Tile is one of the most timeless and popular home finishing materials. From contemporary subway tiles to elegant marble tile, this flooring or wall material is ideal for use in spaces that are exposed to significant moisture, particularly the kitchen and bathroom.
Although tile is slightly more high maintenance than other materials, the luxurious appearance is more than worth it. However, maintaining your bathroom tile can sometimes require more than simple mopping or wiping. After some time, you may begin to notice the grout between tiles cracking, which not only presents a more worn façade but may also compromise the integrity of your bathroom’s tile.
What Causes Cracks in Grout?
Before you can effectively patch up the cracks in your bathroom tile grout, you need to understand why it cracked in the first place so you can avoid the same situation in the future. Take note of where the cracks are forming. If they form along a border seam, such as where the tile meets the tub, or in a joint, the cracks are likely due to movement that has slowly broken the pieces apart.
Throughout the year, your home expands with the summer heat, contracts with the winter chill and bends slightly against strong storms. All this slight movement may have broken the grout apart, through no fault of your own.
Alternatively, your cracked grout may have been the unfortunate result of a shoddy installation job. Grout is a finicky substance that requires a deft hand and extensive knowledge of tiling to be mixed and applied perfectly. If grout is too watery, air pockets can make the grout porous and liable to break.
If tiles aren’t applied and adhered properly, the grout is the last line of defense against your entire tile installation falling down. The stress of holding up the weight of tile can cause grout to crack.
Just like the rest of your home, your tile and grout can fall victim to age. Even if the tile is pristinely maintained, some grout can only hold out so many years before it cracks.
How Can I Fix My Grout?
Fixing grout cracking, large or small, is not usually a job for the average DIY homeowner. Repairing grout requires removal and replacement processes that most armchair handymen aren’t used to. Ensuring proper grout consistency, laying and securing tile correctly and ensuring everything is straight and level is an art that takes experience to master.
While many people attempt to lay their own tile or tile their own bathroom walls the end result is rarely professional-quality work. Give a trusted local tiling expert a call to remove and re-apply your grout, especially when going for a total overhaul of your bathroom’s grout and tile.
Comprehensive Residential and Commercial Plumbing Services in Seattle, WA
If you’re remodeling your kitchen or bathroom with new tile you may be in the market to upgrade your fixtures or redo your plumbing as well. South West Plumbing is the company to call for any plumbing repair or renovation needs. We can help ensure the plumbing part of your project goes smoothly with work that will stand the test of time. Contact us online or call (206) 932-1777 to schedule your service today!