Spectralock Pro PremiumAnyone who reads my blog (and lets be honest – who doesn’t?) knows that I am a diehard SpectraLOCK junkie. For those who don’t know what that is, SpectraLOCK is an epoxy grout made by Laticrete. It is stain-proof, pet-proof, and bullet-proof! (Don’t try that, it’ll really piss off the wife…) If you don’t know any of that – you need to read my blog more! :guedo: So just like everything I love – it changed.

Laticrete has recently come out with SpectraLOCK Pro Premium grout. A little birdie told me that this will replace the SpectraLOCK pro grout in the near future. Given that, I need to figure out how to use it – because it works differently than the stuff I’m used to. The difference in the workability may very well be due to the temperature, humidity, hangover flu bug, or any number of factors on the particular days I was working with it.

But it just doesn’t feel ‘normal’ to me – you know? It seems like it tightens up (gets stiff) and starts to roll out of the grout joints more quickly than the other stuff did. So, as with any installation product, if it begins to cure faster than you can use it you should just mix up smaller batches. And being the awesome DIY crowd you are – it’s probably a good idea for you to know how to do that anyway. So this is the best way I’ve found to do it.

A few basics first: SpectraLOCK is sold in different unit sizes. The base unit is called … wait for it … a FULL unit! Wait, where you goin’? This isn’t complicated like the metric system or anything, stick around. There is also the COMMERCIAL unit, which is what I buy (and you likely will not need) and it contains four full units. There is also the MINI unit – this is 1/4 of a full unit.

So: 1 commercial unit = 4 full units and 1 full unit = 4 mini units. Now, you can split up whatever you feel comfortable with, I split the full units into mini units. And this is what I’m about to show you. However, if you feel the need to split them into smaller units, or split the mini units into smaller units you can do that as well, you’ll just need to change the measurements.

When you break down the components into smaller units you need to do it by weight. I don’t see why splitting the liquids down by volume would be significantly different – but I was always told to break them down by weight. So do that. Really.

SpectraLOCK has three components, the part A and part B liquids and the part C powder. The part A is the yellow stuff in the foil bag, part B is the white stuff. Part C powder is in the carton. For this I’ll be splitting up one full unit so the bags and carton may look larger than what you have – mine’s bigger! :dance:

You want to have a scale (scrape off the *ahem* ‘illegal substances’) and some one-quart ziploc baggies (the unused ones). For a full unit you’ll want to split each liquid into four baggies. Each liquid baggie weighs a different amount! So don’t just go puttin’ the same amount of everything in all the bags, it won’t work, you’ll have 1/2lb. of the white liquid left – then whaddya gonna do?

  • Part A (foil bag) has 5 ounces of liquid in each baggie (4 baggies)
  • Part B (white liquid) has 5.2 ounces in each baggie (4 baggies)
  • Part C (powder) has 2.25 pounds in each baggie – or whatever you choose to dump it into (4 of ’em)

Just measure out all those components and zip them up. Once you’re done with that you’re ready to mix smaller batches in workable sizes. I just measure out the powder as I go along – I’m a rebel like that. 8)

AGAIN! If you have smaller units or want smaller batches you’ll have smaller measurements. You just need to weigh out what you have and split them into equal parts.

The photo above shows one full unit in the back, the two large bags and the carton, and one of the smaller units after I’ve measured them out, the two small baggies and the cup of powder. The amounts in the baggies and the cup is what you’ll be working with at one time.

To mix them just get yourself a nice clean container (scrub the beer coffee rings out of it) and add the two liquids together. Just roll up the baggie from the zipper side down until you have no room left to roll (like toothpaste) and snip off the corner of it with scissors. You can then squeeze all the liquid out of it with a minimum of mess.

Snip off the end of the bagSqueeze it out like toothpasteSnip off the tipSqueeze it out like toothpaste

 

Once you get those in there YOU NEED TO MIX THE LIQUID TOGETHER! Do that before adding the powder, or it’s gonna be one big mess you don’t wanna deal with – take my word on that. :D

MIx the liquids together before adding powder!MIx the liquids together before adding powder!

 

Once you get your liquids mixed together you can add the powder. Add about 75% of the powder first and mix it all up. Get a nice, smooth consistency, then you can add the rest of the powder. This helps get everything mixed evenly whereas if you dump it all in there and mix it you’ll spend more time getting an even mixture.

(Jesus, did I just type ‘whereas’??? I need a beer nap…)

Add about 75 percent of the powderMIx it up well
Then add the rest of the powder and MIx it up well

Here's your grout - get to it! Quickly, damnit!

And that’s it. It’s all ready to go. When you grout, fill your grout lines and begin washing the tile in about 10-15 minutes. In another 40 minutes or so you can begin the second wash. I’ve noticed with the new stuff that you’ll only have about 35-45 minutes of what I consider ‘workable’ time. It’s not like it turns into a rock after 40 minutes, but it does become considerably more difficult to work with.

If you keep your batches small enough to install in that time frame it won’t be a problem – it’s when you go past the viable working time that it starts becoming difficult.

While I have voiced my displeasure with the new mix in a place or two, after I calmed down and sobered up thought about it I realized that SpectraLOCK is still the easiest epoxy grout on the market to work with. That, coupled with the rock solid (pun intended) color match you get from it, SpectraLOCK will still be my epoxy grout of choice.

I just need to quit being such a hard-headed bastard and learn to work with it a bit differently. One of the key factors in doing that is to keep the mixes in manageable batches. Just take your time, a little extra now will go a long way toward the long-term durability of your tile installation. And it WILL be stain-proof!

Here’s some basic information about the new stuff from Laticrete: Laticrete SpectraLOCK Pro Premium

And here’s a chart for coverage to see exactly how much you’ll need: Laticrete Grout Coverage Calculator

As always if you have any questions at all feel free to post them below. I’ll answer them once I sober up get home from work.

{ 546 comments… add one }

Leave a Comment

 
  • Steve

    Roger,

    My shower project keeps moving along (I have to prod it quite a bit, though)… I made a sample board with 2 different part C colorants and a 50/50 mix of the two.

    1. The grout colors are on the dark end of the spectrum (Raven and Platinum). They have darkened (the platinum significantly) since we made the test board, about 14 hours ago at this point. How long does it take for the color to “decide what it wants to be when it grows up”?

    2. The mixed batch looks best to us (as long as it doesn’t get any darker) – any problems with mixing the colorants?

    3. The part C cartons indicate 0.9 Kg of colorant, but they seem to consistently weigh significantly more than that. I’m seeing almost 1100 grams in each carton (after subtracting of the ~30 grams for the carton itself) about 20% more than the package says. So when I hold back 10% to use in narrow grout lines do I shoot for 90% of whatever is in the package, or 90% of what they say is in the package?

    Merci beaucoup!

    • Roger

      Hey Steve,

      1. About 24 hours.
      2. No problem at all, as long as you mix the powder dry first.
      3. 90% of what is in the package.

  • Tom

    I’ve read several other blogs regarding the use of Spectralok Pro Premium and now am a veteran after using it myself. I bought the mini size and still the pot life was pretty short. Wondering two things. Can one extend the pot life by working in lower temerature environment? And two, Laticrete indicates that Spertralok Pro Premium grout is suitable for glass tile but various bloggers indicate that the product will scratch glass. What’s your expereince using it on glass mosaic wall tile?

    • Roger

      Hi Tom,

      Unless you are below freezing the temperature will not make a significant difference in the working time of the epoxy.

      Spectralock CAN scratch glass, but it can also scratch marble, travertine, limestone, just about anything. In my experience I have only seen it scratch glass once, it is not common. Always, ALWAYS, test first, but it normally will not.

  • Rebecca

    I have a porcelain tile floor (new custom home) I chose Mocha for my grout color. It isn’t even close to Mocha. It is a chalky white and the tile has a haze on it. Do you know what happened to the color in the grout ? Can it be fixed ? Also my glass tile back splash has a haze and looks like a mirror that was wiped with a wet towel. Just smeared. I hope it can be fixed.

    • Roger

      Hi Rebecca,

      The white on the grout is likely because you used too much water when cleaning the grout off. It is minerals from the water. Take a drywall sanding sponge and sand it down a little to see if you have the correct color beneath. Get a microfiber towel and clean your backsplash (and the face of your floor tile) with it and warm water.

  • Phyllis

    Hi Roger,
    Since you use Spectralock so much, could you please tell me if their Brilliant White color is closer to the greyish white color of their plastic grout stick samples or the much whiter color as shown on Laticrete’s paper grout color charts? The greyish color on the plastic grout stick doesn’t look very good with my golden-ivory colored subway tiles, but the Brilliant White on the paper chart looks quite nice with my tiles (I cut out several and taped them up on the tile!) I want a “warm” or neutral white, rather than a “cool” white, if you know what I mean. I will test on a sample board first, but want to get some feedback from someone who knows before I spend more money. (I already tried an expensive bag of Mapei Ultracolor grout in their supposedly whitest color, Avalanche, that looked too “pinkish”. So I am trying to get as much feedback as I can this time before I buy yet another grout!)
    In googling around, I have seen some comments about Spectralock’s white being kind of yellow, which might actually work for me with my tiles, as long as it still looked like a white, not yellow or some other funky color. This is for a backsplash, by the way. I assume, though you are the “Floor Elf”, that you do walls, too, LOL?
    Thanks so much. I like your funny website and what appears to be an honest evaluation of products, etc!
    (Another question–do you know if the regular Spectralock as sold in Lowes, better for us DIY’ers that the Spectralock Pro? Or do you recommend we buy the Pro version?)
    Thanks again.

    • Roger

      Hi Phyllis,

      It is closer to the paper samples unless you have huge, deep grout lines. That’s why the grout stick looks like that – the depth of the grout. It is the whitest I’ve found.

      I don’t think they sell the regular spectralock any more. The pro version is actually easier to work with and cleans up more easily, so you want that one anyway.

  • henry

    I recently had tile installers install Spectralock on a client’s glazed porcelain floor in the WRONG COLOR!! To make it even better it is over electric floor heat. Can I epoxy OVER the incorrect grout? Will the epoxy bond to the existing epoxy? :censored:

    • Roger

      Hi Henry,

      Epoxy will bond to epoxy, but not in that application. It either needs to be removed and replaced or a topical grout colorant needs to be used to change the color.

  • Nik

    Roger,

    Best tile site out there. Okay, I have a 4 walled shower with an opening (obviously, it would be hard to use without a doorway) my question is, what order with the epoxy grout? Walls or floor? With all the cleaning, makes me think I should start with floor and then do the walls so as to keep moisture out of the ungrouted floor? What does the floor elf do?

    Nik

    • Roger

      Hi Nik,

      I do the walls first. When you do walls you’ll drop grout on the floor, if you do that you end up essentially wiping down the floor three or four times. You should not be using enough water to get the floor wet. Any water that does get on the floor should dissipate quickly enough.

  • Elizabeth

    Hi, Roger. Thanks so much for this site! So, we are building a new house, and the builder’s “tile guy” recently finished installing flat white Island pebble tile in our master shower. We also have a “rustic” 6×6 whitish/cream tile on the walls. He used Spectralock in a the “mushroom” color. We went to look at the shower yesterday (he grouted the day before) and are rather horrified that the white pebbles and wall tile are both quite significantly mushroom in color. Is there anything that can be done to get the tiles and pebbles back to their original color at this point? Thanks so much!

    Elizabeth

    • Roger

      Hi Elizabeth,

      It depends, is there a coating or haze over the tiles which are giving it the color, or has it stained the pores of the stone and tile itself? If the latter then likely not. If the tile is unglazed then it should have been sealed before grouting with a grout darker than the color of the tile, the stone should have been sealed first as a general rule – they are always porous.

  • Anita Shuey

    We recently put this black tile that has a slight gloss to it and has a non skid kind of little grooves in it. We used Epoxy grout called CEG-Lite (there was not Sprecta here locally). After sponging the tile to rid of the excess grout we still have some on the tile. The grout is black too ,but it still showing up a little. We tried a Stripper cleaner Non acidic by Tile lab, but it still not coming off. Any suggestions? If we scub too hard even though the tile is black all the way through it takes up the top layer of design.
    Thank you as always for your help.
    Sincerely,
    Anita

    • Roger

      Hi Anita,

      I haven’t done too much repair-type work with ceg lite. I know with spectralock you can hit the spots with a heat gun or hair dryer and it softens it up. You may try that. If that doesn’t work try barkeeper’s friend (it’s like the old-school ajax) and a magic eraser. If that doesn’t work give the tech line a call and they should be able to tell you how to remove it.

  • Tauran

    I purchased a commercial unit Parts A and B on amazon for all of my upcoming tile projects. I split up units to mini units as you described.

    My question which seems obvious..can I buy the smaller PartC mini units at my local Lowes and that should work with what mini units I made?
    The reason I ask is that they say 2 lbs on the mini unit box and nowhere do I see “Pro” or “premium” on the box even though its the only spectra lock epoxy grout they have.

    • Roger

      Hi Tauran,

      Yes, you can use the regular mini-units with those, it’ll work fine.

  • Ed

    Is it possible to break the larger packages into smaller packages by just measuring out the required amount and then closing back up the bags? For instance say I wanted 1/4 of a full unit amount; could I use add 5 oz of a into a pail and close up the “A” bag, add 5.2 oz of B to the same pail and close up the “B” bag and then once mixed add the 2.25 lbs of C to the pail.

    Does it make a difference if I do it this way or split into 4 baggies of A, 4 baggies of B and 4 baggies of C or is this just done for efficiency with respect to having all the scales out, etc.?

    Does the color vary across the say 4 mixtures at all? How concerned with the measurement should one be both with respect to color and to proper ratios?

    • Roger

      Yes, you can do it that way. Provided you use the powder out of the same carton then there will be no color variation. If you have different cartons mix them all together first, then add your powder. Slight ratio differences will not have any effect on color variation.

      • Ed

        Hi Roger,

        Just want to say thanks for all your help. It’s all installed and not all that hard to do at all….just follow the instructions. I ended up doing 1/2 mini unit batches which took about 15 – 20 minutes to install, 20 minutes to set, initial wash, final wash on previous batch, then install next batch. Took about 5 hours to do the 85 sq. ft. bathroom. The estimator on the Laticrete website was spot on in terms of amount of grout needed.

        One final question, the grout has dried about 24 hours now and I did notice in one space, right inside my door, that I must have just touched the grout with my toe on final wash as it is a bit lower there and rough (not smooth like the rest). Can I just mix up a little bit and touch up the spot? Will the new grout stick to the cured grout? Any special advice on doing this?

        thanks again Roger,

        Ed

        • Roger

          Yes, you can add more epoxy onto the already existing to fix that spot. It’ll bond just fine.

          • Ed

            Thanks Roger. On another thought, given it’s just a small spot the size of my finger nail, what about just a spot of Latasil if I find that the colours match really close?

            • Roger

              That should work as well as long as it isn’t in a main traffic area.

              • Ed

                Good Point.

  • Ed

    Hi Roger,

    I have porcelain tiles that I thought were not porous and that didn’t need to be sealed but reading over the SL PPG instructions it says:

    “The use of a topical sealer or grout release applied to unglazed porcelain tile, abrasive, non-slip or rough textured tiles or porous tile or stone surfaces before grouting will facilitate cleaning”

    Do you think this is really needed? I don’t think our porcelain tiles are glazed nor did we want that, for slip resistance, in the bathroom.

    • Roger

      Hi Ed,

      Yes, if it is unglazed, abrasive, porous or has a rough texture. Do any of those describe your tile? Or is yours shiny. If it’s shiny then you don’t need to worry about it, although it rarely hurts anything.

  • Alan Lockwood

    Hello,

    I have a shower with regular grout, which has failed. The grout lines are VERY tight, barely enough room to squeeze in a razor blade in some areas.

    I’ve removed as much grout as I can, but in some areas I just can’t get all of it out. I’d say 1/4 of it has been removed using a razor blade and grout saw.

    I’d like to use epoxy grout to seal it up nice. Can I apply epoxy grout over top of old traditional grout? Thanks!

    • Roger

      Hi Alan,
      You can, but it likely won’t work with tiles butted like that. The same thing will end up happening, that are installed incorrectly, anything you use there will end up being ruined, including epoxy,

  • M.C.

    Can the SpectraLOCK Pro Premium Grout be used on polished marble and glass tile without scratching it?

    Thanks,
    M.C.

    • Roger

      Hi MC,

      With every marble and glass I’ve ever used it on except for two. It depends on how soft the marble is and how your glass was manufactured. It’s safe to say that for most marble and glass it’s just fine but ALWAYS TEST on a scrap piece of each to ensure that. Those two I found that actually did scratch would have cost me upwards of five grand to replace had I not tested first.

      • M.C.

        It’s just a small backsplash the cost of the grout is more than I want to pay to test. I am just going to use a good non-sanded grout then keep it sealed. Plus I am going to have to use two colors of grout black and white to get the affect I am looking for.
        Thanks,
        M.C.

  • Scott Collister

    Roger,
    You really helped me out by providing the 1/4 weights of the A, B and C components for a full unit of Spectralock Pro Premium. Have you ever divided a mini unit in half? I have a very small repair job that will only require that half of a mini unit. I don’t know the weights of the packaging material for the mini. I guess I can divide the weights you provided for each quarter unit in half.

    Thanks!

    Scott

    • Roger

      Hey Scott,

      You can cut them down to whatever size you need provided you evenly divide each part. I don’t know the weights of the minis offhand, but you can just weigh them out and split them evenly. The minis DO NOT have exactly 1/4 of a commercial unit, so you’ll need to weigh them out anyway.

      • mountain

        If that other reply comes through delete it, I’m tired and dyslexic…..

        I’ve mixed batches as small as 1oz A / 1oz B / 7.42oz of colorant.

        My breakdown for calculations are 1.06 for parts A and B and 7.425oz colorant :D so I do the math and make as much as I think I need. Just be sure to check you have enough C before you commit to mixing the A and B………….. umm, just say’n. :whistle: :eek:

        • Roger

          I’m guessing I know why you know that, eh Mountain? :D

  • Ed

    Hi Roger,
    Going to order a full unit of both Bright White and Smoke Grey grout for my bathroom. I’ll need to use caulk of silicone at the tile edges, etc.. I don’t think the Bright White will be hard to match in colour (GE Silicone II white should be fine) but should I purchase the Acrylic caulk that comes from Laticrete that matches the Smoke Grey grout?

    Don’t think I can match that but I’d prefer to use silicone that caulk? Got any suggestions on what I might do? I’ll just need this grey colour in wall corners and where the floor meets the wall junction.

    thanks,

    • Roger

      Hey Ed,

      Laticrete makes matching 100% siliocone as well, I’d use that for the gray. Just google it (latasil) and you can either find a distributor near you or order it on the internet.

      • Ed

        Roger,

        For the grouting with Spectralok pro premium grout:

        It says grout, wait 20 minutes before cleaning or within 1 hour of initial mixing (DS-681.1). So if say a mini unit takes me 30 minutes to grout, do I then wait 20 minutes to first clean? Or, is it 20 minutes from when it was installed, meaning that I’ll have to only grout for about 15 minutes, then get cleaning solution ready and then clean even though the last portion of the grout that was installed will be only about 5 or 10 minutes installed by the time I get to it via the cleaning.

        If 15 minutes works, then I’d grout section 1 for 15 minutes then clean section 1 for 15 minutes, then grout rest of batch in section 2, clean section 2, final clean section 1 and then final clean section 2.

        Does that makes sense? Just need to make sure I don’t mix more grout than I can spread in about 30 minutes. Is this stuff pretty liquid and easy to spread? How many square feet could I spread in 15 minutes would you guess?

        thanks again for all your help,

        • Roger

          Once you mix it up you want to begin cleaning about 30 minutes after that. So if section 1 takes you fifteen minutes to grout, wait fifteen minutes and start cleaning, then move onto section 2. I can grout two sections, clean one, grout the third, clean the second, etc. But I’m extremely comfortable with the working times and have it down to a system. It mixes up very close to the consistency of regular grout. I don’t know how fast you work, so I don’t know how to answer that for you. 30 square feet would likely be a normal area for 15 minutes.

          • Ed

            I’ve got about 85 sq ft or based on the tile size and grout thickness (using Laticrete estimate for amount of grout) I need about 40% of a full unit. I should have used the grout amount rather than ask about the square footage as it all depends on tile size and grout thickness. So could I apply a 1/4 of a unit in 15 minutes?

            • Roger

              I would probably start with 1/8 unit. It’s extremely difficult for me to say how someone inexperienced with epoxy will work with it. If you mix 1/8 (half a mini unit) you’ll likely get it in easily, then you can gauge from there how much to mix next. No need to rush it now and risk having epoxy curing on your tile when you don’t need it to, or wasting product. It’s fairly spendy, but you know that. :D

              • Ed

                Will it be hard to break down a full unit to 1/8 units following the procedure mentioned in the above article or is that just too small an amount for that?

                On the side, any need to seal the porcelain tile in advance? I assume not but just asking.

                • mountain

                  That should read 1oz A / 1oz B / 7.42oz C

                • Roger

                  You can break it down by weight into portions as small as you like.

                  • Ed

                    Using the 1.25 ounces of A, 1.3 ounces of B and 2.25 pounds of C ratio. Correct Roger?

                    For 1/2 and mini unit I’d mix 0.625 ounces of A, 0.65 ounces of B and 1.125 pounds of C for instance.

                    • Roger

                      Sorry for the delay, been out of town at the new Schluter facility all week.

                      Yes. :D

  • Steve

    Roger, I messed up and did not follow directions! Help!!! I mixed up the Spectralock grout last Friday (2 of the small pails from Lowe’s) and grouted porcelain tile on my kitchen countertop and a backsplash on about half of my kitchen. Then, I had to take the kids to a soccer tournament before completing my washes… and cleanup. Ugh

    Hours later, I returned to a big mess. I scrubbed and scrubbed and you know where this is going. My scrubbing did not do much. I was able to scrape much off with a razor blade, but not the multi-small-tiled backsplash… My grout lines look horrible. I need to start over.

    Do you have some recommendations? Thanks, Steve

    • Roger

      Hi Steve,

      You can try to get as much off as you can with a razor blade and try to clean the rest off with a scrub pad and barkeeper’s friend (it’s like old-school comet used to be). If that doesn’t work try muriatric acid – READ THE DIRECTIONS! It is important that you know how to properly use it before doing anything with it. It may work, it may not. It depends on how much is left. You may need to start over, but give those two methods a shot first.

  • Tom

    Roger,
    I’m having a heck of a time locating Spectralock Pro Premium in a mini anywhere in my area. The tile stores only want to sell the Full portion, but I only have a tub surround to do with 12×24 glazed porcelain tiles with a 1/16 grout line. The big box stores in South Florida don’t carry any Laticrete products.

    Lowes has no epoxy grouts and HD only carries Custom’s CEG-Lite. Do you have an opinion about this product? Do you have any idea whether their white is really a bright white? Any other ideas?

    Thanks!

    • Roger

      Hey Tom,

      I don’t like the ceg lite, but that’s just me. Guys that use it love it. You can also order spectralock at stonetooling.com.

  • Chris

    Is there any possibility of effloresence with this type of grout like there is with the traditional stuff? I have a bad habit of obsessivly cleaning off every grout particle from the tile and though my condition has improved, I am not cured.

    • Roger

      Hey Chris,

      No. If you allow water to puddle on the surface and evaporate then you may see a white haze from the water minerals, but it’ll wipe right off. Efflorescence tends to pull minerals from the portland in the mix – spectralock doesn’t contain any.

  • Dennis Novak

    Roger,
    We’d like the blackest grout and one that has a matching caulk or soft grout. I saw one review of Laticrete black saying it is a dark grey. I think learning to use epoxy might be a step to far for my wife.
    Is there any brand you think is very black?
    Dennis

    • Roger

      The laticrete grout is black, as are most of them. Mapei’s is dark black as well. The reason a lot of people think they look dark gray is because they use way too much water in the sponge when they wash it. The water evaporates and leaves a film of minerals on the surface. It’s efflorescence, it’s white. It’ll make black grout look gray.

  • Nick

    Roger: ever use SpectraLoc with the “dazzle” additive. If so, what’s your opinion of it? Thanks. Nick.

    • Roger

      Hey Nick,

      Used it once, it was actually very cool. Definitely a different look. Works well, though.

  • Beth

    Hi Roger – you helped us, yep – over a year ago, select the best thin set mortar to use on a large format, glass tile application in our master bath shower. The good news is we have about 1/2 way completed the shower and need to start thinking about what grout to use. This SprectrLok sounds really great – however it comes with the caveat that you should test it on one of your glass tiles before using it to ensure it doesn’t scratch. And, when I emailed Laticrete, their specialist responded the same. Geepers, get that that is an excellent idea – however, would prefer not to buy the boat load of goods, mix up a batch, to test a single tile and have it not work out. Any suggestions/wisdom to share on using this product with large format, sky blue, glass tiles? Also – a query from the husband – he’s read your Tile Tips ebook – you mention several ways of removing excess, dried grout from between the tiles – which would you most recommend for glass tiles?

    Thanks for your info and humor – both relished and appreciated.

    Beth and Ben

    • Roger

      Hi Beth,

      I’ve never seen spectralock scratch any glass I’ve used it on. Doesn’t mean it won’t – just means I’ve never had it happen. To be honest I wouldn’t use epoxy on large format glass like that. You may want to look at urethane grout for it. Epoxy has an extremely high compression (like it doesn’t compress – ever), any movement in your glass tile and substrate will put pressure directly against the grout, which won’t move, and may actually end up chipping or cracking your glass – just from pressure. Urethane grout would be a better option. You may want to google ‘starglass’ grout as well – it’s very good stuff.

  • Joel Rutledge

    Roger, have you ever used a grout bag (looks like an oversized cake icing bag)? Does it work good, and would it work with epoxy grout? Thanks!

    • Roger

      Yes, I’ve used them. I don’t like them. They’re a pain. I’ve never used it for epoxy grout, it’s a pain enough with regular grout. It will work, but it’ll likely take you four times as long – seriously.

  • Nick

    Roger,

    Have you ever used QuartzLock2 grout? Seems more simple than the SpectraLock. Any thoughts?

    • Roger

      Hey Nick,

      Yes, I’ve used quartzlock 2, and yes it’s good grout. I wouldn’t say it’s more simple than spectralock, just different. They both work very well and do what they say they will as far as stain resistance.

  • Justin

    Followed your guide and grouted my kitchen late last night using SpectraLock. We did 3 washes on it. Today in the light I noticed there is still a slight residue/haze. TWO questions – 1) How do I get this up. and 2) how do I fill in any spots that need a touch more grout? It’s been about 12 hours since we finished. Thanks!

    • Roger

      Hey Justin,

      Try scrubbing it off of there with a white scrub pad (like the green ones – but white…). If that doesn’t work try the same thing with barkeeper’s friend (it’s a powder like the old-school ajax). Just mix up a bit more grout and fill in where you need, you can do that with epoxy.

      • Justin

        Roger – thank you so much for your website and for answering my questions. The kitchen looks awesome and its because of your tips. I’ll upload a pic soon.

  • Mandy

    Great site. I stored my extra unopened Spectralock Pro in closet for 2 years. It is 72 Degrees in there. The part B has turned mostly clear with some parts an interesting light blue color. Can I still us it. Have you seen this before? How will the performance be affected?
    Thank you

    • Roger

      Hi Mandy,

      I have seen it, and I have used it after it does that. I haven’t had any problems with it. The chemicals in the part b will separate over time. On a side note I do not know if that is supposed to be an acceptable product after it separates, I’m just saying I’ve used it without problems.