We’re so close to finished on the small bathroom remodel here in the Main House Fixer Upper. If you’ve been following along, you know I installed full height wall subway tiles in the shower and most walls in the bathroom. From there, I installed Carrara looking porcelain floor tiles with brass accent inlays between the tiles. Now it’s time to add the bathroom tile grout, grout sealer, and caulking to finish the tile work.
Wall and Floor Tile Grout:
I want to keep this bathroom looking bright, airy, and a large a possible even though it really is a small room. With that in mind, I decided to use white wall tiles and light-colored floor tiles. Also, white grout between white subway tiles is a bit more forgiving in any small tiling imperfections. Since this is my first tiling project, I liked the idea of hiding a few lessons-learned. So bright white grout it is!
This is the grout I used for both the floor and wall tiles. Polyblend is a non-sanded polymer-modified grout that states it can be used in showers. I figured a non-sanded grout is less porous than sanded grout and better for wet areas.
Simply follow the directions to install the grout between the tile joints. It’s not difficult work, except that is can be physically challenging. I used this grout float from Home Depot to install the grout between tile joints.
Once the grout is in place, you’ll need to wipe excess off with a damp sponge. I’d recommend some good rubber gloves here. The work can be a bit tedious.
Also, I don’ know how, but I missed a few spots on my first go at grouting. That’s OK. I simply came back the next day with more grout and applied it where I’d missed it the first time. Just make sure you clean up excess grout with the damp sponge each time before it dries.
Grout Sealer:
Once the grout was dry, I used this 511 Impregnator Sealer I found at Home Depot to seal the grout. This will help protect it from stains and make it easier to clean. This is applied with a small sponge brush along the grout lines. Wipe off any excess with a cloth rag.
Shower and Bathroom Caulking:
Caulk should be applied instead of grout at changes in plane, meaning at inside corners. I am not caulking outside corners, like along outside edges of the shower niches, because those are finished with Schluter tile edges.
Here is a photo of the grouted and sealed shower subway tile. You can still see a black gap around the interior edge of the upper shower niche. That is a change in plane that needs caulking instead of grout. Because the tile expands and contracts slightly with seasons and temperature changes, if that inside corner were to get grouted, it is very likely to crack over time. Caulk has a bit more flex and should be used here.
I also applied lines of bathroom caulking:
- Inside corners of the shower niches and the window.
- Along the interior corners of the shower.
- Where the bathtub meets the wall tile.
- Where the wall tile meets the floor tile.
- Along the top of the wall where the full height wall tile meets the ceiling.
- Where the floor tile meets the bathtub.
- The expansion gap between the floor tile and the walls to provide some extra waterproofing on the floor.
I used a white bathroom caulk I found at Home Depot that is approved for bathrooms.
Pro tip: to get really clean caulk lines, apply blue tape in each edge of the area to be caulked. Apply the caulk, and then pull off the tape. This will keep your lines really clean and stop the caulking from spreading all over the place.
And that’s the bathroom tile grout, sealer, and caulking done! Next we’ll move on to the fun stuff of installing the toilet, vanity, and shower hardware to really bring this bathroom back to life.
