Past Questions
Walter,
Why is the grout in the shower floor darker than the grout on the walls?
Mike D. - Pomona, California
Mike,
There is more moisture trapped beneath the tile in the deck mud used to float the shower floor. The only way the moisture can escape is through the grout joints. The longer it takes to cure, the darker the joint will be. The floor joints will be harder than the wall joints also.
Walter
Walter,
Why do I need spacers to install tile on any wall?
Greg B. - Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Greg,
Some tiles have lugs on the edges that automatically gauge the joints in relation to each other. Some tiles, like granite, will not have any gauging lugs on the edges to automatically space the tiles, so that is where our spacers come in handy. In addition to setting ease, sometimes spacing the tiles further from each other will make the wall you are setting be full tiles. In the old days we used string or rope, depending on the size of the joint. From the weight pressing down on the rope, it is very difficult to remove the rope, without popping out some tiles. So much for the good old days.
Walter
Walter,
I have a bathroom tile job that I'm about half way through. I've been using your 1/16" leave-in spacers which I must say are working great. Today, I ran out of spacers and because my supplier doesn't have any in stock, I visited your website to see where I could get more. During my search, I read that the 1/16" in spacers are NOT supposed to be left in! So, what are the repercussions of leaving these in? The tile I'm working with is fairly thick for wall tile (3/8" thick), so I don't expect grout adhesion to be an issue. I've also heard that many installers do leave these in, although it is not officially recommended by the manufacturer. Any thought would be appreciated as I'd love to use these spacers and leave them in for the rest of the job as well! Thanks in advance.
Nate S. - Abilene, Texas
Nate,
The hollow spacer line was designed with cored out holes in the spacers sizes 1/8" and above. These are the only sizes that allow grout to flow through them and in extensive testing were approved by the Tile Council of America to be left in. Unfortunately the 1/16" spacer does not have enough wall thickness to allow coring out, thus allowing one to leave them in and grouting over. As the manufacturer, I must advise you to remove the 1/16" spacer before grouting. This is the only way to properly use the 1/16" spacer in tile installations. If you are very careful you can still remove the spacers already used and ensure that the grout will fill those areas fully and not present any typical problem associated with leaving the spacer in.
Walter
Walter,
I am a homeowner. My tile guy left areas on my travertine floor where the thinset dried (between the tiles) and it is too high - no room for grout. It needs to come out before I have somebody else grout the floor. Do you have a hand tool that will do this job?
Nancy B. - Leawood, Kansas
Nancy,
Thanks for your inquiry Nancy. Without going into the quality of installation, the thinset problem sounds like part of a bigger problem. But let's focus on the present problem. Thinset oozing up between the joints is rather common during installation. One needs only to scrub and wash the floor as it is being set to eliminate the problem mentioned. This did not happen and now you are faced with the task of removing the hardened thinset before grouting.
Travertine is very soft and it is easy to damage the tiles if one is not careful. We make a tool with a carbide insert on one end that would scrape the thinset out of the joint to make it ready for grouting. Our Scraper # 70809 would do the job for you. Also if you are adventurous you could purchase our #74000 Handyman Complete Installation kit. In this kit is a complete grouting system (with video) that will allow you to grout the floor yourself and not need another tile installer. The choice is yours. Another way to address this joint problem is to just hire someone to do all the work and not be involved. I hope I have given you enough options to get the job done!
Walter
Walter,
I just purchased your Ultra Grouting System and have watched the DVD. You forgot to mention what the different sponges are used for. I see on the top side, one is for walls and one for the floor, but I am not sure what the "rough" types are for.
Glenn C. - Conway, South Carolina
Kevin,
First, I want to thank you for the wonderful comments about our Ultra Grouting System. At Barwalt, we are very proud of our tools and what they mean to you, the Tile Contractor. We love to get these types of comments, to guide us in helping you be more efficient in the field. It is our mission in life to help you each and every day. Any day you can install more tile with less effort and achieve the best work, is a good day. I am continually looking for ways to improve our tools and Tile Installation in general. Although I don't think we will ever replace traditional floats, we are looking at our own version of a stand up grouting system, but we do sell several existing products that you can grout standing up. Please look at the "Grouting Systems" category on our online Catalog, and thank you again for using Barwalt tools.
Walter
Walter,
Is it possible to get leave-in spacers in 3/32"aw I use your 1/8" and 3/16" leave-ins already and love them for stacking tiles up walls. I can set and grout in the same day on walls this way.
Wayne R. - Lowell, MI
Wayne,
I am really glad that you are asking this important question. We found it impossible to make a 3/32" spacer (hollow), thus allowing it to stay in and be grouted over. 1/8" is really the minimum joint size that we allow our hollow 1/8" spacer to be left in. I, like you sometimes like to use a 3/32" joint and when grouting, I will buy un-sanded grout and add #60 grit sand. This allows me to grout in this joint size, not have cracking joints, give a smoother joint, which is easier to clean.
It is still our recommendation to pull out any spacer that we do not recommend to stay in.
Hope this helps you in your quality work.
Walter
Walter,
I'm a tile contractor, and started using your products last year, (when Virginia Tile started selling your product) and I love them. I've been using the Ultralight Grout Wall Floats #81310, and they are great, but I was wondering what is the best float for floors? I use the wall floats on abrasive quarry tile all the time and they wear out fast, what float should I be using on this type of application? I will buy boxes if you have something that lasts longer. Also do you guys sell direct, or through dealer? Thanks a lot.
Phil A. - Grand Rapids, Michigan
Phil,
While the Barwalt wall floats will work on floors, using an abrasive Quarry tile will wear any float out faster. If I may, I would suggest you try our # 81400 Epoxy Floor Float. It has more rubber on the working surface and will wear longer. Also, as it wears you can reshape the squeegee edge and the float will last longer. I am sure you are charging more to set the abrasive quarry tiles, because it is harder to clean them. This will offset the higher cost of the float.
I hope this answers your question. Also, Barwalt is mainly a manufacturer and a whole distributor and we only sell to qualified Distributors and Dealers. We at Barwalt appreciate your positive comments about our products and will always try to give you your dollars worth.
Walter
Walter,
Can hollow spacers be kept in when applying epoxy grout?
Mike S. - Merrimac, MA
Mike,
Thank you for your interest in Barwalt products and for writing. Because there are so many different brands of epoxy grout, I recommend that you try one sample area and see what happens. If after curing there are no differences, directly over the spacer and the surrounding area, then it is OK to go ahead and grout your entire job.
Being sure is the best way to proceed.
Walter