clean the joints from the remnants of glue and wash the laid tiles.

We take a construction knife and clean the remaining glue from the seams.

You need to clean it very carefully, because there is a high probability of chipping off a piece of tile if you sharply hit the corner with a knife.

It is not necessary to go too far into the seam with a knife; it is enough to clean the upper 3-4 mm of the end of the tile.

The next step is a vacuum cleaner. You need to collect all the debris from the seams.

Here's what you should get.

Then you need to thoroughly wash all tiles from dust and glue residues.

Immediately after washing, the places that you missed when cleaning the tiles will clearly appear. There is no escape from this :) It will be necessary to clean it up.

Tile Grout Tool.

We need a rubber spatula, a sponge to wash the grout, a bucket of water (two can be used), a container in which the grout will be kneaded and a spatula (or a small mixer on a screwdriver) to stir it.

We mainly use Mapei Ultracolor Plus for grouting tiles. We love working with her, so we have been using her for many years. But this is just our personal preference, you can use what you like (or whatever you get from the hardware store).

Mixing grout.

You need to pour very little water into the container - 150-200 ml, otherwise you risk mixing as much grout as you simply do not have time to physically work (the finished mixture begins to freeze after 35-40 minutes, and this is not so much, believe me).

The finished grout should be about twice the volume of water used.

Stir until smooth, similar in consistency to thick sour cream. We are waiting for 5-7 minutes, let the powder be saturated with water and mix again. Done.

Tile grout.

Using a rubber spatula, rub the mixture along the seam.

Then remove excess grout with the same spatula.

Along straight seams, remove the grout holding a spatula across the seam, and at the intersections - at an angle of 45 ° to the seams (diagonally). Otherwise, you will choose a lot of unnecessary things.

After the grout starts to dry, you need to wash its remains from the tile.

We wet the washcloth, squeeze it out and wash the tile in a circular motion. You do not need to press on the washcloth or run it along the seams - you, again, will choose a lot of unnecessary things.

Remember that you only have 35-45 minutes from stirring to hardening. It will be much more difficult to clean after an hour (this only applies to Mapei Ultracolor Plus, grout from other manufacturers may have different characteristics).

The water in the bucket gets dirty very quickly, so you have to change it several times in order to get this result.

The finished end result is even and smooth seams. The grout lies just below the plane of the tile (not lower than 1mm).

You don't need to make the seams very deep, it doesn't look very nice.

Having finished laying the tiles in the kitchen, you proceed to the next stage of work. This is grouting ceramic tiles... This stage is very important, and if you know how to grind the seams on the tiles correctly, you can hide some of the installation defects. If the grout is poorly done, it will ruin even the perfect tiling.

Modern technology laying tiles provides for grouting at the final stage of work

Make sure the tile adhesive is completely dry before starting grouting. Tile joints should be thoroughly cleaned of debris and dirt, remove all remaining spacers (crosses). Some manufacturers state that crosses can be left in the joints and covered with grout. But the masters do not advise doing this, since the grout layer above the cross will turn out to be thinner, which means that its color will be different, which can ruin appearance seam.

If you've worked with glazed tiles, you can start grouting right away. If the tile is unglazed, the top and side surfaces of each tile must be moistened. This is to prevent the unglazed surface from absorbing moisture from the grout. You can moisten the tile surface with a garden sprayer. The main thing is not to overdo it with moistening, because puddles of water remaining on the surface of the tiles or in the joints can damage the grout, and it will subsequently begin to crack. To allay your doubts about grouting unglazed tiles, it is best to consult the grout manufacturer.

Grouting tiles: video instruction

What is the grout for tiles

There are two main types of grouting materials - mixtures based on epoxy resin and cement. When choosing a grout for tiles, do not confuse it with the elastomer sealing compounds that fill the joints building materials... For example, a silicone seal. It is actually used for tiles, but not for seams, but for filling voids when laying tiles on another surface. Craftsmen do not advise using silicone sealant for tile joints.

Epoxy grout

In addition to epoxy resin, they contain a hardener, which makes the tile joints resistant to chemicals... This is a rather expensive grout, so it is usually used for commercial and industrial premises. It is not very convenient to work with it - the grout is viscous. If the width of the joints between the tiles is less than 6 mm, and the thickness of the tiles themselves is no more than 12 mm, then the epoxy grout will not penetrate the joints, they are very narrow for it.

Cement based grout

It is a dry mixture that must be diluted with water or liquid latex before use. They also sell ready-made, already diluted cement grout in the right proportion, but they cost more. Cement-based grouts differ in additives that are part of the material. Thus, there are three types of cementitious grout: dry hardener, latex mixture and industrial cement. Important: such grouting can cause irritation and inflammation of the eyes, negatively affect the skin and lungs. Therefore, during work, use respirators, rubber gloves and goggles.

Cement-based grout is carefully spread, filling all the empty spaces between tiles

Why do you need a sealant

Using a sealant, craftsmen have two goals: to protect the seams and the ceramic tiles themselves from stains, to protect the seams from excessive moisture absorption. So that stains do not appear on the surface of the unglazed tile, the facing is covered with a liquid transparent sealant. Most sealants are based on varnish, acrylic or silicone. When choosing a sealant, consider the type of tile and grout you are using.

Which tile grout is best

Most masters use Atlas, Ceresit, Hercules grouting. Please note that the seams should be darker than the background of the tiles. Thus, the strictness of the geometry is emphasized, and the dirt, which inevitably accumulates in the seams over time, will not be so noticeable.

When rubbing seams with white grout, be prepared for what appears on it yellow bloom, and it cannot always be cleaned with detergents. If the seams are rubbed with dark material, resort to detergents once every 2-3 months. But grout is a mixture of cement and mineral additives that will tarnish over time. The darker the color of your grout, the longer the color will remain intact.

Tile grouting is done with a small rubber trowel

How to grind tiles correctly

If you have never seen how to grout ceramic tiles, a video from the Internet will help you get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe process. It includes several stages: mixing the grout, holding the grout for a certain time for better wetting, followed by re-mixing the grout, distributing the grout, cleaning the joints from excess grout.

The choice of grout for tiles is quite large in terms of price, color, and quality.

Prepare everything you need for work. You will need:

respirator (if you plan to work with cement grout);
rubber gloves, goggles;
rubber roller or spatula;
the actual grout;
bucket, clean cloth, sponge;
plywood (when it comes to floor tiles);
sealant;
paint roller or paint brush (small).

Work procedure

Application of grout

After the grout has been diluted in the required proportion, lay a slide of grout on the tile surface (if you are rubbing the tile joints on the floor, you can simply put the grout out of a bucket, and if you are working on the wall, use a rectangular trowel). A trowel is best for spreading the grout.

Hold the trowel diagonally so that the grout will spread more evenly over the surface.

It should be held at a 30-degree angle to the tile and the grout should be applied diagonally. Run a trowel over the surface of the tile 2-3 times, but do not just cover the tile with grouting solution, but try to rub it into the seams, press it with force. The seam must be tightly filled with mortar. The stronger the resistance, the more the seam will be filled, which means it will be tighter. The main idea of \u200b\u200bgrouting tile joints is filling from bottom to top all the corners and voids around the tiles. The liquid will leave the grouting joint during the grouting process, so the material will harden and the joints will be filled with particles of cement and sand.

Do not grout the entire surface at once. First spread the material over a small area of \u200b\u200bno more than 1-2 square meters. This way you can estimate how quickly the grout sets and how often you have to stop work and clean the joints.

How to grind tiles with a trowel bag

The grout bag is a very convenient and practical tool for performing a simple but important operation.

If you are working on a surface that is difficult to clean, the use of a grout bag is recommended. It works like a pastry bag for decorating cakes. At its end, a metal tip is fixed, the width of which is approximately the same as that of the trowel. The bag is filled with grout and squeezed into the seam through the tip.

While working with the bag, place the tip on the top of the seam and move it back and forth until the seam is completely filled. For effective filling, work along the entire length of the joint, rather than around individual tiles. First fill the horizontal, and then the vertical seams. Squeeze out a little more grout than you think is necessary, because after the first set, you should tamp the grout into the joint with a piece of smooth metal tube, the diameter of which is larger than the width of the joint, or jointing. After the pressed grout has set in the seam (this takes about half an hour), the excess should be removed with a stiff brush.

How to remove grout from tiles

Step 1: dry removal grout

After you have filled all the joints with grout, use a float to remove excess grout. It should be held at right angles to the tile and moved diagonally relative to the joint surface. If you move it vertically or horizontally, the edge of the tool can ruin some seam by removing some of the grout from it. After removing any excess grout dry, allow the seams to grasp before starting the wet grout.

Step 2: wet grout removal

How long should it take after the end of the dry grout? It varies greatly from installation to installation. Sometimes it takes 25-30 minutes, and sometimes five is enough. The rate of drying of the grout depends on the adhesive, tile, type of substrate. Not the least role is played weather.

Working with a damp sponge is an obligatory stage of work, which will return the shine, gloss and original color

The remains of grout on the surface of ceramic tiles sometimes dry out quite quickly, while in the joints the grout remains wet for a long time. Use a very damp sponge for evaluation. With its help you can test small area surface. If grout sets very quickly, wet removal of grout will be tedious. The material in the seams should be tight and elastic, but not hard. If the grout is reaching behind your damp sponge, it has not yet grasped enough, you will have to wait a few more minutes. Begin cleaning when the grout remains in place.

If too much time has passed from grouting to wet grouting, you can remove the dried-on excess with a special abrasive float. It does not scratch the tile surface.

A bucket of water and a sponge are required for wet grouting. First, quickly remove most of the grout with a sponge. Use a gentle circular motion with the sponge to gradually remove sand and cement particles. Make sure that no grooves form in the seams. Rinse the sponge from time to time and wring it out well.

For getting perfect result the seams are given the same shape and depth

Inspect the grouting joints and smooth them out if necessary with a jointing (wooden stick with a sharpened end). It is very important to give the seams the same depth and shape.

Step 3: final cleaning

When all seams are aligned, the surface of the tiles should be cleaned again. This is done with a sponge, which must be constantly washed in water and squeezed well. The purpose of this cleaning is to remove all grout residues from the tile surface. After that, the seams should dry within 15 minutes.

Step 4: applying sealant

Sealant can be used to cover both tiles and grout when the tile joints have completely hardened. If you will only cover the seams, use a small brush, if both the tile and grout use a small roller.

Sealing joints will increase their resistance to mechanical and chemical influences

When finished, place a sheet of plywood on the tile and prohibit household members from walking on it until the grout is completely dry. Some grout types will dry within two weeks to avoid damaging the joints, check the manufacturer's instructions for the required drying time.

Some forty years ago no one knew such a word as grout. The last squeak in the form of Greek or Polish tiles had to be contrived to get, and it was not always possible to buy tiles of the same color. It was glued (exactly glued, not laid) on the walls and floor in every conceivable and inconceivable way. And what was not added to adhesive mixtureto keep it in the chosen place! They glued without seams, so no one needed the grout.

But time and technology are running ahead, surpassing all ideas about beauty and practicality.

Features:

Today, it is simply impossible to imagine well-laid tiles without grouting. Laying technology facing tiles in our time, it means that seams are made between decorative elements. Seams are called the gap between the ends of two adjacent tiles unfilled with tile adhesive. You need to know how to properly grind the seams on the tiles.

Tile joints have a purely utilitarian purpose:

They create a thermal gap... Everyone knows from the physics course that bodies expand when heated. With very narrow seams or in their complete absence, ceramic tiles can crack in any direction, squeezing one another out.
Tile different manufacturers calibrated differently. Tile sizing is size tolerance finished product from the dimensions declared by the manufacturer. Sometimes the calibration can go up to 1 mm. When laying such tiles of unequal sizes without seams or with narrow seams, it is impossible to get a more or less decent wall.

For the end result to have clear horizontals and verticals, a poorly calibrated tile needs to be shifted, centered, changing the seam size for each adjacent pair.

So that there are no gaps between the laid elements of wall and floor finishing, into which water and dirt will get, the seams are filled with a special solution called grout. Ceramic tiles, for the most part, have a slight rounding at the edges due to the peculiarities of the technology of their manufacture.

The glaze covering the ceramic is applied to one surface only. Therefore, the ends of the tiles have the color of the clay from which they were made, and differ from the color of the drawing on the front side. When seams are not worn, brown edges are visible to the naked eye and spoil the whole picture.

A common mistake of amateurs is that they believe that flaws in the installation of tiles and mechanical damage in the form of small chips can be hidden with the help of grout. She, like paint, only emphasizes all the flaws. Therefore, it is better to replace defective tiles immediately or lay them in an inconspicuous place., for example, for a bath or shower.

The composition and base of the grout varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some add special antifungal additives, others - strengthening components, still others try to give the grout more elasticity, and still others - water-repellent properties.

The more such consumer properties a trowel mixture has, the more expensive it is.

Kinds

The basis for the most commonly used grouts is usually gypsum or cement, the resulting joint is opaque, uniform in composition and color. To give a tiled surface aesthetic appearance the grout is tinted (coloring pigments are added) in different colors... But in special cases with such a composition it is impossible to achieve the desired result.

To obtain a transparent or translucent joint, epoxy-based compounds are used, which can be tinted in different colors or added with different fillers. Fillers can be finely ground powder of silver or gold color and small beads, as well as small holographic sparkles, as for decorating nails.

The strength of such a grout will be no less than that of the tile itself, and dirt will not eat into the seams.

Another type of grout is based on the use of furan resin. Its feature is an extremely deep black color. In gypsum or cement based grouting, the most dark color - anthracite, black with gray tint... This is due to the characteristics of the base materials, which have not yet been tinted by the subsidiary.

Today, silicone-based sealants painted in different colors are increasingly used as a grout in places of increased stress and humidity.

Classic material grouting was and remains tile adhesive on the clinker. The seam turns out to be strong, its width does not matter, the color is only gray.

Grout is sold in any building supermarket both ready-to-use and in the form of a mixture for preparing mortar on clinker tiles. This is an equivalent replacement.

How to dilute?

For those who make repairs with their own hands, the rule for preparing solutions from dry mixtures should be memorized: the mixture is added to water, not water to the mixture. But grouting is an exception to this rule. Since the peculiarities of their composition are such that they take a little water, then to obtain a solution of the desired consistency, water is added to a dry powder.

The water used for the preparation of any mortar should in no case be warm or hot, otherwise the mixture will immediately turn into a frozen, shapeless lump, with which nothing can be done. First of all, it is necessary to correctly calculate the proportions.

Manufacturers, as a rule, indicate on the packaging the recommended amount of water per 100 g or 1 kg of dry mix. But this figure is optional. The density of the solution depends on the result that you want to get in the end. For standard way grout mortar should be like thick homemade sour cream or tomato paste... If, during mixing, part of the mixture remains dry, add water in very small portions until the solution is of the desired thickness.

If, on the contrary, the mixture turns out to be very liquid, similar to kefir, you can gradually add dry grout, again in small portions. And knead well so that there are no lumps.

Some additives make grout mixes very non-hygroscopic, and the particles of the mix don't want to get wet. It is necessary to knead such compositions carefully and for a long time, until a thick homogeneous mass is obtained.

The shelf life of the diluted grout is short, at most - half an hour or an hour. After this time, the solution begins to harden, clump, loses its plasticity, and it is no longer possible to work with it. Therefore, it is most preferable to dilute the grout in small portions. If in the process of work the composition began to thicken, you can add a small amount of water to it and stir well.

If you cook a lot of grout, then it is very difficult to develop it all without losing quality. Cooking a large amount of mixture at once is logical only if several people are working on grouting at once, each of whom performs a certain stage.

The most suitable container for diluting grout is a 300 to 500 ml rubber or flexible polymer cup. Flexibility is due to the fact that when solidified, the mixture becomes very hard and it is almost impossible to scrape it off of tough dishes. When the soft cup is twisted, the hardened grout "snaps off" from the walls and is knocked out with a slight tap. If you try to knock on a rigid container, then the cup will crack rather than the grout will lag behind the walls.

In the case of using a ready-made grouting mixture, the manufacturer did everything for us. It can be used directly from the bucket. One has only to remember to close the lid tightly so that the unused grout does not dry out. After 12-24 hours on open air the finished mixture is first covered with a film, and then turns into a solid, unsuitable for grouting.

Tools

Before you start rubbing the seams, you need to prepare a bucket of clean cool water, latex or vinyl gloves and a few dense sponges (like for washing dishes) with small pores, as well as two absorbent cloth napkins. A stepladder is required for the convenience of work. Directly for filling the joints with grout, you need a flexible polyurethane spatula 5-10 cm wide and a container with ready-made mortar.

If the skills for applying grout are not worked out, it is better to take a tool small size... It's also a good idea to have a painting knife on hand for partial joint correction. To form an aesthetic seam, you need a round ebonite stick of small diameter - 3-5 mm.

In special cases, masking tape with good adhesion may be required. You can choose a fixture such as a seam filling machine. This will make your job much easier and you get it done faster.

How to apply?

Be sure to wear gloves so you can seal seams without worrying about the condition of your hands. The composition of the grout is quite aggressive. Without hand protection, you run the risk of developing contact dermatitis.

To make the seams neat, without extraneous inclusions and color deviations due to tile glue not removed from the ends, they must be cleaned before starting work. Experienced craftsmen wash the seams with a generously moistened sponge directly during the tile installation process. They do this because it is much more difficult to renew dried tile adhesive. But if it so happened that the dried glue still remained in the seams, it can be cleaned out with a small spatula or a paint knife. This operation must be carried out carefully, since mechanical stress can damage the glaze of the ceramic product. This will result in chips that are very difficult to repair.

After cleaning the seams, it is preferable to rinse them with a damp sponge and join them.

You need to cover the seams as quickly as possible, apply the solution with confident movements and seal up all the chips. You can also darken the seam or recolor it. You can change the color by adding special paints.

There are several ways to get beautiful and even joints using grout.

Gypsum or cement based

In any case, it is possible to grind the seams only after the tile adhesive has lost its mobility and the tile is clearly fixed in the place intended for it. For floors, this moment is determined by the period when it will be possible to walk on the tiles without pushing the tiles with the weight of your own body.

The composition is applied to a clean seam in a transverse direction to it with little effort, with continuous strokes along its entire length. The rest of the grout is removed from the tile with the same spatula, passing it along the seam. The seam becomes even. Excess grout is sent back to the container with the finished composition. Visually, you can immediately evaluate the full filling of the joint with grout. If somewhere there is a gap (hole) or an insufficient amount of grout, it is advisable to correct these defects without waiting for the seam to harden. The seams are filled in the same way on the entire wall. Then they return to the place where they started and clean the grout already.

Cleaning the grout with this method of its application is aimed at making all the joints equally even and smooth. This operation is done using a round ebonite stick. If there is no such tool, then you can use a round pencil or an oval lighter. Passing a stick along the seam with slight pressure on the grout that has begun to harden, remove all unnecessary from the seam and form its slightly concave smooth surface. The seams are slightly recessed, even along the entire length.

After the formation of the seam, the tiles are wiped first with a slightly damp and then with a dry cloth. It is very important here to start the process of forming a beautiful joint before the moment when the grout begins to gain strength.

In another case, the composition is applied in the same way, only the seam is formed immediately using a damp sponge or a finger, swiping with a sufficiently damp sponge with slight pressure. With this method, you will not have to return to an already erased area. In addition, the tiles are washed directly during the grouting process. After drying, it will be enough to wipe the surface with a dry cloth.

Ready composition placed in a trowel bag with a nozzle of the size required for the joint. First, either vertical or horizontal seams are filled. When squeezing out the mixture, you need to carefully monitor that it fills the seam completely, without gaps.Since any mixtures diluted with water have the property of shrinkage, that is, a decrease in volume upon drying and evaporation of moisture from them, you need to apply grout in a slightly larger amount than it seems immediately at the time of grouting the seam.

Sealant

Sealants are produced in tubes and cylinders for special pistols. The second option is used to grind the seams. The sealed tip of the cylinder is cut off with a sharp knife, after which a conical nozzle is screwed onto it, which comes complete with the sealant. The balloon is inserted into the gun, the tip of the tapered nozzle is cut to obtain the required seam width. The sealant is pressed exactly into the seam. Smoothing it can be done with a wet finger or sponge. From the surface of the tile, the excess sealant must be immediately washed off with a damp sponge and wiped dry with a cloth napkin.

Resin based

The composition usually has a two-component structure consisting of a resin and a hardener itself. To obtain a more homogeneous mass without air bubbles, the resin must be heated in a water bath to a temperature of about 50-60 degrees before mixing. Add hardener, tinting paste, if required, and selected filler, conceived by design. The mixture should be tried to be applied directly to the seam. You can use a cooking bag with an attachment, or buy a special grout bag. Align seams with the most comfortable bending plastic trowel.

If the grouting compound gets on the tile surface, immediately wipe the stained area dry, then rinse with a damp sponge and wipe dry again.

When grouting joints on a tile that has not a smooth, but a relief surface, the mixture from the front surface of the tile must be immediately washed out with an abundant amount of water. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to make it look decent. Grout, which has eaten into small depressions of the relief, is very difficult to clean when hardening. You can ruin the whole work.

If the tile "does not fit", then the seams are obtained in different widths in one row - vertical or horizontal. In this case, after the standard filling of the seams, you can use the following trick: on a dry and clean tile along the entire length of the seam, which needs to be adjusted, masking tape is glued on both sides. The width of the seam is chosen based on the widest one. The grout is diluted a little more liquid than for filling the joints.

Carefully apply the mixture to the seam being formed, immediately smoothing it and eliminating defects. The scotch tape is removed without waiting for the mixture to solidify. Otherwise, at the edges of the seam, the grout will begin to crumble and the edge of the seam will become jagged instead of straight. Masking tape can also be used when grouting tiles with a fine relief to protect the edge of the front surface from the trowel mixture. In this case, you do not have to spend a lot of time rinsing. The same applies to finishing materials with a porous structure. Here you simply cannot do without scotch tape.

After grouting all vertical and horizontal joints, do not forget to fill all technological cutouts on the tiles near the heated towel rail, outlets for hot and cold water, taps for connecting washing machine etc.

When filling joints on tiles with straight (unsmoothed) ends, the joints must be made without deepening. That is, the seam and the face of the tile must form a single surface. Otherwise, the side surface brown will be visible from under the grout and ruin the whole impression.

For grouting, you can buy a mixture that matches the color of the tile. But sometimes manufacturers use such colors and patterns that it is simply impossible to buy a ready-made mixture of colors. In such cases, you need to buy either just a white grout, or the closest one in color, and bring it to the desired shade by adding tinting paste of the required color range.

Having finished laying the tiles in the kitchen, you proceed to the next stage of work. This is the grout of ceramic tiles. This stage is very important, and if you know how to grind the seams on the tiles correctly, you can hide some of the installation defects. If the grout is poorly done, it will ruin even the perfect tiling.

Cement based grout
Why do you need a sealant

Work procedure

How to remove grout from tiles

Modern tile laying technology provides for grouting at the final stage of work

Grouting tiles: video instruction

What is the grout for tiles

There are two main types of grouting materials - mixtures based on epoxy resin and cement. When choosing a grouting material for tiles, do not confuse it with elastomer sealing compounds, which fill the joints of building materials. For example, a silicone seal. It is actually used for tiles, but not for seams, but for filling voids when laying tiles on another surface. Craftsmen do not advise using a silicone sealant for tile joints.