Question from Clare of Nhulunbuy

Hi Brett,

I’ve finally finished my first commission with the grouting part completed yesterday. I had quite a stressful time of it as I found the cement fiber and/or cement glue sucked the moisture out ot the grout so fast leaving dry clods of grout that needed water thrown over to allow the grout to sink into the piece.

I’ve done quite a bit of grouting in the past and couldn’t at first work out what was going on. Then I realized that the cement additives were probably sucking in the moisture. After alot of stress it all turned out okay but I was wondering if it would be an idea to spray the mosaic with water prior to applying the grout to save my troubles. What do you think?

P.S, It was the first time that I had used CFB and your cement glue.

Reply from Brett

Hi Clare

Thanks for your question – I know exactly what you’ve been through!

If anything, the cement additives would make your glue less porous – I’d say it was a combination of the tiles & the CFB that pulled the moisture out of the grout.

If you used our grout for the first time – it’s quite possible it behaved a bit differently than you’re used to too – I’ve found there can be quite a bit of variance between different types and brands of grout.

The first thing to avoid this happening is to try and do your grouting out of the heat of the day. In dry hot weather, I’ll usually try and grout at night or very early in the morning. You’re up against a double whammy of the tiles and backing sucking moisture in, and the grout going off quicker if you do it in the heat.

The second thing is what you came up with – spray the entire mosaic with a mist of water & let it soak in before you grout. You can do this a couple of times if it’s really hot.

The least desirable option is to add water while you’re grouting – this can result in a blotchiness & even a little surface cracking & is best avoided. If you get in this situation, get all the grout in roughly & very quickly & use a bit of extra water in your sponge to remove the surplus.

And a warning – don’t try and seal your grout while its hot – the sealant dries very quickly & can be a nightmare to remove from your tile faces – definitely a nightime or dawn job in hot weather!!!

Hope that helps Clare

Best to you

Brett