This Grouting Mistake will Ruin Your Tile Job

Thank you for the video. That helped a lot 👍

GUILTY!! I made this EXACT mistake on my bathroom floor tile job about four years ago when I ignorantly grabbed a bag of the UltraColor when I realized I didn't have enough of the regular Keracolor I'd used for my backsplash with great success when I redid our kitchen. I could not figure out why my grout was getting hard just minutes after mixing, and it took days of hand grinding the get the grout presentable. I never knew why until I saw this video.

I dont have a helper and i use rapid setting grout all the time i just dont mix a whole bucket full and i use what i mix fast then clean the bucket

What’s the best option for someone who needs to grout the perimeter of a stand-in shower between the tile wall and tile floor and some light patching between select tiles?

I wish I had seen this before my 1st tile job, 6x5 floor. Mixing should not only be listed in whole bag instructions. I got my old weed scale from gas station out. Scooped it out and weight it out. Converted quarts to ounces,for water and got with it . Wasn't enough water, so i added until mixing. But o i forget to clean up grout channels and try to remove those plastic spacer heads. My 2lbs small mix was already setting up . Well lets try spreading it & sprinkle little water, right ? Well it's in there & gonna see what happens.
But thanks i didn't know was already sealer in the mix

My effing "professional" used this and it's a MESS. I honestly think he passive aggressively ruined so many projects in a row I have to pick what I'm upset about; and what I have to pay to have redone 😢 never have a house fire, there are so few good people out there. Thank you for all your info ❤ I have the knowledge of HOW to do so much now!!

this grout is shit .. it shrinks like no other.

Use grout release

What if your one guy, whose really fast! Kidding...

Instructions are important! please read them for every new product you use. ultracolor is great for small repair work, or for working smaller sections at a time.

You saved me bro, thanks.

Cool water don’t let the bag sit in the sun mix slow and you have 30 min FA is great

It usually takes longer to complete the job using the fast setting grout from my experience.

DIYer here. I used the ultra color on my tile and had no issues. You're kind of exaggerating a bit.

I wish I found this video before I tried grouting!

You just saved me BIG TIME. I was looking at the ultra just the other day. You CONSTANTLY save me. I feel like I need to buy you a steak or something

Well, I don't mean to be a contrarian but I've used this product before as a "green" tiler DIY'er and simply followed the instructions. I suppose there are those that would not read the instructions, and in fact we have "professional tilers" here on YT that actually tell folks to not pay much attention to product instructions as they are just 'guiderails' (paraphrasing but he said something like that) and it's your own common sense that guides you (no I'm not kidding). So I sort of believe that if they don't follow the instructions and need to do a redo then that's all in the realm of the 'learning curve/experience'. They'll likely from that point forward read product instructions religiously, eh? 😀

we just had a bathroom tile done and the grout goes dark when wet. I hate it. Grey grout but then after a shower it looks black until it dries again. It needs to be sealed still. He said to wait 6 weeks. What do I seal it with that will keep the grout looking grey and not wet? If I seal it will it always look dark?

Guys gals any of these fast setting grouts will kick your butts if don't do this mix with cold water mix very slowly don't over mix grout small area if it's warmer then 75 stay home drink beer

Acetone works well to remove it

I really enjoy Jeff's videos and watched the tile and grout videos a couple of times each at least before proceeding with my floor tile project (about 180 ft2 of 6" x 36" porcelain tiles). This was my first time ever at installing tiles and grout and I used this Mapei Ultracolor Plus FA product. But being cautious I installed the grout in 5 lbs increments and was more than able to keep ahead of the setting and washing per the instructions. I could probably haver done 10 lbs at a time after the first batch. But thanks Jeff for the caution, as it helped me get in the right frame of mind and planning well. It's a good product and I'm very pleased with the results.

I am so thankful I just watched this video. If not, I’m sure I would have had some big issues. Thank you for making this video.

Hi I used the Ultracolor Plus and is working great ,love it

Great advice! I need all the help I can get. Buying the wrong grout would be a disaster.

Bad advice, maybe it is your age.
Easy never last like the good stuff.

I was able to successfully remove UltraColor plus grout with mineral spirits (you can get it anywhere) and a little bit of elbow grease. I had previously tried vineggar without any success.

OMG I wish I had seen this before. I've just the high tech grout as a first time amateur.
It's been a nightmare. Dries too fast, texture mix is a nightmare. It's ruined my grout.
This guy is 100% right.
How do I smooth out my bad grout?

New to tile and watched the first one on grout ..was about to start and took the time to watch this vid…thanks so much ..now ill wait til my beautiful wife gets home to help me

No one is gonna call him out about just ripping it out and starting over? That would be stupid when if a residue remover doesn't work then worst case you have to scrape it off. You can get basically anything of of tile by scraping. "Tear it out" 😂

This video saved our tails, but we found it just in time. Please put 'Mapei ultra colour Plus FA' in the title of the video, so it's easier to spot.

I was about to make THIS EXACT MISTAKE! Thank You!

Thanks for the heads up. It saved my project. I used The FA grout on a small 3x2 ft area. It really set up FAST. Setup within 5 to 10 min. My Project came out great, but use caution.

Hi there I need help! I left the normal grout unsanded too long and I’ve been scrubbing but my arms already hurt 😅 is there something else I can use to make it easier?

I rather put the grout that will hold more years than to have to do it again in 5 years. Even if it means mixing one cup at a time…

Against Jeff's warning, I used this grout today, and it was my first time grouting. I only did one wall, and I think that was the key. Following the grouting guide, it turned out looking fantastic. You do need to follow the directions on the ultracolour to the letter. I may have used slightly too much water if anything, as the grout was surprisingly runny. I did hand mix 2.5 lbs of it with just under 300ml of water for a 6ft by 3.5 foot wall. I had a lot left over but planned it that way as this video made me paranoid. It turns out I had the 45 minutes of working time the product promised so I wouldn't necessarily shy away from the ultracolour, just be aware you do need to work quickly with it.

I used a steel “punch” to remove some of the grout areas where I over did it

I was about to use that product to grout my bathroom floor this afternoon and happened upon this video. I think I’m going to exchange it for ‘beginner’ bag. Thanks for the save!

First time grouting job here.. small bathroom floor and black grout.
I have this product and will use it… but I’ll work it in small spaces starting with behind the toilet so I can see my mistakes I’m sure to make. Wish me happy grouting 😎

I've got exactly the same Grouting and theres no issues or any type of danger using it at all. I really dont understand this video warning people. Mine did not take 15 minutes to dry either, that seems like nonsense. Mine took a full day to properly dry or more. After 15 minutes it was set but it was still soft and 100000% easily workable

Great tip for the first time,do everything kind of person.Simple yet true !!!!

OMG, I'm an experienced DIY'er and have done a bunch of remodels and cabinet building. But I never touched the tile work. My latest project is a bathroom remodel and doing the tile for the first time. Watched some of your vid's, got a feel for it. In one of your videos you mentioned something about this grout, but I ignored it. Well, job is done and I noticed this video and watched it... so yeah, oops. This now explains why the stuff was setting so quickly. Fortunately my wife chose this super close color match and it looks good. Whew.

Great job on the videos. You sound just like my contractor friends, minus the Canadian thing.

I did this once. Tiles the kitchen and had a few beers while working. Fell asleep before wiping the grout down and woke up to a disaster. I ended up having to grind the grout out and redo it. Lessons learned 😢

Thanks for the video =)

I am a whole day late .. i just used the ultra color . i tried to read the instructions, completed grouting in 15mins and by the time i started cleaning it wouldnt get off the tiles... oh man took me 3hours to clean evey little piece off our porcelin tiles .... today i am seeing this video.. i should have looked for you video before buying like i normally do.
one time i missed and i am in deep waters. Thank you for the awesome videos

I made that mistake😢, now I am I am working so hard to clean the tile

I made this mistake. Thanks Jeff. I feel a lot better now about why my project went south and I know how to finish up and still make it look good.

I ALMOST made this mistake, and thank God I had my dad to help me, so we made it a 2-man job, running back and forth non stop remixing

First timer. Used this grout. Used cold water mixed by hand for 3 mins and did small batches. Plenty of working time. Easy to use. The problem is I got so panicked about the grout drying on the wall that I hurried my clean up, introduced water too soon into the joints and ended up with blotchy colors. I should have waited to the 15-20 minute mark because even after 30 it was still easy enough to clean. Oh well. Off to buy grout refresh and make it look better.

Jeff is Awesome!! However this was the easiest grout I have ever used. I started my grout job at 3:43 p.m. (that means I started collecting my tools and getting prepared) and I am typing this message now ( 5:13 p.m.) after I have finished and completely cleaned up tools and all. This grout can be the DIY'ers friend if used properly and on little sections at a time. I did about a 4 x 8 section in under an hour. I have only done a select few tile jobs in my life but I don't remember grouting be this easy.

Here are the tips to using this grout properly.

1) Make sure you only have a small section to do or you are only doing small sections at a time

2) Mix it properly.

a) Use 100 ml of cold water per lb. of grout mix.
b) DO NOT USE A HIGH POWERED DRILL!!!! (I probably should have just typed this and been done but whatever). Using a high powered drill adds too much air into the mix making it set up quicker and is the main spot where people go wrong . Just use a putty knife or something and stir by hand. With the ratio above it looks like it will never mix properly (it's really dry at first) but just keep mixing . It is the perfect ratio for a peanut butter like mix.

I used 500 ml and 5 pounds of grout for my 4 x 8 job and it was plenty. (Had just a little bit leftover)

3) Hot dry environments will make it set up faster. I live in Florida and it is summer time (about 93 degrees outside right now). But Florida is Humid. So keep your house at about 70 - 72 degrees which is where mine was.

4) I found that wiping it off immediately after about a 4 x 8 section was a little too fast. You need to wait a few minutes or you will be pulling the grout out of the joints. But don't wait too long. Just try wiping a small area and see what happens after you have finished your section.

5) When then time comes (about 15 - 30 minutes from where you started) start wiping your tiles down while changing your water periodically.

6) Get it down to a haze then wipe with regular kitchen towels or paper shop towels. This is nice because you just throw them away and get a new one every couple of buffs.

7) Let it sit for a bit after buffing then come back with a damp almost dry sponge and wipe down the tiles once again. Then repeat the paper towel process.
You should be done in about an hour if your job is the same size as mine.

Luckily I had another section of tile that needed to be grouted that I could do a test run on before I started the section I cared about more. But It really wasn't necessary. I was just scared from all of the videos like this that I watched.

Good Luck With Your Tile Job!!

P.S. I didn't have any trouble with this stuff drying too quickly on me. The buckets even rinsed out easily after I was done. And rinsing the bucket of mix out was the absolute last thing I did.

Next P.S. I'm so glad I found this video. The original grout for my job I bought was Prism. However after watching a ton of videos I found one where they tested a bunch of different grouts for durability after a week. Prism turned out to be the worst and this grout the Ultracolor Plus FA was the best so despite all the negativity towards it I decided to take the challenge and use it anyway. If you just follow all my tips this will be the easiest grout job you have ever done. There was no efflorescence no color differences or anything. And it matches the grout that is already on the floor so perfectly that I'm almost certain whoever did the tile in this house previously used a Mapei product themselves.