Patchy Mapei grout... any ideas?

[Tony73]

aggree with Andrew. i use mapei grout all the time. some times if you get too much water on grout, it washes colour pigment away ( very important to feed grout with water evenly)

 

[richardbell81]

aggree with Andrew. i use mapei grout all the time. some times if you get too much water on grout, it washes colour pigment away ( very important to feed grout with water evenly)

It's the fact that it has dried darker than it should be in patches, not lighter! The lighter patches are the correct colour and match the grout sample i went by! I certainly didn't over use water and I could not have been more precise in my measuring!

I even stirred the dry powder in the bag before hand to make sure I got an even mix!

 

[Tony73]

then is better to leave for couple of days to dry properly

 

[richardbell81]

then is better to leave for couple of days to dry properly

here's to hoping!

 

[Andrew]

Sorry I failed to notice you didnt use a paddle, mapei grout is less forgiving than other brands but I believe that's due to a more complex formulation, hence more thorough mixing required!
What sort of temperature is the room at?
Excessive surface water when washing can cause discolouration
dry adhesive residue in the joints even when scraped clean, if not even can cause the same problem as it draws moisture from the grout unevenly!
I could go on with a long list of maybes ,
has it improved at all since yesterday?
Have you tried a hair dryer on a small patch of the dark, just to see if it is a moisture issue?

 

[richardbell81]

Sorry I failed to notice you didnt use a paddle, mapei grout is less forgiving than other brands but I believe that's due to a more complex formulation, hence more thorough mixing required!
What sort of temperature is the room at?
Excessive surface water when washing can cause discolouration
dry adhesive residue in the joints even when scraped clean, if not even can cause the same problem as it draws moisture from the grout unevenly!
I could go on with a long list of maybes ,
has it improved at all since yesterday?
Have you tried a hair dryer on a small patch of the dark, just to see if it is a moisture issue?

I went back today, and if it was any better, then it was barely noticeable! I will try the hairdryer trick and see what happens! I can honestly say I mixed it as well as I could... would the use of a paddle make such a huge difference despite the fact i was only mixing up 1kg?

I just can't see how this product is on the shelves if it is so sensitive... you need a bloody laboratory to prepare this stuff!

 

[On one]

BAL Micromax, super flex and microflex, basically BAL. I have always used BAL and on the few occasions I've used ultra colour I've had issues, either setting too quickly, drying patchy etc, I also don't like the fact that it needs to be mixed a whole 5kg bag to exactly 1 litre of water, to me that suggests that it's too sensitive. I've read too many posts on here with it going wrong from DIY and pro's. I know a lot of folks on here love it so it must be a decent product, but not for me.

The instructions on the 5kg bags of Mapei UCP does state 5kg per 1 litre of water,but it does go on to state(can't remember the words exactly) but words to the effect that different colours need different amounts of water!
For what it's worth never had a problem with any of the Bal or Mapei grouts.

 

[Andrew]

A standard grout will have less components, specifically formulated colours are more complex in there make up! You need to mix the whole bag in order to get the consistency spot on! The better the quality of product the more time and care required to optimise it!
Sorry mate I M O this is the problem was it a 5kg bag?

 

[bugs183]

It's defo down to the individual in which grout and adhesive they prefer working with.
I find Bal grout much messier and grittier than Mapei!!!!
I grouted a 35 meter bathroom tiled with unfilled 200x100 unfilled travertine and had a great time with Mapei Jasmine grout, no mess, easy to wash off, and dried perfectly, lovely looking job.
I'm not trying to win the debate or play devils advacote here by the way!

 

[richardbell81]

A standard grout will have less components, specifically formulated colours are more complex in there make up! You need to mix the whole bag in order to get the consistency spot on! The better the quality of product the more time and care required to optimise it!
Sorry mate I M O this is the problem was it a 5kg bag?

It was a 5kg bag yeh... so, if i re-did it... does that mean I'd have to buy a whole new bag???

 

[Gazzer]

It was a 5kg bag yeh... so, if i re-did it... does that mean I'd have to buy a whole new bag???

or a 2kg bag

 

[richardbell81]

It was hard enough tryng to find this stuff in the first place!!! I could only find a 5kg bag online. I even contacted the Mapei reps who couldn't really help.


:mad2:

 

[Gazzer]

My local shop has it in.
S crewfix stock it too

 

[richardbell81]

Would getting keracolour and using the fugolastic addy make the results any more predictable???

 

[richardbell81]

My local shop has it in.
S crewfix stock it too

Screwfix don't stock the 112 medium grey... got one in sheff and already tried em.

 

[Gazzer]

What about Tile Giant
TILE GIANT
UNIT 1
ATTERCLIFFE TRADE CENTRE
SURBITON STREET, SHEFFIELD
S9 2DN

 

[richardbell81]

What about Tile Giant
TILE GIANT
UNIT 1
ATTERCLIFFE TRADE CENTRE
SURBITON STREET, SHEFFIELD
S9 2DN

didn't stock it on the shelves... said i would need a week for it to be delivered but at the time I was in a bit of a rush! Tried another place called stokes, and they said i'd need to order a minimum of 4 bags!!!

 

[Gazzer]

Ok just trying to help.

 

[richardbell81]

Ok just trying to help.

yeh cheers mate, sorry if that sounded off... just getting fairly annoyed with the whole bleedin' job!!

Suppose I'm not in any huge rush now so I can take my time with it and order the stuff in!

 

[widler]

i use jasmine all the time,seems to be the colour of the moment around here. don't think ive ever mixed a full bag,if i run out i mix a bit more,no problem,never measure the water either,just turn tap,stop tap,pour in,mix with bucket trowel,leave for a few mins,mix again and im off.


id just leave if for a while,you could have a thicker bed of addy in some places,just takes longer to dry.

did you use grey or white addy?

 

[richardbell81]

i use jasmine all the time,seems to be the colour of the moment around here. don't think ive ever mixed a full bag,if i run out i mix a bit more,no problem,never measure the water either,just turn tap,stop tap,pour in,mix with bucket trowel,leave for a few mins,mix again and im off.


id just leave if for a while,you could have a thicker bed of addy in some places,just takes longer to dry.

did you use grey or white addy?

I used grey.. i didn't think it would be a problem when using grey tiles and grey grout... I back buttered all the tiles so i didn't get any shadowing and made sure all the voids were clear. I also left it 3 days to dry out.

 

[widler]

I used grey.. i didn't think it would be a problem when using grey tiles and grey grout... I back buttered all the tiles so i didn't get any shadowing and made sure all the voids were clear. I also left it 3 days to dry out.

:lol:jeez,im getting a bit mixed up in my old age,why did i think it was jasmine.

sorry mate,it could be a lot of things,try it with the hair-dryer,it really could still be damp :cool3:

 

[John Benton]

You could try my supplier STS in Leeds:-

Specialist Tiling Supplies
5 Wortley Moor Lane Trading Estate
Leeds
LS12 4HX

0113 2022010

They stock a range of the Mapei grouts

 

[macten]

I personally find a paddle mixer is the only way to go with mapei ultra colour.
Not saying it can't be done by hand but when mixing (eg jasmine by hand) you are at it for ages and ages
before the little streaks of orange pigment disappear, if you were doing the grey by hand you would stop far
earlier as you would think the mix was homogenous as you don't see the pigments.

 

[Stef]

I spoke to the Mapei rep & he told me Ultracolour plus "Must" be mixed with the exact amount of water stated & "Must" be mixed mechanically.

I used Ultracolour plus at the tail end of last year & just stuck in enough water to do the job, disaster.
I then used it again on a job 3 weeks ago & it was perfect as i followed instructions to the letter.

 

[richardbell81]

I spoke to the Mapei rep & he told me Ultracolour plus "Must" be mixed with the exact amount of water stated & "Must" be mixed mechanically.

I used Ultracolour plus at the tail end of last year & just stuck in enough water to do the job, disaster.
I then used it again on a job 3 weeks ago & it was perfect as i followed instructions to the letter.

And your saying the only difference was that you used a paddle?

 

[Tony73]

was that grout out of date or something? :huh2:

 

[richardbell81]

nope, bang in date. I made sure I checked that before I started!

 

[Stef]

And your saying the only difference was that you used a paddle?

Yep, only difference. you must mix it mechanically to break down the polimers in the grout.

 

[lukeb]

if standard grout mix by hand no problem if flexible use paddle slow speed.
Had that problem with grey (dunlop),chocolate(Mapei)and few Butech even white was patchy.So use mixer and roughly right amount of water.:hurray: