FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Annette Callari, Allied ASID

Good design is all about solutions, and here’s a solution worth sharing. Glass tile is a shining star in both commercial and residential designs, bringing color, light and translucence to any interior.  Getting creative with glass tile nets big results, but can also net some installation headaches as well.  The crystal clear elegance of glass requires a grout that can enhance its beauty—and I believe I’ve found it.

StarGlass™ translucent grout from StarQuartz, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, offers the solution.  Regular grout products used in glass tile installations can bleed under the tile and give a muddy, irregular appearance.  StarGlass™ is designed to let your glass tile be the star, because it enhances the look of the glass.  Besides being translucent, it’s three-dimensional and reflective.  The secret ingredient to this grout is a round glass bead aggregate that combines with a urethane grout binder.  What a brilliant idea!  It brings out the beauty of the glass (or metal) tile without weighing it down.

The manufacturer states, “StarGlass™ can be used on vertical or horizontal surfaces for both interior and exterior tile installations.  Approved uses include grout for ceramic, porcelain, glass tile, metal tile, or natural stone tiles.” 

Here are some of the interesting features/benefits that I discovered:

• Pre-mixed, ready to use
• Excellent chemical, stain and mildew resistance
• Semi-flexible, low shrinkage, and high crack resistance
• No color fading, streaking or shading—even when wet
• Fast, easy clean-up when compared to epoxy and cement grouts
• Proprietary coloring system
• UV stable colors (non-yellowing)
• Self-sealing (no sealing required)
• Non-sag formula for vertical surfaces
• Installs up to 50% faster than other grout systems
• Contributes to LEED credits
• Contains over 80% post-consumer recycled content

Pretty impressive line-up of features, but most important, we finally have a product specifically designed for glass tile installations.  It’s possible your tile setter hasn’t even heard of it yet, but be persistent if this is what you want in your home or office.  A little research and your professional will be a convert too.  I believe in this product—to the point where I have specified it for a vertical glass tile installation in a commercial design I am working on.  With this product discovery, I brought something new to my company and to our installation crews.  StarGlass™ may now become a star player for all of our future glass installations. 

Before I close, let’s talk color for a moment.  This grout comes in 15 amazing colors (Diamond, Onyx, Opal, Jade, Bronze, just to name a few). The colors are gemlike and almost dance with reflective qualities. You can see the entire color line on their website, www.starquartz.com—and you need to know that Daltile is the national distributor for this amazing new product.  What fun!

 Reader Question:

“I am getting my ceramic tiles cleaned and the grout sealed and the professionals are using different methods:

1. High pressure washer w/chemical and a color sealer for the grout.

2. A truck mounted hot water extraction system (also used for carpets) and a grout sealant (tubing)

3. Hand scrubbing w/a grout sealant that claims is good for 5 yrs.

Which method is better to clean my ceramic tile?

The price per square foot is the same for the 3 professionals.

Thanks for your input!!”

Answer:

For this response, I turned to the professionals at The Grout Doctor. Here’s what they said:

Option #1 – In my experience high pressure is not good for grout.  It opens up the natural pores in the grout and allows the grout to collect more dirt, grime and grit.  The color sealer I cannot comment on without knowing the type used

Option #2 – Pretty much the same thing as option #1.  A high pressure truck mount extraction system can open up grouts natural pores as well.

Option #3 – This cleaning method is good and safe for the grout as long as the correct chemicals and dwell time are utilized.

At The Grout Doctor we used hand scrubbing with proper chemicals and dwell time.  Then would color seal with a 3 yr. guarantee.

The size of the grout joint can dramatically change the way your overall tile installation looks. It is important to use the right size grout line for technical reasons and also for aesthetic reasons. For example, if you are using a marble or natural stone tile and the grout joint is too large, it can make the marble look fake. Natural stone is cut with such precision that the typical rule for natural stone is to set the tiles with a 1/16″ grout line. When each tile is more uniform, you have the luxury of using a smaller grout line. When tiles are fired in a kiln, there is no guarantee of the precision and uniformity of the edges.

Often, the size of the grout line is left up to the interior designer or the tile contractor. With their experience, they generally know the appropriate size grout joint for each different tile. Larger grout lines are needed for tiles with less than perfect edges so sometimes you can ask for a certain size grout joint, but your tile contractor may recommend that it be a little larger for a more professional looking installation.

There is no right or wrong answer for what size your grout line should be, but below are some guidelines:

• Natural stone – 1/16″ or 1/8″
• Tile with a rectified edge – 1/16″ or 1/8″
• Regular tile – 3/16″, 1/4″ (safest bet) up to 3/8″ or 1/2″
• Saltillo or Mexican tile – 3/4″, 1″, 1 1/4″

Also, it is important to know that there are two different types of grout: sanded and unsanded. Sanded grout is used in joints that are 1/8″ or larger and unsanded grout (natural stone and glass mosaics) is used in joints that are 1/8″ or larger. Salitillo or Mexican tile has its own type of grout.

For advice on how to choose a grout color, click here.

Floor Talk! is celebrating its 1 year anniversary!

The mission of the floor Floor Talk! blog is to offer another valuable tool from the WFCA (World Floor Covering Association) that helps consumers make informed and smart choices when it comes to flooring.  Our goal is also to help those that have made flooring purchases learn more about what they have purchased as well as how to maintain their purchase.

Over the past year, Floor Talk! has offered:

• Answers to reader questions
• Maintenance tips and hints
• Advice on color trends for the year
• Findings from trade shows
• Green products and information

The most popular blogs of the past year have been:

• How to choose a grout color
• The right way to clean ceramic tile
• 2008 color trends
• The difference between vinyl and linoleum
• How to maintain hardwood flooring
• Exotic hardwood

We have thoroughly enjoyed finding the latest products to share with you, reporting on what’s hot and what’s not, sharing pictures of beautiful floors from around the world and more. We love hearing from you and writing about what you want to know -so keep the comments and questions coming!

Thanks for all of the support for a wonderful year and we look forward to another great one!

Have you had the opportunity to check out the Virtual Room Designer on the WFCA site? This tool currently allows you to choose a room: kitchen, bath, living room, dining room, bedroom or foyer that most resembles your room and you can change the floor covering from: ceramic tile, carpet, vinyl, hardwood, natural stone or laminate. From the comfort of your home or laptop, you have the power to see what large size tiles look like versus smaller size tiles, darker floors from lighter floors, wide hardwood planks to small hardwood planks and even change the direction of the flooring to see how you might like a patterned floor. This tool is very helpful when you can’t decide if a particular flooring style is for you or if you want to invest the extra money in a patterned floor.

The latest advancement that is coming soon to the Virtual Room Designer is the grout option. This option allows you not only to see what ceramic tile, porcelain tile or natural stone will look like in a room, but it can save you from making a HUGE grout mistake.

As a designer, I can tell you that crimes against grout are made daily. For example, some people think they need darker grout to hide dirt, when in fact all they need is grout sealer. This method will allow them to have stain protection while not sacrificing the look of the floor with the wrong color grout. Some people might think that a color like pink grout is needed to compliment the pink in their sofa – until they see it in the tile. With light colored tile and pink grout, the pink grout is all you usually end up seeing! Why go through the drama of the wrong colored grout when you can get an idea of what the final outcome will be right here.

If you haven’t tried the Virtual Room Designer, try it today. It’s free and can save you valuable time and money when it comes to making a flooring choice for your home. Stay tuned to the blog for an update when the grout option is available.

After you have found a floor that you are interested in, click here to find a floor store in your area. Other helpful tools on the site include: Free Decorating Ideas, a quiz to help you determine what styles you like, a workbook to save all of your favorites in, a tool to help you determine how much flooring you will need and how to place your furniture, frequently asked questions and answers and many more helpful design tools!

Click here for more information of choosing grout colors and changing grout colors.