Epoxy vs Cement grout for tiling
If you’ve fallen in love with the idea to renovate your bathroom, kitchen or any other space, but alarm bells are ringing at the thought of scrubbing all that grout, then listen up! There is an alternative to regular grout, that will see your cleaning time slashed, and your new tiles sparkling like new in months and years from now.
So first things first. What exactly is grout, and how is epoxy grout different?
Traditional grout is made from a cement based mix. It’s not waterproof and actually absorbs water when it becomes wet. It also absorbs stains easily, as anyone who has scrubbed grout will attest to.
Epoxy grout on the other hand, is made of epoxy resins combined with a filler powder. This makes it waterproof and almost completely resistant to stains. It’s durability makes it the ideal choice for kitchen and bathroom tiling, floors and high-traffic areas.
Epoxy grout won’t crack, shrink, or discolour, making it ideal for applying in wet areas, such as showers. It’s also highly resistant to the harsh chemicals found in cleaning products. As an added bonus, unlike traditional cement grout, epoxy grout does not need to be sealed, due to its non-porous nature.
Sound too good to be true? Let’s look at any downsides of this wonder-grout.
Epoxy grout is more difficult to apply than traditional grout, but we are highly experienced with this grout and in 99% of our jobs we use it, so nothing to worry about.
Epoxy grout also comes with a much higher price tag - expect to pay three to five times more than standard cement grout for your product. The extra time to apply epoxy and clean thoroughly afterwards also adds to the bottom line, making this grout a considerably larger but long term investment.
So there you have it. Grout, without the scrubbing. Despite some of it’s drawbacks, epoxy grout is a fabulous solution for splashbacks, wet areas and areas that experience high levels of traffic.
