Tag: Laticrete Grout

HOW I RE-GROUTED A SHOWER FLOOR How I re-grouted a shower floor for the first time is a story that I thought would benefit some of MrElectrician.TV's visitors who want to learn how to re-grout their shower. NOTE: Some text links below go to applicable products on Amazon.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Re-grouting a shower floor is not something I would normally do for someone other than myself.  I am only set up with tools and materials to do electrical work. This particular shower floor re-grouting project was initially intended to be done by a tile installation contractor.  However, it was tough to find one who was available. A highly recommended handyman who does re-grouting was called, but he was unwilling to re-grout this particular shower. The handyman's reason for not wanting to re-grout this particular shower floor is because the specifications called for the installation of Laticrete Spectralock Premium Epoxy Grout.  He only had one experience with it, and according to him, it did not go well.  He was willing to remove the old grout and gave a ridiculously low price. COMPONENTS OF EPOXY GROUT Laticrete Spectralock Premium Epoxy Grout is unique in that it consists of three components that must be mixed together and must be used within a limited time frame. The Laticrete epoxy grout also requires household vinegar mixed with water for clean-up. The grout bucket with parts A & B is packaged with latex gloves, a tile sponge, and two packets of clean-up powder to be mixed in with your clean-up water.  Also included are instructions on how to mix and apply the grout properly. Part C is the colored sand that gets mixed in after parts A & B are mixed together.  It must all be thoroughly mixed to a cake batter-like consistency. For the 36-inch x 60-inch shower floor, I needed two Spectralock  0.2 US gallon (0.7 Liter) mini kits that contained Parts A and B.  In addition, I needed two part C's 2 pound (.9 Kilograms) colored sand packages.  The color chosen is called mushroom. NOTE: On their website, Laticrete shows part C as being 2.25 pounds (1 Kilogram).  Maybe the batch that I received was older. Click here for an estimating tool to calculate how much grout will be needed for your tile. GROUT REMOVAL FROM A SHOWER FLOOR It turned out that the handyman's low price only called for removing the loose and broken grout.  It was an extra hourly rate for another hour and a half of labor to do the whole 15 square foot floor (3' x 5').  Even then, he was not able to remove the grout from the tiles next to the wall because his power tool could not get close enough. The handyman used a small cordless circular saw with a diamond blade to cut out between the tiles.  It did an excellent job of removing the old grout, but he also nicked a few tiles with it.  The 2" x 2" matted tile had 3/16" wide grout joints; however, the installed tile joints were slightly...