Grout is the last thing most people think about and the first thing that dates a tile installation. Pigment powder mixes straight into it, so you can have any grout color you want — and you are not limited to one.
Grout colored with concrete pigment.
Calculating the pigment load
This is harder than it should be, because grout manufacturers rarely state accurate weights or percentages. As a working figure, a bag of grout is typically 23–26% cement and/or lime — and cement and lime are the only ingredients that matter, since they are the only ones that take color. Everything else is filler as far as pigment is concerned.
Sealing colored grout
For long-term protection against water, mildew and oil, use a penetrating sealer. It is colorless with a matte finish, so it protects the joint without dulling or shifting the color you just mixed.
From a tile setter
Diane of Tiles with Style uses pigment in both mortar and grout, and makes a point worth repeating: grout color is a design decision, not a finishing detail.
— Diane, Tiles with Style
What's Next
- Mortar too → Custom Mortar Colors
- Other surfaces → Cement, Stucco, Grout and Overlays
- Test first → Pigment Sampler
- Applying stain outdoors → How to Apply Outdoor Concrete Stain
- Choosing a sealer → The Best Concrete Sealer
- Prefer a reactive, mottled look? → Acid Stain Colors Guide
- Shop → EverStain™ Kits · Trial Kits
Direct Colors. Shawnee, OK. Manufacturing the full decorative concrete system since 1997.
