Took me 5 hours to grout a kitchen splashback....Ahhhhhhh

[tysfoot]

Alright folks.

Did a mosiac splashback and finished it today, thought it would take 2 hours max to finish the grouting but the customer bought Black wide joint grout.


Ive bought this before and its a nightmare to put on cos it doesnt come off without costantly sponging it. Even with a washboy i rekon it would take a long time.


Just so i know can you buy grey and black grout that is cement based and isnt for wide joints.

Also after today i might invest in a washboy. Shall i go fr the Rubi or 'Karl Dahm'

Adivde woud be great

[Dave]

Try using bal micro grouts....

BAL Microcolour Wall Grout

A fast setting, efflorescence free, water and frost resistant cementitious grout with water repellent properties and built in Microban® antibacterial protection to inhibit the growth of bacteria and black mould. Suitable for use with ceramic tiles, porcelain, marble, natural stone, glass and fully vitrified tiles with joint widths from 1-7mm in interior and exterior locations including power showers.
BS EN 13888 CG2F Grout.

• Set in 5 hours
• 12 colours available
• Water repellent
• Anti-bacterial

Coverage : 400x300x10mm tile 3mm joint = 0.25kg/m2Powder/ Water Ratio : 4 : 1Joint Width : 1 -7 mmSpecific Gravity :1.40 g/cm3Pot Life : 40 minutesCure : @ 20°C 5 hoursPackaging : 2.5kg & 10kg*
Colour : Brilliant White, Champagne, Pebble*, Gunmetal, Smoke*, Straw, Saffron, Denim, Scarlet, Emerald, Chocolate* & Ebony*. (* Limited colours available in 10kgs).Temperature Resistance -30°C to 150°C


And as for the wash boys BOTH are good makes......i have the BAL one.....

[tysfoot]

Cheers mate, just glad today is over with. Also forgot my gloves so my finger nails are full of black grout i cant scrub out. At least i got my first mosaic splahback on my belt now and i did it in good time.

Out of interest what would you have charged for 5sm of mosaic splashback tiling with 6 sockets and 1 window frame

[Dave]

really depends on how quick you are tysfoot...probably 2 days at day rate...

Did you take any pics to show us..??.....

[tysfoot]

not a good day, forgot my camera. I only charged £150 but it was for my local barber so i hope am gonna get some work from this one

[Grace'sDad]

I did similar in about 4 hrs - went an absolute dream - surprisingly.
B&Q's finest glass mosaics with only a dozen or so broken tiles to replace.

3 sockets to cut round (flush to wall type) and no windows!

I charged £150. Took me 4 hrs plus 1.5 the next day to grout and polish, and it was only 6 streets away from home

I'd never use wide joint grout on mosaics - I bet you struggled!!!

I got my karl dahm washboy for that job and it has saved me a fortune since. It's the best tool I ever bought - every tiler should have one.
(except tilers in Lancashire - so that I can maintain an edge!)

[tysfoot]

cheers. am gonna get a washboy defo for my next job. yeah it was a pain with the wide joint grout. its gets everywhere

[turtle-tiling]

ok mate only problem i have with my washboy (rubi) you have to fill water up to level top of bucket nearly pain if your up stairs in bathroom quite heavy to take away hope it helps cheers

[Tilestiles]

Never used a washboy yet. Can someone please xplain the benefits. I understand that it seems to be quicker for cleaning after grouting but why is that compared to sponging clean??

[brian c]

well done tysfoot m8

[whitebeam]

[quote=turtle-tiling;53537]ok mate only problem i have with my washboy (rubi) you have to fill water up to level top of bucket nearly pain if your up stairs in bathroom quite heavy to take away hope it helps cheers[/quot

Don't use washboy on walls, for 2-3m bathroom floor would'nt use, waste of time.

[Grace'sDad]

The Karl Dahm is filled less than half-way, so I prefer to the Rubi.

I tend to use mine for everything - even small jobs. Gives great grout lines.