I am doing some re-grouting work on my shower floor. The tiles are about 2 inches wide and the spaces between the tiles are about 1/8 inch or a bit less. Do I use sanded or unsanded grout?

ballengerb1

1/8" is about the breaking point. Larger than 1/8 gets sanded and smaller than 1/8 is unsanded. My choice for a shower floor would be unsanded, worked in well and then wiped. The bigger issue is how well you remove the old grout. Most of it should come out so the new grout can get a good bite and hold. You can use a grout remover hand tool or buy/rent a vibrating tool like a Dremel. Fein and Rockwell make very good versions for upwards of $400 but Menards is currently selling their brand for $39 multimax

bibler

How deep do I need to remove the old grout? I am only doing an area of about the length of 2 1/2 tiles, that is about 5 inches long. Also, the grout bags tell you they are corrosive. Do I need gloves or can I do it barehand? Will it eat my skin away?

ballengerb1

Grout is like wet cement. it can damage your skin and eyes so take reasonable steps to protect ourself with gloves and goggles when mixing the dry material with water. remove as much as you can, the more the better but at least more than half the depth.

bibler

One last question, can I use premixed grout for the job?

ballengerb1

There is no code preventing you from using premix but most pros will tell you to use a dry bagged powder or 2 part epoxy. I'd go epoxy and never worry again about staining.

bibler

Thanks for your answers. How long does it take for the grout to cure? I was at the store looking at the Mapei unsanded grout and it says you need to wait 21 days after application before immersing the area in water.

ballengerb1

Grout drys enough to start wiping after 10-15 minutes and will be hard to the touch after a few hours but complete curing takes much longer. You must follow the manufacturers directions before you "immerse" the area. Their definition of immerse may be a bit over cautious since this is a shower pan and will not be holding water like a tub. I think you are safe after 72 hours.

bibler

Hi,

I have just removed the amount of grout I need to remove. Do I just clean the grout line with the brush or do I need to use water to rinse the grout line? Also, as I was removing grout, I encountered the white plastic things that link the tiles together. Is that too deep or is it ok? There is still some crack lines inside the grout line but nothing crumbling. Is that ok?

Thanks in advance