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paint mixed with tile grout

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#4 ·
I can think of a whole host of reasons why that's a bad idea--first and foremost being they weren't formulated to go with each other. In addition to the color you're looking to take from the paint you're getting everything else along with it.

You're asking for a failure.
 
#7 · (Edited)
would you add grout to make a harder paint?

Contact the manufacturer and get their blessing to custom mix different colors of their product. Getting exact grout colors with cement based is a tough time considering how much water content, humidity, sealing, etc.. can effect the color.

Have you looked at the epoxy color samples? those are supposedly dead on although i don't have the stones to do epoxy until i do it at my house first.
 
#8 ·
No offense, but are you crazy? Doesn't sound like a good idea to me at all.

Can you mix grouts together to get the color you are looking for?
Concrete colorant?

You can also paint the grout after it is cured but I'm not crazy about that either
 
#9 ·
This has got to be a joke. No self respecting contractor would even ask such a question. If that doesn't work maybe your wife or girlfriend has some nail polish that will help you match, or better yet maybe you can find some kids with washable markers to get just the right tint.
 
#10 ·
With all the grout colors available, you can't find the "right one"?

You cannot mix paint into grout...ever!!

If you really can't find the right color.... You may be able to mix up your own color by using different colors of grout. However, I have never tried it and would suggest contacting the manufacturer to see if it's possible. If you decide to go this route the only other suggestion I would have is make sure you mix enough to do the job the first time!
 
#11 ·
Better to ask the question and be called crazy than go ahead and do it and deal with the consequences.

It's a bad idea. You can add dry pigments in small amounts to cement grouts - years ago I talked with the tech people at Laticrete about it, and they were OK with it - it's just mortar, after all. Anything else is messing with the chemistry and asking for failure.

It's also a bad business move to tell a customer that you can create a better, perfectly color-matched grout. You give them the palette, tell them to choose the one they like, and warn them that results may vary.
 
#13 ·
maybe you could use cement dyes, but what are you really saving, geeze I remember parents being psychotically cheap after living through the great depression, is it got to happen again?
 
#14 ·
Adding latex paint will definitely screw up the grout, I believe it's due to the fillers (don't know for sure, but it definitely doesn't work).

Making a custom color match is an iterative process and is very time consuming. You have to dry it and then seal it to see what you'll get. I've had to do it for some matches - big PITA.
 
#19 ·
Acrylic paint may ABSOLUTELY be added to sanded grout. This is a technique I have used for about a decade. Sanded grout is essentially mortar, which uses water to begin a chemical process that hardens it. All in all, even the best applied grout has many inherent vulnerabilities that present themselves over time such as cracking or becoming brittle under stress or vibration, or becoming permissible to moisture. A high quality acrylic paint or latex paint will decrease a number of these flaws, with no downside I've noticed over 10 years. (it can be in some ways more difficult to remove, if you ever need to remove it). Paint, be it latex, acrylic, oil etc. is just a pigmented medium. Latex is the medium for latex paint and acrylic is the base for acrylic paint, both of which are water based, and no water based paint I've used yet has negatively affected any grout application I've done. I would stay away from specialized paints like crackle effect paint, glow in the dark, etc, or at least test a small area first for compatibility. Don't worry about how strong it will be. Last I checked, acrylic is pretty tough stuff. Let an entire tube of acrylic paint dry out completely, and take a chunk of mortar the same size, and see which one is more easily destroyed by a hammer and/or chisel.

1:6 paint:mixed grout ratio is what I found works best. You want to mix the grout to the desired consistency first, and then add the paint. Don't use a cheap acrylic craft paint, but rather an archival artist paint like golden or liquitex. I haven't found the brand to make much difference in latex paints.

Because paint is much more densely pigmented than grout, you can achieve some much richer colors.

Keep in mind the paint will need longer to dry, especially in wet applications like a shower, since until the paint dries into a waterproof material, it is still water soluble. Once it does dry, the grout will be far more waterproof than your neighbors grout.

Enjoy.

So very sorry to bump an old thread; it's usually frowned upon in many forums, especially from a new account, but this is the first result on google when searching for grout+paint, and I fear it may be misleading.
 
#20 ·
solsik said:
Acrylic paint may ABSOLUTELY be added to sanded grout. This is a technique I have used for about a decade. Sanded grout is essentially mortar, which uses water to begin a chemical process that hardens it. All in all, even the best applied grout has many inherent vulnerabilities that present themselves over time such as cracking or becoming brittle under stress or vibration, or becoming permissible to moisture. A high quality acrylic paint or latex paint will decrease a number of these flaws, with no downside I've noticed over 10 years. (it can be in some ways more difficult to remove, if you ever need to remove it). Paint, be it latex, acrylic, oil etc. is just a pigmented medium. Latex is the medium for latex paint and acrylic is the base for acrylic paint, both of which are water based, and no water based paint I've used yet has negatively affected any grout application I've done. I would stay away from specialized paints like crackle effect paint, glow in the dark, etc, or at least test a small area first for compatibility. Don't worry about how strong it will be. Last I checked, acrylic is pretty tough stuff. Let an entire tube of acrylic paint dry out completely, and take a chunk of mortar the same size, and see which one is more easily destroyed by a hammer and/or chisel.

1:6 paint:mixed grout ratio is what I found works best. You want to mix the grout to the desired consistency first, and then add the paint. Don't use a cheap acrylic craft paint, but rather an archival artist paint like golden or liquitex. I haven't found the brand to make much difference in latex paints.

Because paint is much more densely pigmented than grout, you can achieve some much richer colors.

Keep in mind the paint will need longer to dry, especially in wet applications like a shower, since until the paint dries into a waterproof material, it is still water soluble. Once it does dry, the grout will be far more waterproof than your neighbors grout.

Enjoy.

So very sorry to bump an old thread; it's usually frowned upon in many forums, especially from a new account, but this is the first result on google when searching for grout+paint, and I fear it may be misleading.
Click to expand...
This has to be a joke. No manufacturer would EVER approve this method. Grouts, while have similarities to mortar, are not essentially mortar. People spend years and tens of thousands of dollars to get degrees in chemical engineering to then get hired and paid tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars to formulate products. Everything is measured and precisely formulated to give a specific end result.

This has got to be some of the most irresponsible advice I have seen on CT. You should NEVER add anything to any product that hasn't been tested and approved by the manufacturer.
 
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