When it comes to building homes and buildings, there are a lot of things that you need to consider. If you’re just a business or homeowner, it’s probably enough to make your head spin! Looking for interior designers, labourers to provide all the handiwork, choosing styles and colours, and more factors can go into the creation of your dream house.
But before you can get into the other specifics of constructing your home, do you know what one of the most important things you need to consider are? It’s the building materials that you use. As a new homeowner, I didn’t know that much about the various materials and building substances my home required. The ones that I had the hardest time understanding were sealants and other similar substances, including tile grout in Singapore.
I wasn’t too hands-on with the job because I hired people to help me do a lot of the work in building my house, but I still found it wise to be at least a little more informed about what goes into the construction of my home. It was then that I noticed that my contractors were laying a sort of thick, paste-like substance between the grooves of the tiles when they set.
When I asked them what it was, they told me it was the grout, and that it was essential for any tiled flooring or countertop. It’s then that I finally paid attention to other tiled surfaces and realised that grout sealant is used in almost every home. What is grout and what purpose does it serve on tiled floors? I had to know.
Types of tile grout
At first, I thought it was like polyurethane sealant and was simply used to glue together cracks or two separate surfaces. I was wrong, however. While I was looking into it, I discovered there were several types of grouts for different tiles and conditions. You might see a different type of grout used for another part of your house.
For example, whether sanded or epoxy grout in Singapore would be better for your home depends on what your tiles look like and the condition of your floor. I wandered around my home while it was being constructed to see more of what grout types I can spot.
The first type is called cement or cementitious grout. It’s one of the most common types of grout that you’ll find. Cement grout uses cement (sometimes filled with sand) along with fillers. The great thing about this grout type is that it can have pigments! Cement grout can come in a variety of different colours. You can use it to your advantage when you’re installing your tiles. With the assortment of colours, you can use it to match or contrast depending on your preferences.
I was also surprised to find out that you use 2 different types of cement grout depending on how big the gaps between your tiles are. For example, I use large square tiles in my living room, which means that I need sanded grout for them. Sanded grout feels more coarse and gritty, but they’re better at bonding tiles together without cracking.
The second type is called epoxy grout. Epoxy grout in Singapore doesn’t use cement, instead it uses a type of epoxy resin along with silicon fillers. Why should we consider epoxy grout as an option over typical cement grout? Well, epoxy grout has the advantage of being way less porous than cement grout. Regular cement grout has the danger of cracking or crumbling when exposed to too much moisture. I’ve seen cement grout used on tiles that were exposed to the elements, and the results were less than ideal. They cracked and crumbled in many places. And over time, the crumbling grout became a breeding ground for moulds and dirt.
In places like the kitchen or your bathroom (or maybe the pool if you’ve got one), you should use epoxy grout for your troubles. And you know what else makes epoxy grout great for places like these? It’s pretty stain and grease resistant too! Now that you know what kinds of tile grout in Singapore to use, don’t be afraid to inspect and have fun with them.
Mapei Far East is a company that provides products for the construction of your home and other buildings. Look for the best waterproofing cementitious and other chemical products when you browse their website.
