digest
Warning: do not use this grout if you are a DIYer with no experience doing tile work. I'm going to tell you why right now. For the last few years I've been on the internet with my YouTube channel teaching people how to do DIY renovations. We've done a few bathroom videos, and a lot of people have done their own bathroom renovations, which has been really cool to see. But every once in a while I get a comment from someone saying, "Help, I used Ultra Color grout and I can't wash it off. I let it sit on the tile too long. What do I do?" The answer is that you need to tear your walls off and start over, because you're done. I'll tell you why.
This is the grout I've been using in the videos. It's a Mapei product called Keracolor. It is an unsanded grout, which is amazing for walls, and in most shower applications you're going to want an unsanded grout. This product here is called Ultra Color grout, and the reason it's Ultra Color is that it has a sealer already in the mix. It also has a rapid-setting quality. This has so much technology in it that it'll blow your mind. This grout will fill gaps from 1/16 up to half an inch. For a lot of DIYers, when you go to the store and see both products, you might read the labels and think, "That's perfect for me, because I did a lousy job with my tile and this will fill everything."
But this product here is actually old-school technology. It's simple. It has lots of working time, and you have all the time you need to apply the grout, finish all three of your shower walls, go clean up your tools, come back, and then start polishing and washing it, just like I do in my video. This is a one-person operation. This grout is designed for people who are really experienced. You can get all the grout in the shower done in less than 10 minutes. I'm telling you right now, if you wait more than 15 minutes before you wash this off and work it, it is going to be harder than the stone you put on the wall, and you're in deep trouble. Don't let all your hard work go to waste because you chose the wrong product.
Understand this: Ultra Color is for beginners. It's great technology, and if you're going to use it, you've got to have a helper. It's okay to use this stuff, but maybe mix just enough for one wall at a time, so you have time to actually work it and wash it. On the back, the instructions say to apply it, wipe it off with your grout sponge, and then wait 15 to 30 minutes. If you have any experience at all, you can grout an entire shower in less than 15 to 30 minutes. The boring, simple stuff works great. You put it on, wait a couple of seconds, and start wiping it off.
This product over here has different instructions, and I know many of you aren't reading the instructions, so I'll read them for you. When you put this on, you have 15 minutes from the time you apply it to be done working and washing it, or you're in trouble. It also has a warning: if it's hot, you're screwed. That's what the warning says. You've got to have two people running in there at high speed. This is really difficult to work with, so don't take it for granted. I understand you go to the store, see they don't have your color, and grab this one instead. But you need to understand the difference and what you're getting into. It costs a few bucks more, and I personally think it's a much better grout, but you have to know what you're getting involved with when you start.
We're using this product outside on our patio here. The Keracolor is great for beginners and gives you all the margin you need. Even half an hour later, if you find you missed something, you can use a grout removal tool to scratch it out, mix up a little more, and patch it. That's the stuff for beginners. The Ultra Color is for people who have a team working or a lot of experience. If you use this product, you'll need a grout sealer, which I definitely recommend. It's a much better product, but it'll be the end of your project if you're working alone and don't have enough experience.
That's it for today. I was about to do a video on all the different tools and equipment and ways to cut different kinds of stone, but I wanted to get this off my chest because I was reminded of it when I saw the bag. If you like getting information like this, hit the like button, and don't forget to comment if you've made this mistake, if you have other questions about your tile work, or if you're a new DIYer looking for the tools you need to do a bathroom renovation. In that case, you'll definitely want to watch the video we're making, which we'll link here and in the video description below in case you don't get the notification. Cheers, have a great, successful renovation, and remember, you're your own best contractor.