WHICH GROUT IS BEST??? Grout Testing with SHOCKING Results!!! 

37:11 Worst - Prism and Kiesel. Note the sorrow/shock/horror in their eyes as they see Prism miserably fail. It was their favorite before this test. 37:30 Best - Mapei Ultra color, for abrasion/scratching. However, they didn't test color leaching. Using the same/similar dark color for all would be helpful. Summary - Color leached from ALL tested grouts. Most get soft when wet/soaked. 17:00 Kiesel, scratch test - fail when wet 19:27 Mapei Ultra color, scratch test, slower to absorb water 21:10 Laticrete Perma color, soft when wet 23:30 Prism, guys liked quick cleanup. 25:30 Recap of worst to best. 26:20 Permacolor select, soft when wet 29:55 Ardex FL, creamy, finished nice, hard when dry, some color rubbed off. 32:30 TEC Power Grout, shortest working time, hard when dry, 38:30 Spectralock one test result coming... 39:00 Fusion is crap Thanks! Good info, going to go seal the Ardex FL we laid 2wks ago . Please test Epoxy grouts... would appreciate Laticrete Spectralock and Ardex WA being part of that test.

That many guys together working and no swearing, you guys are true media professionals. Thanks for taking the time to conduct this test.

Project Farm needs to test this out

Hey Tile Coach this is the video I’ve been wanting to see!! I have a request though. Could you do the video again, but allow the grout to be the only variable. Same person mix, follow directions 100%, same water temp, and only use all the same tile? Great video though

I have a theory/suggestion about this issue. In the past 10 years we've moved over to 1/8in grout joints almost exclusively. The thinner the grout joint, the less ability the grout has to bond together and be strong, especially if too much water is used to finish it. It can drown it out a lot easier. I think this is an inherent issue with smaller grout joints. My suggestions is to do this same test with 1/4in grout joints and i think you will see that the grout joints will hold up a lot better. I used to be a grouter exclusively and grouted lots of houses on my own and i don't ever remember having this issue with bigger grout joints. Although i will say, i was using the original Customs Grout bags, maybe the old stuff is just stronger than the new stuff with all the extra ingredients. Also a few other things about this test.. I think using thinner tile, like these mosaics that sit more flat to the substrate cause there to be less grout joint depth and that also causes the joints to be shallow and get drowned out easy. As well as the fact that this is glass tile, the water cannot get absorbed in the tile like ceramic and porcelain. With ceramic and porcelain tile, it can help with the drying process when grouting because the tile will absorb some of that water. With the glass, most of the water will stay in the grout joint until it evaporates. Great video, these type of experiments only help us understand these things better.

I just retired after 45 years setting. I don't much care for the modern conventional groups. For the last 12 years I've been using Spectralock on almost everything. Finished product is hard,stain resistant, color consistant, and waterproof. I know a lot guys hate epoxy but I think it's easier once you get your procedure down pat. It's all in the timing. The owner and housekeepers love it.

Isaac is going to end up using Cement as grout Lol

Aloha, Mapei UltraColor Plus FA has been our best grout so far over the years. It also has Sealer in it, but we still add an extra coat 511 because the humidity here and weather is no joke. Mahalo for the awesome videos!!! 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽

The only grout I've ever used is Mapei, though I'm not a pro, but I've used Keracolor, Ultracolor Plus FA, and Flexcolor CQ and liked them all. Ultracolor seems to dry the hardest, but iirc Ultracolor has CSA cement in it, it's not just Portland cement, so that probably explains it. In Mapei's own literature they actually recommend Ultracolor Plus FA for tiling subway tunnels and mass transit use, so I'm assuming it's pretty strong stuff.

What a f***** goat rope. Don't these guys do this every day as regular job duties? Seems they should have known mix ratios and time to mix. Maybe that's why some of your grouting jobs may not be the most optimal results.

Use similar colors. Comparing a white with a heavily pigmented black is far from apples to apples!

Great comparison video! About to use Tec Power Grout as my tiled floors have it and it’s held up for years. I think the 511 sealer makes a huge difference especially when wet.

Can't wait to see you test flex cq and the other comparable products. Glad the grout I choose is the winner on this one. Keep up the good content man. I have changed a few things I do because of your videos.

I want to see you try this with Mapei's premixed product. As a DIYer I did a lot of research on this, the flexcolor CQ line was the only premixed product most people didn't find bad. I think Prism had one that was decent too. I used the flexcolor premixed and have done plenty of scrubbing on my grout joints without issue. Their magic is that the color is part of the "sand" (actually quartz balls) not a pigment like traditional grout. So you can't wash out the color during install. I am now wondering if that means you wouldn't have any issues like you see here with the terry towel. If you try it, beware! It dries crazy fast. If you let a test board like this sit for more than 5 minutes you'd be pretty screwed. I'd just follow their instructions pretty closely for timing and wiping.

Some of these grouts need days to get really hard? I don’t think scrapping day old grout is any way to judge the grout? After a while they should all be comparable equally hardness wise! Nobody’s going to be scrapping new grout out hopefully? I would never use a premixed grout or thinset, they don’t cure the normal way Portland cement cures, wich is in most powdered grout.

Did you put any sealer on them? I would hope having a sealer would minimize the effects the water has on making them fold.

Isaac, have you ever tried colored silicone for grout for shower floor? Just wondering?

Hey Isaac. What is your go to grout right now, especially seeing most don't perform as one would expect.

Like a couple of others who've commented, this is "regular" grout which I only use for backsplashes. All my other installations are grouted with Spectralock epoxy grout. Been using it for over 10 years. I have customers whose floors look the same 10 years later with decent maintenance. This video is great for DIYers and pros who are afraid of epoxy.

I would have made boxes from them, sealed the edges, and watertested for another week 😅

I wanted to see Polyblend get tested. I left the haze on a floor for a few days and when I went back I was scrubbing it with a wire brush and water and it wouldn't soften it at all. It literally has a polymer on it so it seems superior to all of these grouts.

Great test ! I have been saying this for years . Especially when an installer mixes or used out of spec. You know the guys .... grouts tough to spread so they add water or with power grout dont set a timer then scrub with a wet sponge. There is a minimum time to spread and wash key factors in a good grout job but being ina wet area like a shower floor and cleaned like most customers do to get soap build up off is crazy. Hmmmm epoxy for wet areas ?

Not shocking, disliked

I recently had a bathroom remodel and Simple Grout was used. This grout is 10 days post application and is not hard but kind of rubbery or spongy. For emample if you press your pinky finger into a grout line with some force it will indent then reform to its original shape. Is this normal? Could the installer have mis- used this product causing it to not dry/cure properly? I am quite worried. It was an expensive remodel and the contractors are not very helpful with questions or critiques.

Hardness is not the only parameter though in fact hardness can be a bad thing because grout is the expansion joint. softness means stretchable. Prism covers a very wide range of joint sizes and probably sticks and stays better without cracking over a longer period of time over the hardest grout. You have to consider all of the science not just one focus because it doesn't always add up the same when considering many parameters. Not to mention the cure times for the product are not the same!!!! Prism is 14 days!!! not to mention the other products which are probably similar or even longer and may have an even better result after several months vs one week.

I think I'm gonna throw up! Guys, please get a tripod make the camera STATIONARY, and move the product into view. Use a second cam for the interview shots or simply pause and take it off the pod. One great positive I see many other screw up on is audio, and you guys have that well packed! Interesting video, Yet one of the MSOT popular brands is CUSTOM BUILDING PRODUCTS, Nonsanded PoyBlend, and that is what folks use a lot of as larger format tiles with very minimal grout lines is desirable for a seamless look on many higher end homes. I am not saying CBP Polyblend is a good product, but being the go-to grout, would be nice to know how bad it is. Lets make one for non-sanded? Overall, love the video concepts and the testing!! Great video info...help us not get a headache and get a tripod :-)

No slake for rapid set grout.

Epoxy grout is the best quality.....Just a pain in the ass to install it. If i have to use epoxy grout regularly, i'll just quit Installing tile. I hate epoxy grout.

I’d like to see how Mapei flex color does under these tests.

Team meetings are a must! Would love to see how you handle yours play-by-play! Sometimes we have to have ours in the van on the way to work but at least once a week I like to have my employee talk to me about how his week is going.

Can you test the premixed grout that can be applied right out of the container it comes in?

Just put down prism the other day on 200sqft of tile. No complaints on color or consistency and I drill-mixed it. It is holding up well but does seem to be soft especially if in contact with water. It indicates on the box that it is "ideal for... submerged grout joints" 😬 ...anyway the floor I tiled won't have too much to do with water so I am thinking it will be fine.

Looking forward to the Spectralock 1 and higher end grouts, maybe even epoxy demos one day. Thanks boss, great video

Let see some epoxy grout test.

Mapei Ultracolor FA

Seems to me since water penetrates the grout and softens it ...then a sealer additive is a must right? Re test with sealer additive instead of water

FYI...it's not a very good scientific test....next time use the the SAME EXACT tile and color for ALL of the grouts and don't reveal the grout names until after scrapping. ALSO seal all grout lines first before scrapping and wiping with clothes. ALSO scrap them all the same direction and same grout gap widths, etc...plus measure the moisture prior to test because some great may not be fully cured due to different tile sizes, gaps, and content like glass, porcelain, ceramic, etc. ALSO scrap each exact gap using the same exact pressure and when your done measure the new depth and record each reading on paper, etc...Think about it even concrete takes 28 to cure and even then you can scratch your name in the concrete with a razor blade. Next time use concrete as one of your grouts too...Lastly ask yourself out loud is using a razorblade and good scientific test for hardness and durability of grout lines...would you use a razorblade on your brand new car's paint job to test for hardness and cleaning durability....next time try doing your testing by filling Dixie cups and seal half the surface and cure it longer (28 days)...

Awesome. Ultra color has built in sealer. Try putting sealer before the test. Just a suggestion. Thanks guy's. Aloha🤙🏼

Guessing you used the maximum amount of water and didn't mix to instructions regarding time to spin. Wet grouts dry soft. I'd like to see minimum water mixes. I don't have a soft grout using select and minimum water to mix...gotta be quick. My beef, no matter the grout or mortar used it all comes with only a 1 year warranty.

Wouldn't sealing help with hardness? Especially because all seem to soften up with water. Is sealing standard?

Would be good to see an epoxy grout like spectralock pro premium grout with part A and B

How the heck do we clean our grout then? I use a nylon bush in my shower (sanded grout) and I definitely get sandy particles after cleaning. Honestly, how the heck are you supposed to clean it???

Troxell floats are the absolute best

I absolutely love Spectralok and it’s all I ever use in wet areas. Never had a call back I’m doing a shower floor now and I’m trying to get spectralock pro but with covid I’m having a hard time finding

Come to my house, my power grout is coming out of the grout joints entirely. That powergrout test shoulda been scraped the same direction and hardness the other guy was.

Any way you guys will test “pre-mixed” Grouts any time soon?

Everyone pronounces mapei different lol

did somebody test flexcolor cq? To compare with FA(hardness, scratch resistance, color consistency...). From my experience is super stiff after install, but I like more to work with FA. So I am looking for different opinions, from other professionals. Is it my understanding correct if I say CQ is somewhere between epoxy and cement base grout? Thanks for every opinion.

Ultra color is my favorite grout. I ve been using it for many years. It works for small and large joints plus it hardens quick if you have more work to do after grouting. For some reason I knew it will be the winner.

What's the proper way to clean your shower tile if you can't scrape it

I used Tec grout yesterday for the first time, and was taken aback by how fast it sets up. I'm talking hard within an hour. Though it did come off pretty easy after wetting it down.

Also permacolor select wipe it all down with damp sponge. Let it reemulsify. Then wipe off the grout from surface and work joints. Let set for 3 hours. Then final wipe. You have to follow directions.

How about testing after sealing. Prizm may have failed the worst, but on the other hand, it may absorb sealer very well and greatly improve. Being a DIYer, I like the fact that its easy to work with. However, I am definitely inclined to use Mapei in my shower and floors in the bathroom. Does the Mapei product you used have sealer in it?

I’ve tiled for 40years and I mix grout in the amount that I need, and add water or additive, until I get the right thickness, these guys don’t have a clue? Some grout needs to set up a little bit more than others before cleaning, others need a fast moist rinse with a sponge, than a bit of time to set up? Believe it or not, the cheap custom brand from Home Depot is one of the best of them Mapie is also very good!

Dam it. I just regrouted 2500 square ft using Prism. I'm in contact with the company due to color issues, but now Im going to check the wet concerns. That was a heck if a lot if work removing all the grout and regrouting it!

VERY TERRIFYING, when you Workers DON'T read the introductions

Would be interesting to see how much better the grout performs at their 28th day when it’s reached full strength.

Thanks for making this video learned a lot from it Coach

Comical. . . Amateurs. Mixing for 5 will create to much air in the grout, causing softness and flaking. This is a poor test clinic.

TEC is one of the best grouts (if they stop changing their formula, seems to change monthly. Although still a solid grout), Bostik Hydroment Vivid I would say is a top line product, maybe a little better than Power Grout. Mapei is decent, very easy to install, but easy to scrap. Prism is great for glass, but still easy to scrap. Most grout (unless epoxy is used) are easy to scrap out a week or a month after install. Most of the grout I saw were mixed improperly per the instructions on the bags. Grout should only be mixed below 600 RPMs.

In the end, and using the 20 uears of experience I've gained, if u can take grout out using nothing but a razor knife, even if it.has compression strength that pass of superceed industry standards, what does it matter. That grout is not going to do what it is intended. I have a project where we used Uzin high performance grout, and I used it 100% according to manufacture spec, and every joint in the house has failed. I took out 20 linear ft of grout with one segment of my snap razor blade. But, I go to the university to do a repair here and there, and the tile needs a jack hammer to get out and a grinder with my aggressive high end ceramic blade to even touch it. In my opinion, there is an issue here. I cant tell my customers that their grout is cracking because its made soft now, and that's just the way it is now when ceramic is supposed to b a 25 year product minimum. I cant tell them that the color leaves the grout every time they wash it is the new norm. The mapei hybrid does.work well. I need mechanical tools to remove it. It doesn't discolor, its hard, doesn't crack (yet), and is very user friendly. This costs me alot of money on warranty issues that r blamed on me, when I did nothing but use the product the way it was intended

"Oh all you have left is to grout that's easy"

Very interesting video. I personally like permacolor and standard accucolor from tec. I can say I have never had a problem with either. Mapei on the other hand has been a source of problems for me over the years. I have another test you can conduct and hope to see. Use the regular or standard lines and mix them with a latex additive and see how they perform. I always use tec's additive when mixing accucolor.

Quartzlock is the only way to go. I had to remove 2 tiles due to plumber installing shower valve wrong and it took a heat gun at high heat to even get a grinder to cut out the this grout.

im sure you know this but when you test hardness of grout in a shower the grout on the floor will be 100 times harder than the grout near the top. thats because its cement and the more times cement gets wet the harder it becomes.

Would be nice to see different backsplashes ie glass stone subway contrasted with light medium dark grout. Some people would benefit from seeing how colors compliment the tile. Thanks1😊

WOW! Was grout like this 30 years ago .I remember having to take a circular saw at my grout when I messed up my DIY project.It was only less than a month old and it was harder than the tiles 😵

So what’s the recommendation here given all of them suck? Is there a strengthener? Epoxy, additive?

Isaac, I have always loved your videos, but this one made me way too dizzy with too much camera movement. Not enjoyable to watch😢

Well I guess I'll stop dragging sharp objects across my grout joints every time I shower. Gonna be a hard habit to break.

Did you end up testing the Mapei flex color? I'm about to use it on a shower and was wondering how it would hold up.

Try Custom ceg lite,it’s the easiest epoxy I’ve ever worked with ,lots of pot life when dumped on a mortar board about, 45 mins and washes up with a few drops of dawn dish soap nicely even after 45 mins,and I mix partial batches ,with no color variation even tho it’s says not too ha

This was tough to watch. Those samples should have set for a day. Glass tile will cure grout different than a porcelain, ceramic, or natural stone. Grout will whipe off if it hasn't cured. Do it again, and fucking do it right. Actually mortar the tile to some backer board with quick flex, grout em. Let the shit set... Then tear into them. Also would like to see you smash the samples afterwards.

Looks like the norm for grout hardness is a softer grout. Maybe the brands think that the grout there for “looks” & what keeps it adhered to substrate is the installation of choice......for the “thin set” etc... Just seems awkward because as everyone knows, there are customers out there that scrub the crap out of their showers & tile😉 Great interesting vid👍🏻

What about epoxy grouts for steam shower applications? What would you recommend? Thanks love your videos man!

Loved your video. Very helpful. I am grouting a stained glass gazing ball. Home Depot says to use Fusion Pro. So I bought and want to return it because it looks like a major hassle. The gazing ball will be outside during the summer. I'm an artist. Should I use Malpei Ultra Color? Add an grout additive to withstand the rain? Please answer if you have a minute, thank you.

What about hardening add mixes like Laticrete's 1776?

Does anyone body know the premixed epoxy grout with a slower set up time? Are all epoxy grouts fast drying?

Customs new Polyblend Plus??..better resistance to efflorescence

Would using a grout sealer make it harder to wash out or scrape out?

Did you say fusion pro is bad? If so can you please give some more information and detail on why please.

I’m in the UK but watch your videos ... so glad I watched this one. I had already purchased the Mapei for my shower floor!!!!! We don’t have the other brands so much here in England. So ... this evening I grouted my mosaics and they look fab, I’m confident now that they will be good 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

Did you tried this with a thinset? Try, so you will see the same effect on the wet thinset.

It's been two years, can you check it now? If you even still have those samples.

Have you tested flexcolor cq??

Meetings aren't for me, but I am just one viewer.

Do any of these grouts need a sealer though?

Couldn’t hear what anyone was saying over the drills

thanks for the video but the camera work was bad

Why didn't you try normal grout with no additives

Have used tec powergrout more than any other brand. You have to spread less at a time than any other because of how fast it sets. But you can have light traffic after a few hours and it is very hard when cured.

Pre-fab shower pans are growing on me over the years!

We've been using mapei flexcolor CQ, we just call it CQ, for years now. It's amazing. Cant use it in steam rooms, and not great for restaurant kitchens. Other than that, you're good. No mix. No problems. Honestly, I've grouted in my corners in showers with it and have never heard a word. For what it's worth.

Someone mentioned Bostik. I would be interested to see you test the Bostik Neverseal or some of their other products against the Spectalock 1. Of course, the reason I am interested is because I used their Neverseal to grout my screened-in porch. I will say that it was very challenging to grout outside with the sun shining on the tile.

Is there any way that sealing the grout joints could prevent it from getting softer and keeping the correct color, that won't get wet look....

Wow I was surprised power grout started setting up so fast. Usually mapei is real fast. Maybe humidity in N.C. don’t use that fusion. It came out with running water after curing for : weeks. Mapei cq prepare for quick setup and film. I just don’t use premix anymore. So I wasn’t to know about spectra 1. May as well just use epoxy. That was a great test. After 32 years plus I never tried or even thought I needed to think my grout was going to fall apart. Thanks Isaac now I’m going to test. 🙁

Would love to see Spectralock 1 test compared to these.

My favorite float is the one is used to do epoxy grout...also it has been my experience that if I grout twice the floor you have better results on resistance and also the grout lines looks more filled no matter what kind of grout i use but this is my experience and my opinion based in 15 yrs of being a female tile installer...also is critical that you let the grout dry enough before it gets cleaned out....

Where in Nor Cal bossman, I'm in Sac

All I use is mapei best one in my books ... custom beats any dark colored grout