Grout

Mapei Ultracolor Plus

Our grout is Ultracolor Plus from Mapei, the Italian adhesive and grout maker. It comes in 17 colours and 5 kg bags, and suits joints from 1.5 mm to 20 mm, so the same grout works for tight joints on rectified porcelain and wider joints on handmade or natural stone tiles. It is fast setting, with Mapei's DropEffect water repellency and BioBlock mould resistance, which help in showers and splashbacks.

Choosing a grout colour

Grout colour changes a tile more than most people expect.

• Match the grout to the tile for a calm, seamless surface. This suits large format tiles and stone looks.
• Contrast the grout to show the pattern. Dark grout with white subway tiles or herringbone makes the layout the feature.
• Go a shade darker than the tile on floors, where grout picks up dirt. A slightly darker grout hides wear better than pure white.

Check the colour against a real tile, not a screen. Grout can look different wet and dry, and a colour that looks pale in a small sample often reads darker across a whole wall. If you are torn between two shades, lay both beside the tile in the room it is going into.

Grout, silicone and adhesive

Grout fills the joints between tiles. It is not meant to flex, so internal corners, the floor-to-wall junction and the edge around a bath or shower tray need silicone instead. Underneath, a good tile adhesive gives the grout a stable base.

Keeping grout looking new

• Clean off haze after grouting with a haze remover.
• On porous stone or unglazed tiles, apply grout release before grouting so a dark grout does not stain the face. See surface treatments.
• Clean grout with a pH neutral cleaner so it keeps its colour.
• If old grout is stained or the wrong colour, a grout colourant can renew it without regrouting.