Went with sanded grout instead of unsanded on my kitchen backsplash, big mistake

I was retiling my kitchen backsplash last weekend and had to pick between sanded and unsanded grout for 1/8 inch joints. The guy at the counter said unsanded would be fine for tight lines, but I went with sanded because I thought it'd be stronger. Now I'm spending my Saturday scraping out gritty residue from every single gap because it wouldn't pack down right. Anyone else made this call and regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole_murphy8d ago

i bet the real issue is that sanded grout in 1/8 gaps basically turns into a gritty paste that fights you the whole way, it's not about strength it's about the sand grains being bigger than the gap itself. you ever try packing wet sand into a narrow crack, it just pushes back. did you get the epoxy variety by chance or just standard cement stuff?

spencer_gonzalez18d ago

Switched to unsanded grout mid job. Total game changer. Flows right into those 1/8 gaps like butter. No fighting, no gritty paste pushing back. Just smooth and easy.