grout is way lighter than sample


  #1  
Old 03-26-23, 11:16 AM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 3
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
grout is way lighter than sample

help, my dried sanded grout is way lighter than when it was wet (sample matched wet grout). Its been overnight and its really light. We tried everything as I have heard this can be a problem if you add to much water or overwhipe it, so we didnt do that. Does using faucet water matter? should you use distilled water? what other things can we try. Is there any way of correcting this
 
  #2  
Old 03-26-23, 02:29 PM
Marq1's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: USA MI
Posts: 9,745
Received 1,210 Upvotes on 1,098 Posts
Color has nothing to do with the water used, it's the pigments in the grout!
 
  #3  
Old 03-26-23, 04:46 PM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 3
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
any advice on making it look like it was supposed to look
 
  #4  
Old 03-26-23, 05:13 PM
C
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 3,168
Received 169 Upvotes on 137 Posts
Assuming you mixed the grout from dry powder, did you mix the entire bag, or if not, did you dump the bag into a bucket and mix the dry powder to make sure it was uniform? Sometimes the pigments are not uniformly mixed in the bag.

Some grout sealers will darken the grout somewhat, so if you've already done all the grouting, you could experiment with sealer and see if it gets you closer to the shade you want.
 
eric2023 voted this post useful.
  #5  
Old 03-26-23, 05:15 PM
XSleeper's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 27,061
Received 1,910 Upvotes on 1,716 Posts
Pick out a different grout color or try to color it with another color powder. You don't match wet grout any more than you try to color match wet paint. Most things get lighter when they are dry... no surprise there.
 
  #6  
Old 03-27-23, 09:13 AM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 3
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
we did dump whole dry bag out and mix and used half bag. I was told to try a sulfamic acid on the grout, I never used this before, it seems like it will take haze off tile, but unsure of bringing color back to grout. also told to use a grout stain
 
  #7  
Old 03-27-23, 10:33 AM
Marq1's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: USA MI
Posts: 9,745
Received 1,210 Upvotes on 1,098 Posts
Unless you stain the grout there is nothing that will change the color that I am aware of. I've seen some color differences but not to the extent that I would consider anything dramatic to change.

Was it a "cheap" grout, many of the better ones boast about how consistent their colors are!
 
  #8  
Old 04-05-23, 06:28 AM
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 46
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Using too much water to wipe up excess grout and clean haze off tiles can do that. Its happened to me. I have also found that the ACTUAL color of the dried grout can be quite different from the color on the box. I now mix a small amount of grout and let it dry before I use it, so I can check the color.

Dont worry all is not lost.

As suggested, some sealers will darken grout. Try one or two In an (inconspicuous area) and see what happens.

You can also apply several coats of the sealer (darkening the grout), but make sure it does not dry between coats, or it wont be absorbed into the grout and may peel.

Im not a professional tiler but have tiled many floors.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: