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Why Should I Upgrade My Grout Selection?

If you have shopped for, or purchased, tile at Crossville Wholesale Carpet & Floors, you have been introduced to several upgrade grout products. We consider using a better quality grout to be crucial to satisfaction in the longevity, and beauty, of your tile project. Why would you ruin your $2000 project with a $20 bag of grout?

How can a cheap bag of grout make a project go south? The most important aspect of grout, to us, is the visual. If you are using tile in your kitchen, you will most likely have daily traffic on the floors. Kitchen floors can be quite messy with all the activity. Families tend to gather where the food stays. In addition to heavy traffic, you have many visitors looking at your tile. A cheap grout does not have any type of stain protection allowing all food and soil to penetrate the surface of the grout leaving behind discoloration.

Cheap grouts are made of mostly portland cement. Just as your sidewalks absorb the color of the fall leaves, the oil from the car, the dirt from the dog, your grout will take on all of this soil as well. Add in wine, or tea, and you have a recipe for disaster in the appearance of your tile.

A second consideration for upgrading, is the flexibility in the higher quality grout products. Do you ever notice your grout cracking and slivers coming up from your joints? Most of the time there is an underlying issue of the tiles being too tight somewhere in the room. The pressure from the tiles moving against one another causes the grout to be pressurized. Cheap grout, once again being made of portland cement, literally, cracks under pressure. (See what I did there! hehe) A high quality grout will have resins and less cement allowing it to flex with the movement in the tiles, greatly reducing the chance of your grout cracking. That is not to say it will never crack, because 99% of the time an improper installation of the tile is to blame. We cannot control all installations, just those we supply.

What most people would consider to be the most impressive feature of a high quality grout, would be the fact you never have to seal an upgrade grout. Think about that! You will never have to get on your hands and knees and paint on a sealant every year again. Wait, you mean I was suppose to do that every year?! Yes! That is the compromise you are agreeing to, by saving money on the front end, purchasing the cheap grout.

Portland cement grout is extremely porous. It will always draw moisture. Over the year, it will begin to absorb your sealant. Who wants to try and remember to seal their grout and who wants to actually paint each grout line? Upgraded grouts are treated with polymers, acrylics or urethane causing them to be impenetrable to moisture and impervious to staining. Think about the value you gain by paying up front for a high quality grout v. the cost of sealant each year.

Tile floors are suppose to be a lifetime investment; never reinstall your flooring. We can provide you with the best quality in porcelain tiles that will withstand traffic, stains, heavy loads, scratches, dents and anything else you can throw at it. Tile is classic and beautiful. The visual cannot compare to any other product. Back to our question, "Why would you ruin your $2000 project with a $20 bag of grout?"

We see people that are diligent in bleaching and caring for their grout, but it is a high maintenance product when you purchase inexpensive grout. We have people ask for tile to keep from having increased maintenance. An upgrade in the grout will certainly help you achieve this goal!

If you are interested in learning more about our grout options, stop by the store any time to look at color selections and the options for your home.


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