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100K views 103 replies 35 participants last post by  jbdivinedesign 
#1 · (Edited)
This covers both grouts from StarQuartz: QuartzLock 2 & StarGlass and TruColor by Bostik.

*Don't let the grout freeze!

*The buckets have a Vapor-Lock lid. Make sure it is well sealed to insure a 2 year shelf life.

*The day prior to installing, I like to turn the bucket upside down. This will allow the urethane liquid to rise to the bottom (think about it). When you turn the bucket right side up, the liquid will be on the bottom and be a bit easier to stir.

*I like to use a cordless drill and small 2" spiral paddle. Those type of paddles pull from the bottom up so you get a nice even distribution of the urethane liquid. Clean the paddle immediate when finished mixing. Even allowing it to soak in a bucket of water won't delay the grout curing. It will harden quickly and you'd have a lumpy paddle.

*For tile other then smooth glazed, I like to lightly dampen the tile prior to spreading grout. Do not over dampen! Too much moisture and a hard, sharp-edged epoxy float will pull excess water into the grout joint with the grout. That's not a good thing.

*Use an epoxy grout float when using urethane grout. The exception is using StarGlass over easily scratched surfaces.

*I cannot stress how important this part is.....do not spread more than 4-6 sq ft at first. Until you get a feel for how quickly the grout will start hardening, just do a very little bit at a time. Urethane grout can be wiped up immediately. I cannot stress this enough.

*I cannot stress enough the advice given above.

*For the initial wipe on floors, I use an epoxy sponge grout bucket set up. A regular grout sponge will work just fine. Do not over wet the sponge. Do not press too hard and dig the grout out of the joints. Clean up is very simple. Urethane grout doesn't seem to dirty a sponge as quickly as cementitious grout does (IMO). Make sure to do a very good cleaning. Installing in small sections helps. Do not leave the grout unwashed for more than 5 minutes. Use the epoxy float to help remove excess grout.

*Repeat the install/clean in small sections. After initial wipe of second section, use a lightly damp microfiber cloth to do a final wipe on the previous section. Keep the cloth barely damp. This will help remove any leftover haze before it has a chance of really drying. Be careful to not dig out grout with the cloth.

*You have about 15 minutes to easily remove the haze before it becomes very troublesome.

*Using 5 gallon buckets, you can use 2 with clean water to wash about 250-300 sq ft of grout. I also like to have another bucket of water available for cleaning hands and tools. Doesn't have to be a full 5 gal. I like to clean my float after about every 15 minutes. Epoxy floats are expensive. Allowing the urethane to dry on them can ruin one in about 30 minutes.

*Address any haze issues as quickly as possible. I have had very good results with the microfiber cloth to buff haze. If too much time has passed for the microfiber to clean easily, a 2-sided sponge (the side with the scrubbing pad) might be more effective.

*You can pause as often as you like when installing. Just make sure to clean your tools before pausing and that the lid is properly sealed on the grout. You will feel a snap when the lid is secured.

*You can stir the grout as often as you'd like. The more consistent the urethane liquid is throughout, the easier the grout will spread. If too much urethane has risen to the top, when you get to the bottom of the bucket, the grout will be much harder to spread and almost ball up when spreading.

*StarQuartz's Blaze cleaning product is recommended for haze removal. If that's not available, these are the other products and methods recommended: Aqua Mix Heavy-Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner, Miracle Tile & Stone Cleaner, or DuPont StoneTech Professional KlenzAll Cleaner on a white scrubby Doodlebug cleaning pad, rubbing the tile lightly to remove any remaining urethane haze, then using a damp sponge and clean water, wipe the surface to remove the film remover (do not flood surface with cleaner). Finish by drying the tile surface with a clean towel or cloth. If you still can't remove the haze, you're a moron and didn't listen to my advice in the first place :tt2:

*Cure times:
Tack-free: 8 hours
Light foot traffic: 24 hours
Heavy foot traffic (commercial): 72 hours
Stain free: 3 days
Showers, exterior or other wet locations: 7 days

*Do not use enzyme or no-rinse cleaners on urethane grout. Just as with epoxy grout, enzyme or no-rinse cleaners can attack the integrity of the grout. StarQuartz recommends Soft Scrub with Bleach or any orange-based cleaner.

That's about it. I have used QuartzLock (and StarGlass) exclusively for 3 years and have not had a problem. I took my time at first but now it's second nature to me and grouting is usually the fastest part of the project.
 
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#7 ·
Thanks for the tips Angus! I just tried the urethane grout instead of the laticrete brand epoxy.

With your tips, in addition the instructions on the jug, I had a smooth and easy installation.

The only downsides to the urethane seem to be cost and availability in my area.

I will probably make the switch to urethane though.
 
#8 ·
I used this on a wall the other day w/ 1/8th inch joints. I scrubbed the wall down first. After application I wiped down and the water from the mosaics above all found its way to the joints below the mosaic. The urethane grout started to sag. I had to scrape it out and reapply. Just a heads up to really watch the amount of water being used for clean up especially in this situation. Maybe start at the top and work your way down.

That's what I will do next time.
 
#9 ·
I also found it useful to mask off the floor, so I didn't need to be as worried about dropped grout. For sure, top first and work your way down. This stuff is a little loose, and is easy to drop off the float.
 
#18 ·
This covers both grouts from StarQuartz: QuartzLock 2 & StarGlass and TruColor by Bostik.



*I like to use a cordless drill and small 2" spiral paddle. Those type of paddles pull from the bottom up so you get a nice even distribution of the urethane liquid. Clean the paddle immediate when finished mixing. Even allowing it to soak in a bucket of water won't delay the grout curing. It will harden quickly and you'd have a lumpy paddle.
Is there still a warning on the label about over-mixing or is that a thing of the past?

I always hand mix it in fear of over-mixing but I can't honestly say I've re-read the label since a few years ago.
 
#23 ·
Epoxy is catalyst-cured where as urethane is air-cured. Because of this, ANSI 118.3 standards are not all comparable with urethane. However, urethane passes or exceeds all 118.3 standards applicable. To me, that puts QuartzLock and SpectraLOCK in the same category.
Linear shrinkage = .06%
Water absorption = <1%

Since the 118.3 compression test is not applicable for urethane, the TCNA performed their own test between the two. SpectraLOCK is rated at 3500 psi while QuartzLock achieved 4000 psi.

From how I understand the properties of epoxy, when it cures it becomes very hard, almost brittle. Urethane is different. It has semi-elastic properties which will not allow it to shatter, unlike cementitious or epoxy grout.

While both are highly stain resistant, in a head to head test (TCNA), urethane was actually more stain resistant with certain products. Equal elsewhere.

So, I believe the advantages of urethane are:
-no allergic reactions possible
-even more stain resistant
-better compression strength
-more color consistency (no mixing so no user error possible)
-easier to apply (just my personal opinion after using both grouts)
-cheaper
-easier clean up (just 1 cleaning pass water w/orange cleaner 5gal/1oz ratio)
-much greater workable time (4 hours). You can stop, close the lid and return within up to three years later with the same bucket of grout. This leads to less waste which technically helps with the cheaper cost too.

disadvantages:
-availability
-long term durability
-air-cured needs 7 days dry time before introducing water (wet locations).

This is not the case with a dry location installation.
Tack free = 8 hours
Light foot traffic = 24 hours
Heavy foot traffic = 48 hours
Stain resistant = 3 days

review of grout:
Cementitious pros:
cheap
availability
easy sell
no special tools necessary
Cementitious cons:
old technology
stain-able
susceptible to cracking
can be over-washed easily
needs regular sealing
hard to clean once stained
efflorescent-prone
not color consistent

Epoxy pros:
stain resistant
no sealing necessary
multiple manufacturers produce
availability commonplace
color consistent
very low permeability
Epoxy cons:
cost
possible tricky installation
special float necessary
haze hard to remove
contains BPAs
can cause allergic reactions
brittle
can have lots of waste
susceptible to UV yellowing

Urethane pros:
stain resistant
no sealing necessary
color consistent
very low permeability
easy installation/easy clean up
no user mixing errors
long shelf life
remains pliable
Urethane cons:
cost
special float necessary
availability
cure time in wet locations
installation not typical and can be messed up if directions aren't followed properly*
 
#24 ·
Excellent post, Angus! Thank you. In addition the higher compression strength, the issue with leftover is key. I can't tell you how many times I've had to mix up another batch of epoxy grout just to finish up a small area and then chuck the rest. Very expensive. It would be nice if Laticrete would supply the A&B in recloseable plastic containers instead of the baggies they use now.

I'll have to give it a try on my next tile job.
 
#25 ·
i'd like to use ureathane more except for one thing, there is no cleaner if you mess up. At least with epoxy you have a chance to correct a problem. That's the biggest downside IMO.

Also, I'm not sure if it is easy to use for a shower ceiling. It might sag out of the joint in that application. Maybe someone that's used it for a ceiling will talk about that application.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Yes there are, Gary.

Blaze and StoneTech KlenzAll are 2 cleaners to help dried haze. Honestly, the best thing is to not let it haze. I have not see any haze situation that couldn't be solved by getting to it within a few hours.

Grouting above head is tricky but can be done. It's not worth trying to describe how to do it. You figure it out quickly or eat a lot of urethane. :laughing:
 
#29 ·
This is for people like me that don't wipe enough with their sponge the first time around:

One thing I've learned to do, if I've missed a spot cleaning when wiping everything down, is to use a sanding sponge to knock loose any light grout stuck to the surface of the towel. Then I use the blaze cleaner to remove the haze. If it's a really big miss, like a 1/32" layer of grout smeared, I use a 4" razor scraper, followed by the sponge, followed by blaze.

Sometimes I find it easier just to commit to the extra cleaning rather than trying to get it perfect the first time around. Trying to get every bit of sand and urethane out of your sponge the first time around can be a pain.
 
#30 ·
I don't understand why so many people seem to have issues with cleaning. In almost 4 years, I have not had a problem.

Do a very good first cleaning with whatever sponge.
Do a second pass with a micro fiber rag that's barely wet (well wrung out).
I do a final pass with a dry micro fiber cloth.

Works every time. It's so easy, even an electrician can do it :laughing:
 
#31 ·
Why to use Urethane Grout.

...It's so easy, even an electrician can do it :laughing:
That's just mean. You should have said - It's so easy even John can do it.

I have always hated and feared grouting because of the things that can go wrong with this step. Minerals in water. Poor Dry Mix. Over watering at clean up. Different dye loads. Too much moisture in storage. Expired portland. And on and on.

If having to be a hair more careful in the cleaning process worries someone they have not installed enough regular grout to understand the benefits of this Urethane Grout and all that can go wrong with a standard grout install.

Angus you mentioned once that the grouting process better suits you and I feel the same. I like to work slowly and methodically. I like that I can take my time and not feel the pressure of a looming "Kick Time".

I have only used it twice - both times in my own kitchen and can honestly say that I do not fear the grouting process any longer.

JW
 
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