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Why are my tiles covered with a light grey haze?
The first step in the grouting process involves pressing wet grout onto the surface of the mosaic and working it into the gaps thoroughly. Then scraping off the excess grout. Leave the piece for 10-15 minutes so that the grout forms a haze on the tiles.
The second step involves cleaning the grout off the top of the tiles with a clean sponge. Once the haze has formed you can use a clean cloth to buff the piece. Care needs to be taken at this stage to ensure the grout is not scraped from the gaps. Many books suggest you use a damp sponge but if your sponge or rag contains too much water you will wipe off the top layer of grout leaving only the sand. I use a dry sponge for this stage.
If you leave a little too much residue, the haze might be more substantial and not wipe off with a rag. If so, no worries. Simply use a Scotchbrite pad or wire brush to scuff away the haze. Do this process wet using a spray bottle to mist the mosaic to avoid breathing dust. Or wipe the mosaic with a soft rag and white vinegar.
The first step in the grouting process involves pressing wet grout onto the surface of the mosaic and working it into the gaps thoroughly. Then scraping off the excess grout. Leave the piece for 10-15 minutes so that the grout forms a haze on the tiles.
The second step involves cleaning the grout off the top of the tiles with a clean sponge. Once the haze has formed you can use a clean cloth to buff the piece. Care needs to be taken at this stage to ensure the grout is not scraped from the gaps. Many books suggest you use a damp sponge but if your sponge or rag contains too much water you will wipe off the top layer of grout leaving only the sand. I use a dry sponge for this stage.
If you leave a little too much residue, the haze might be more substantial and not wipe off with a rag. If so, no worries. Simply use a Scotchbrite pad or wire brush to scuff away the haze. Do this process wet using a spray bottle to mist the mosaic to avoid breathing dust. Or wipe the mosaic with a soft rag and white vinegar.
Why are there specks of grout in the pits of tiles?
Sometimes stained glass and some vitreous glass tiles will have pits in the surface that were bubbles when the glass was molten. Naturally grout fills these voids and it doesn’t wipe off.
Mist the mosaic with water and use a dental pick to clean out the voids. You can also use a light gauge wire brush if the problem is fairly widespread, but take care not to scrape the grout from the gaps.
My preferred plan is to use a small paint brush and brush each tile with grout sealer at least 24 hours before grouting. Be careful that no sealer gets in between the tiles where the grout is to go.
Sometimes stained glass and some vitreous glass tiles will have pits in the surface that were bubbles when the glass was molten. Naturally grout fills these voids and it doesn’t wipe off.
Mist the mosaic with water and use a dental pick to clean out the voids. You can also use a light gauge wire brush if the problem is fairly widespread, but take care not to scrape the grout from the gaps.
My preferred plan is to use a small paint brush and brush each tile with grout sealer at least 24 hours before grouting. Be careful that no sealer gets in between the tiles where the grout is to go.
Why is my grout crumbling?
Concrete hardens by binding water, not by drying out. If you let your grout dry out when it is curing, it will be soft and crumbly.
Cover your mosaic with a plastic trash bag if the air temperature will cause the piece to dry out too quickly. The grout will also be soft and crumbly if you don’t add enough water when you mix it up. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package.
If you have crumbly grout, then scrape it out and regrout the mosaic.
Concrete hardens by binding water, not by drying out. If you let your grout dry out when it is curing, it will be soft and crumbly.
Cover your mosaic with a plastic trash bag if the air temperature will cause the piece to dry out too quickly. The grout will also be soft and crumbly if you don’t add enough water when you mix it up. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package.
If you have crumbly grout, then scrape it out and regrout the mosaic.
Why do my tiles seem smaller or my mosaic isn’t as colourful?
The grout gap always looks wider once it has grout in it. It also has no colour until you fill it up with concrete. In an ungrouted mosaic, the colourful sides of the tiles are visible. That means a mosaic with wide grout gaps is particularly susceptible to looking duller when grouted.
If you are using small tiles be sure to use a correspondingly small grout gap. In general, try to keep the tesserae as close together as possible.
Another solution is to not fill the grout gap all the way to the top. If you let only the peaks of the tile show above the grout, then your mosaic’s surface area will be mostly dull concrete instead of colourful glass.
The grout gap always looks wider once it has grout in it. It also has no colour until you fill it up with concrete. In an ungrouted mosaic, the colourful sides of the tiles are visible. That means a mosaic with wide grout gaps is particularly susceptible to looking duller when grouted.
If you are using small tiles be sure to use a correspondingly small grout gap. In general, try to keep the tesserae as close together as possible.
Another solution is to not fill the grout gap all the way to the top. If you let only the peaks of the tile show above the grout, then your mosaic’s surface area will be mostly dull concrete instead of colourful glass.
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