Why the color of the grout looks too light

Choosing a grout color is never an easy process. There are many different brands and colors of grout to choose from and many people don’t know where to start. Mistakes are often made when selecting grout or in the grout installation process that results in grout being too light. Usually a dark rich color was expected only to find a light colored grout where the color appears to have been washed out and opaque.

One of the main reasons grout turns out too light is because the wrong color was chosen in the first place. Many people go to home improvement stores and look at the color swatches on the grout boxes and choose a color based on these color swatches. This can lead to selecting the wrong color which, in most cases, appears lighter than the expected and desired color. Color samples on paper often vary greatly from the actual color of the grout. It is extremely important to use the plastic bar color swatches provided by manufacturers when choosing a grout color. All grout manufacturers supply these plastic stick color swatches, but they are not usually available at big box home improvement stores. It’s best to go to a tile store that has these plastic color swatches when trying to choose a grout color.

Another major reason grout turns out too light is the way it was installed. Grout is often mixed with too much water and this will remove a lot of the colored pigments. Also, inexperienced and careless tile installers will use too much water when cleaning grout from the tile surface. This can also remove a lot of colored pigments and give you a light faded looking color.

Sometimes the wrong brand of grout is used. Certain brands of big box store grout are notorious for looking too light after they are installed. Usually the white colors picked up at the big box stores will work fine, but it’s the darker colors that will lose a lot of their color after they’re installed. It is best to consult with a professional tile installation contractor or tile store consultant when choosing a brand of grout. They will have the experience and know how to guide you in the writing direction to choose a quality brand and color that suits your needs. There are also many newer synthetic urethane and epoxy grouts to choose from that will retain a much richer and more complete color than regular cement-based grouts.