My Response to Jeff from Home RenoVision DIY | Mapei Ultracolor Plus Grout FA
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Jeff released a video saying not to use the Mapei Ultracolor grout if you're new to tiling, but I completely disagree! ❌
I even use it again in a new video to complete in an entire kitchen backsplash and it is an extremely easy grout to use: • Tiling a Backsplash wi...
This video of his left me stressed and confused about whether I should take the chance with this stuff on my beautiful tile that I worked so hard on. But now that I've done it, I will use this product over and over again. In fact, I used it a few days later on my 2nd bathroom in this house.
You have 15-30 minutes to let this dry BEFORE wiping it off. That's plenty of time to work it into your entire shower - don't be scared! Go for it!
I love Jeff and the content he provides on a weekly basis - I'm just sayin, this stuff isn't that bad.
-----------------------------------------
Tools Used:
⚒️⚙️🗜️🔦📐🔧🔨
Ultracolor Plus FA Rapid: amzn.to/3qIWwT0
Grout Float: amzn.to/3rMYD9M
#HomeRenovisionDIY #UltracolorGrout #TileGrout
***********************************
Kelly Concepts is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
DON'T CLICK THIS:
www.youtube.com....
I was about to start my bathroom grouting today when I stumbled across that video. It scared me and I started looking for alternatives. I then found your video which made me chance it and it was totally fine. I’m grateful for both videos though as it allowed me to prepare properly and work within a reduced timeframe. It dries quicker than I expected but it was my first time grouting.
Weird…I’m just about to start tiling and went through same YT journey
Yup that's why I'm here too
@@Jlaudiomustangs10 me too
Me too:) I’m going for it but glad I have the tips.
SAme here had it in car to return saw,,, brought it back in lol
Think ill try, 1st time tho but its not hot here
Admittedly, after watching Jeff’s video I was contemplating returning my unopened grout bag. However, after watching your video my anxiety level for using this product was reduced by 90%. You are candid about your skill level and you focused on the good things that Jeff passes on to us. Btw, your shower looks great 👍 I will definitely have two buckets of water ready to clean within 15 to 20 min. I can proceed confidently thanks to the experience and lessons conveyed by both you and Jeff. Thx for taking the time and making the effort to post.
I used it for the first time yesterday. A disaster. It was 97 degrees and the first half bag (10lb bag)I mixed was hard in less then 15 minutes. Took forever to get it off the wall. Then I read on the bag to read the technical data sheet is the weather is over 80 degrees. Duh. I couldn't throw the rest away since I still had to small walls to do and I wanted the match. All the other half bag I mixed ultra thin. This gave me about 20 minutes working time and I still had to wipe pretty much as I went. I have another bag I'm returning tomorrow. Learned my lesson
I took my shii back. Grout sets fast😂😂😂
I just finished grouting my bathroom with the Mapei Ultracolor grout with complete success. This was only my 3rd tile job in my life and I would definitely recommend this product. It did not setup too fast, it was easy to use and looks great. Read the instructions, make small usable batches (I did 2 pounds of grout at a time) and don’t panic. Thank you for sharing your experience with this product. FYI: Jeff has a wealth of experience but I really wonder if he has actually used this product based on his video that would scare any amateur tiler.
To Jeff's point, I did wait the 15 minutes to wipe off the excess and I was too late! It had hardened into a complete mess on top of my tiles! Now I am scraping it off, millimeter by millimeter to start over again. This happened to 2 of the walls in my shower. On the last wall, I used a clean sponge and wiped off in 3-5 minutes and I cleaned the sponge after each wipe. I also only mixed 1 lbs to 7 oz of water so I could work with small amounts or else it would harden in bucket and I was only hand mixing. No drill mixer. So for me, this stuff wanted to harden immediately and I'm paying the price for waiting 15 minutes the first time.
Thank you so so much. I literally am in the exact situation you found yourself in. And I haven't attempted my grouting yet due to the grout... thanks a ton! ❤ I'm going to go for it!
Makes a huge difference if your tiles are porous or polished. Polished makes cleaning a cinch. If you have porous stone it'll dry way faster too.
Impressive and respectful argument. Your video provided the confidence I needed to pursue a first time DIY 50 sqft backsplash grouting with Ultracolor FA. Like many others, Jeff's video sucked what little confidence I had right out. However, after completing the project, I had virtually no issues with the Ultracolor FA while adhering to MAEPI's technical bulletin to the letter. I sponged ~15-20 minutes after floating the grout in a 68° degree kitchen with no concerns of rapidly setting grout on the tile face. The tile was buffed with a dry cloth ~45-55 minutes after sponging to showcase the luster of the marble we expected. Thank you once again for your insight and consideration. Relax folks. You can do this!
My thoughts exactly. Had the same reaction to Jeff's video and even returned the grout. I talked myself into buying it again. Saw this video and decided I could do it. Ended up being easy. If you're worried at all about this grout, mix it a little thinner than usual. I actually had time to go over it twice with the same bucket of grout. I like Jeff, but his video was way over-dramatic.
I just used this grout on my kitchen and bathroom backsplash. I watched a video with a few tips. 1 - Use cold water. I used filtered water. 2 - Don't use a high speed mixer, mix slowly preferably by hand. 3 - Mix small batches. Use 3.5 ounces of water per pound of grout mix. I made 2 pound mixtures at a time (2 lb grout/7 ounces water). I followed these tips and I had no problem doing it all by myself.
Mixing it by hand is definitely the best with cold water
I had the same positive results on my shower floor by following those tips. I will say that the manufacturer is largely to blame by showing a diagram of mixing with a drill on the bag, the instructions should say “WARNING! DO NOT MIX WITH A HIGH SPEED DRILL!”
Did you mix the mud, let it sit for 5 minutes, and mix again? Its called slaking and it allows the polymers to be fully permeated by the water and the second mix is to really break em down and distribute them, making a superior grout.
@@Rock_Shady - Wrong instructions for this grout. The instructions on the bag specifically tell you to start applying it immediately after mixing, and in reading through responses from Mapei reps to questions or reviews, I've seen NO SLAKING! more times than I can count.
@jasperstarr6804 mapei ultra color plus? You gotta let that stuff slake. The old instructions said no slaking- just mix for 5 minutes. Those instructions led to people over mixing their grout which kills your pot life and when the grout cures to fast it doesn't cure as strong. Newer bags of ultra color plus say to let slake for 2-3 minutes. Trust me this is an incredibly common problem that gets brought up between the old and young tile guys at least once a week. Mapei has both instructions on their website aswell so it's really a fuckup on mapeis part for not deleting the old instructions from existance lol.
In fairness: your tile is high gloss (practically glass) which afforded you more time. In most cases, he is right.
In "most cases" high gloss tile is used - especially for new people. Ceramic and porcelain makeup the bulk of what improvement stores carry.
In most cases, he's wrong.
Yeah he’s right for the most part. If you were to attempt to grout a tile that sucks out the moisture and you grout to much, you’ll have a seriously hard time getting it off.
@@KellyConcepts such a hypocrite ( I still love you Jeff ) ( in most cases his wrong) 😒
Your just hating on him. You'll tile is glossy so thats why it worked. I been using this product a few years now and you do need to work it and wipe fast.
@@KellyConcepts unless, of course the vast majority of your tile is on the floor… where you don’t want it shiny… like glass. So for the MAJORITY of the sq ft of tile being laid… (diyers usually don’t start on a wall anyway) he’s still right. God save the Jeff.
I can’t agree more. I bought the fa and sat around until noon drinking coffee building confidence. Lol But like you said Jeff made us pay attention to this product. I built a large shower in my basement. I shut the dehumidifier off and turn down the temp and I believe that gave me more working time. I wouldn’t go past a half a batch at a time in hot weather. Grout came out beautiful. The product offers to much to not use it. Thank you for the confidence to try it and Jeff for making me aware of what I’m using.
Just used this video as a guide for doing my small shower. Saw Jeff’s video and it scared me too but decided to go for it. Mixed small batches, 2.5 lbs with 8 ounces of water. Mixed with a drill slowly. Had plenty of time to use up each batch and happy with the results.
I want to start by saying I am a home remodeler and have been doing this for many years. I used to use cementrous grout and until I found this product about 2 years ago hated grouting due to the haze that cementrous grout causes. That being said......Jeff is right about being careful with this grout. I have had a couple issues that burned me using that grout due to the porcelain tile being textured with a lot of grooves and the temperature in the home was above 75. We spent a day trying to clean off the grout that adhered to the textured tiles because of leaving it on the tile for 30 minutes. That's it it was only 30 minutes and it's still almost ruined the home we were working. That being said... If you're dealing with glossy tile that's glazed then you will not have any issues and can grout the entire shower without any problems....... I still typically ask the homeowner to please turn the temperature down to about 68 in the home on grout day. The typical response I get from my customers is are you going to pay for my electric bill! Ha ha ha. But I always respond with do you want your grout to look horrible!
So please be careful with this product......know what tiles you are using it for and temperature and adjust the wipe time........again with that being said this is the only grout we use on all our tile work.
I has the same experience. Over cautious when I first used it, but still happy to have had a little warning. It was easier the second time, when I relaxed 😉
Glad I found this. I saw his video as well and have been stressing.
5:25 "building up my self esteem" Ah, yes, the DIY dilemma. I have felt this on numerous occasions LOL. I'm sure my mom thinks I'm the laziest, but I really just 1) like to prepare a lot before starting a project (most of which I am doing for the first time) and 2) have to work up the courage to be ready to fail at any moment (despite all the preparation). #diy
Thank you I almost returned it and it came out great. I have some tips for everybody. *1) USE COLD WATER TO MIX, AS COLD AS YOU CAN, 2) MIX A GOOD QUANTITY BUT LEAVE IT IN THE BUCKET, DON'T APPLY IT ALL AT ONCE, WORK IN SMALL SECTIONS 3) LOWER THE AC IN YOUR HOUSE.* I got a pitcher and put some ice and water and that is what I used to mix the stuff (without the ice of course) It literally lasted me a little more than an hour on the bucket before it got hard. I applied it in small sections, if you are doing a bathroom lets say I did half of a wall. I used a timer and when I got to 15/20 min I started wiping with the sponge.
good thing its winter here in Michigan...I will be using it tomorrow. Thanks for the tips.
This is good advice. I always portion a little at a time to prevent from wasting.
I agree with him and trust him. The tile you have is extremely large and glossy with makes it extremely easy to wipe off. Even if it failed on you it would be pretty easy to replace it. I'm using irregular tile and a mix of glossy and matte along with glass in places and all are all different sizes and shapes. Replacement for me would be super expensive and a big time pain in needing the time it would take to redo it all. I also would say in most circumstances he's right at least he has enough sense to tell those that think they can do most anything themselves not to make the mistake and ruin their work!
This is true. I watch Jeff all the time and in fact watched that same UA-cam. When my daughter came home with thus exact stuff for Nero do her backslash, I had instant panic. I feel better having watched this. I am hoping for the best.
The thing most people mess up is they over mix it and add too much air which makes it set much faster.
I really appreciate your video. I was the same way. Almost carried this stuff back. But I came across your video and decided to try it anyway. And glad I did! This stuff worked great. I kept waiting for a "white flash" from the bucket and it immediately go rock hard, lol.
I mixed exactly to the directions and did what they said. I was surprised that I had to wait quite some time before it set up so I could wipe it down with my sponge. About 22 minutes. I believe that temperature and humidity is the trick to this stuff for an armature like me. My day was 50° outside and 70° inside.
If I hadn't seen this video and one other on UA-cam I would have returned it for a basic grout. Glad I didn't.
I'm in Raleigh NC remodeling a 2,200sqft home pretty much all by myself that my mom gave me. I'm almost done and then either moving to the mountains near my mom or the beach
I think he was fair about the stuff. I did a small bathroom. The tile wasn't glazed, I tried to was the stuff off right after it was applied. I never got 100% off it off. It was a hot day.
When grouting mosaic tile it's a lot more complicated especially if it's Stone like slate graphite and glass. In this case it's extremely important to seal your stone and go back and get the grout off the stone quickly or you will ruin your tile. For glazed type large format tile, it's very easy to get the grout off and the lines are minimal. After using this grout for a backsplash I have to agree with what he said. I came very close to ruining my tile
Seal the tile BEFORE grouting!!!
I agree...I saw his video right before I was going to use Ultracolor Grout FA. His video scared me. I set a 15 minute timer and rushed to get it all applied before starting to wipe. Grout was still incredibly wet. In fact, I found 30 minutes was a good time before you start wiping. I've since done other projects with the same grout. It's workable for a good 30 minutes or so, and can still be easily wiped an hour later. This is in 73 degree, 55% humidity conditioned house. His times were way off.
I saw another video saying the same as Jeff, having had the same problems as Jeff with the grout curing too quickly. He called the manufacturer and they said the problem of drying/curing too fast is that he used a stir paddle which adds air to the grout causing premature curing. They said he should have hand mixed the grout!! That said the bag showed an illustration of using a mixing paddle. Looking at my grout (tech 550 power grout) information sheet it states, " Do not use an electric drill and mixing paddle. These can entrain air into the grout. Air entrainment may decrease stain resistance and increase the potential for cracking." EVEN THOUGH THE BAG SHOWS MIXING WITH A PADDLE! Keep in mind I am a rookie that knows just enough to be dangerous.....
I was getting ready to grout and had JUST finished watching Jeff's video when your popped up. I appreciated his because I started doing construction 50 years ago, and am rounding the clubhouse turn on this little bathroom at home. BUT, like YOU, I HAAAATTTTEEEE doing tile. In this case, I simply couldn't justify spending $4200 to pay someone else to come in and do the tile. Hired daughter #4 to come down a couple of weekends and be my helper, so saved $3600 of that and got 'er done! NOW, I'm just putting off doing the grout while the mastic dries on the decorative tile band. Did everything else with thinset so it's long since dried. Anyway, had to ask.. why on EARTH did you go with black grout on white tile on a flip? Jeez... talk about making it hard on yerself!!!! lol... Shower looks great. New sub. :)
Yes in Australian summer better to have someone help clean in 15 minute else gets sticky and hard to clean. Use hot wash water and detergent helps. The dish towl rolls work ausome to clean up
Great video, I totally agree with the points you have made, including read and follow the product directions. I recently used this product for the first time and my recently installed shower. I mixed the grout in smaller batches as a precaution, after applying the grout I waited 15 minutes before cleaning it from the walls. It worked very well following this protocol. I prefer a grout joint that is full of grout and not hollowed out with sharp tile edges exposed. Meipai ultracolor grout is is excellent and can be managed if you follow the directions.
I just used this grout on my bathroom tile floor. My wife read the instructions and we had no problems… lol! it does require a lot of wiping to get the glaze off but not horrible.You do have to work fast and really get the excess grout off your tiles with the float, we had some areas that we didn’t do this and it took a long time to wipe it clean. I also love Jeff’s videos but I do think your correct on this.
If you haven't done enough grouting .I think it's not nice of you to counter argue his points about using ultra color . I have worked with ultracolor and damn that is not something to mess around with . If you leave ultra color for too long it's starts to quick set and once it quick sets ,adding water to it is useless because even though the mix may lo ok good to you, it will eventually fall out like powder after it sets . You ll have to start over again . For outdoor grouting it is always recommended to use keracolor or ultra color with a buddy who can clean while you grout . Ultra color is specially used indoor and during cloudy or cold weather it takes time to set so you can work around for a long time . I think Jeff has done an excellent video of giving safety guidelines for this grout . Instructions in the grout pack may vary with humidity temperature and more . Hope it helps
I used this grout not realizing how fast- drying it actually was. Nearly ruined a subway tile job I had been working on for several weeks. I mixed the entire 10 lb bag and it wasn’t long before the nightmare began. By the time I finished the two shower walls the grout was hard as nails and impossible to wipe off. Fortunately, I found one guy on UA-cam with the solution - use a steel punch of the proper diameter to chisel out the the excess grout in the joints, using water to soften the material a little, and grind off the end of the punch often because the edges get rounded off. Took several weeks doing a little at a time but I saved the project. The tiles got a little scratched but it looks ok - from a distance.
Instructions state 73 degrees at 15 to 30 minutes before cleaning, depending on Temperature and humidity. So did you read the instructions and what were your weather conditions?
I agree. I really like Jeff's videos and his video on grout had me freaking out before and while I was grouting. In the end it was fine and I could have taken a bit more time to let it set and had a more relaxing process.
It comes down to how much water you mix into it, the heat and humidity in the area.
first thing about the unsanded grout Jeff was talking about is that you cannot use it in grout widths over 1/8 , so if you are grouting tiles 1/8 or bigger you need to either use a high performance grout like the FA Ultra color or regular sanded grout ( or epoxy but that's is 100 percent not diy friendly). as for jeffs video , in a way it was good info because in certain circumstances the FA can be a job ruiner , as it is much less forgiving. as mentioned before , if it is mixed incorrectly, mix too much at a time for the individual, or if using on a porous tile like a ceramic, it will be very difficult and can totally ruin a tile job. the individual needs to know exactly how to use the FA and if they do its one of the best grouts on the market for sure. i am a professional tile guy and have been tiling full time since 1981 and the FA is the best grout i have ever used and tbh the first time i used it, i almost ruined a floor because i simply thought it couldn't be that bad. one of the biggest things for me, because i now work alone is to only mix small batches, meaning to mix only enough to spread and wash the one area in which you intend to do in approximately 1 hour, but that time frame will change according to how fast you work , temperature of tile, temp of surrounding area, and temp of the water you are mixing with , also type of tile used. if you are grouting a basic ceramic subway tile the FA will dry faster than a porcelain tile, also if the water you are mixing with is slightly warm it will dry much faster and one of the biggest factors is how you are mixing it. for me, because i only mix small batches , which also changes depending on joint width and tile size, i only use a margine trowel and mix by hand, i simply don't have enough man power to mix enough grout to use a mixer. mixing by hand keeps the grout cool and can extend the pot life, mixing with a drill and paddle warms the grout because of friction , so if that is your method, it must be done with low rpms and not be done to long. so imo, the FA can indeed ruin a job, but if you understand basic instructions and don't go into it blindly, it can be no different in many aspects to basic sanded and unsanded grouts and ultimately be a much better product. one more thing about the FA grout is that there are instances where you shouldn't use it and that is on butt joint installs. when i install subway tiles that have lugs or pre formed spacers on the sides or where the customers want a basic butt joint on their subway tiles, joints less than 1/16, you should be using an an unsanded grout (either with a latex additive or sealed later) because even though the FA is pretty fine textured, it still has too thick of an aggregate to be pushed into a joint under 1/16. you can ultimately do it, but chances are the grout will not get pushed back far enough into the joint. so if you really need to use the FA, just make sure you use at least a 1/16 spacer.
I’ve grouted a ton of tile. Love the Ultracolor but you do have to work it a bit quicker than the plain Mapei grout. Love your video. And your beautiful blue eyes!!! Thx
Grab a 10#, add two 16.9oz bottles of Ice Mountain, mix on low speed (very important) and enjoy your success. This is the only grout I use. Never had an issue.
ALWAYS use low rpm mixing and as a caution ALWAYS use filtered water. Tap water can vary greatly to the point that it destroys your white/light color grout.
So the one variable people aren't considering is the water. If you want to be super safe, use purified water. I live on a well, and if I use well water it'll set up in minutes. Even with thinset I get about half the open time as specified on the label. The amount of dissolved minerals in the water you're using makes a HUGE difference.
Saw the same video and it freaked me out too. I went with the more forgiving version. Plus I used white on white, dark grout looks like a nightmare.
Dark grout ages better then white, especially with staining.
This video was helpful. The tile place gave us this grout with our order and I wasn’t real confident I could pull it off. I watched the Jeff video too and had the same experience. Love the guy but watching that video gave me instant doubts. So thank you for the confidence booster. I’m sure there are unique scenarios where this could be a disaster for some people.
I have multiple crews and we use this grout all the time. Ambient temperature and humidity as well as the temp of the water affect the time it takes to fire off drastically. Mid summer with high humidity Ill even cool my water with ice prior to mixing. It's great grout but you have to know its temperment. Even water out of a garden hose that is lying in the sun.....big mistake....let that water run till cool.
I see where Jeff is coming from but it is also never good to be rushed and nervous doing something like tile work. I think the end result will depend on who is doing the install, their tile choice, available tools, grout mix consistency and overall experience with DIY. Once you tackle a couple of major projects for the first time, though you may not have necessarily tiled before, you will approach the project with more confidence. Thanks I appreciate the input and both your videos.
Ya I did my 3 walls all at once but did have to work
Thanks for this video. I was having second thoughts about the 2 bags Ultracolor I bought.
Depends on the tile. If it's pourous it's a whole different ballgame.
if anyone is using this grout - do not mix with high speed drill. If using a small amount mix it by hand with stir stick or small trowel. The professionals with a large crew are going to use a mixing drill which is slow rotation but high torque. Whipping the grout over activates it by forcing air into it. This can happen with Portland cement too. Go slow on mixing
Just had two bathroom floors done with this stuff on a 90°+ day. Same guy did both floors same day, the products purchased and dropped off by our project manager. One came out great, the other is a hot, clouded mess. The difference--the one that came out great is a high-gloss marble, the other a matte ink-jet porcelain mosaic. If you're working with a nice, shiny surface, you have the time. If not, the product is unforgiving.
Same here, exactly same scenario... but then I changed my mind after watching someone else using it..
Does it scratch glass mosaic or polished porcelain?
what color did you use? was it charcoal or black
Tried using good for waterproofing. It is very difficult to handle, drys very fast makes cleaning painful 😢
Can you say if you didn't see Jeff's warning, you wouldn't make a mistake and having it dried up before you finish?
On floors he is right l use half bag at time and wash off at 15 or it gets too hard to get off
What's your stance on grouting the vertical corners versus only using silicone? Getting conflicting answers
I always silicone the corners with the matching grout color (silicone made by mapei). I've always heard grout cracks there.
@@KellyConcepts thanks, I think I’ll try it. There seems to be alot of hype about this spectralock1 product. I have the same bagged mapei product you used but I’m on the fence to go the spectralock route… It was such a nightmare ripping the old grout out I never to do this again! I want something that is borderline epoxy.
Your right about your high gloss tile. Jeff is also right about what he said. Jeff omitted saying, 1) high gloss tiles will be fine, and 2) sealing porous tiles before grouting will also help. However, your video is limited your your specific tile and more likely to get diyers in trouble.
It's great on glossy tile, one good point was do one wall see the difficulty in removing, porous tile is more difficult, and if you have sunlight shining on tile it can dry up faster on you, tile that has beveled edges are more challenging, getting grout out of the joints is more time consuming, his advice is if its something you don't do regularly, the bag of rapid setting grout is not for you, a pro would have on hand a scrubbing pad, he can do all walls at once since he knows curing time, but it's not a race ,its an art, take your time ,I've done this for years over 10 was fixing others bad grout jobs. Your work looked great by the way your not the rookie category that the comment was for. Rookies don't read the instructions, they think they know everything, they never take advice or look information like you did, I saw one guy do the complete restroom walls, it didn't click when the grout in his bucket was turning into a rock, Jeff's advice would have saved him .My advice READ THE LABEL. Always do a small area any test out a new product.
I’ve used this grout, and found between the two bags I bought, they were different. Even the mixing directions were different. The second bag I used hardened within 15, it was horrible to remove. I was lucky that I was able to save it, but if you waited any longer, the job would have been ruined.
My experience is on glazed tile you're golden... easy...if it's low sheen porcelain....be prepared for "get-r-done" as quickly as possible...😆
Hand mix or via Drill? Im about to use this same grout later on my first tiling job and Im nervous about ruining all my hard work. Do you recommend a 15 min drying time before wiping off?
Don't use this shit product. Use regular grout with Portland cement
Remember, in the beginning Jeff said, “FOR THE BEGINNER”, and later on you said you had 2 more jobs . Really. 🤔
"2 more jobs" doesn't mean I just finished 2 jobs. I've tiled 1 shower before this one
Doesn't really apply to extremely high gloss tile which correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you're using.
I watch Jeffs videos purely for laughs, never took his advices seriously
You misrepresented a bunch of things he said. It’s a bit weird. I do find though he sometimes just talks to much and makes things way more
Complicated than they are
Thanks!
I found that it sucks in very quickly on the joints you only get about a minute once its in the joint otherwise it builds and you get thick joints I should have used my rake balls to even them out
Omg good for me I watch both videos because we are to make the bathroom next week with same grout!!!! And we are beginners too😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳
Ya, a dude that has trouble tying his shoes😂😂 I'll believe you
I’m my opinion most Mapei products are a pain to work with. I prefer Prism
I rate it!
The old “follow the directions” trick
WELL SHIT! I too watched the Jeff video and as a result returned my FA grout back to Lowes and bought the other. Now Im thinking I could have had this job finished and off my mind.
I personally have used this grout. I love the clear bright colors and the sealed resin like
texture. I personally love to tile and have done it professionally. With all that being said Temperature and climate have a world to do with all things construction 🦺. If it is slight warm or leading to hot not a cool autumn day you will have results as Jeff warned.
I've used this grout MANY times. I only mix a third of a bag at once and I use a measuring cup and scale so my quantities are precise. The thing is the once the grout is mixed it can sit in the container for some time. I personally apply maybe 2ft x 4ft and then immediately wipe it off. Then I do the next area so on and so on. The reason for the exact measuring is so when you mix the next batch it matches the previous batch. To save time have like 5 sponges and five buckets (and a helper if you can) of clean water when wiping. Hope this helps.
I was weighing my grout too for smaller portions and then found the PDF on Mapei's website called "Mixing Partial Units of Grout" and it gave me the proper ratios by volume to use. It made things a lot faster for me and I got a very consistent mixture each time.
I just did it with you suggestions and it came out great. The grout in the bucket literally lasted me about an hour and 10 min before it got hard. I mixed it with cold water. Thank you so much.
Pure Sarcasm
This is super helpful!
He's not incorrect. Application depends on the situation. I applied this outdoors in the sun and it dried within less than 4 minutes. So while I agree that the situation can change. He was pretty much trying to keep people who have no idea what they are doing from making a huge mistake.
I only watched 45 seconds of that video by Jeff, and he specifically said not to use if you have no experience with tile and grout.
When u said the son u fd up
It all comes down to your definition of DIY. If you are flipping a cabin without professional help, you probably more of a DIYer than most of us. I used the same Ultracolor Plus grout for a small kitchen backsplash and did small sections at a time and worked my tail off to get the tiles clean. One thing for sure is that charcoal grout on white tile requires more experience or more elbow grease. I think you are both right.
This kind of stuff is why you don't buy a flip.. this guy is saying he's new to tiling and is doing showers, yikes, just asking for future water problems that he's never even going to know happened and keep making the same mistakes
keep clean water handy, have some help changing buckets, wipe, rinse, ring, wipe, rinse, ring... The streaks go away quickly as long as you keep changing out the water. I installed this on my 130 square foot backsplash and it worked great. Jeff makes entire buckets with almost the entire bag. I made 2 pounds at a time and it worked great.
@@insidmal We bought a flip and I'm now grinding out their sh*tty grout job from the bathroom floor to try again
I had a completely different experience the first time I used this grout. (I had used other traditional grouts previously, so it wasn't my first time doing a tile job.) For me, it was exactly as Jeff described -- almost a disaster. I wish I had seen Jeff's video before using Ultracolor Plus FA. The grout hardened like rock hard cement within 20-30 minutes, and I really struggled to scrape (not wipe) it off, joint by joint (and still today the grout job is mediocre when inspecting closely because of this fast hardening incident.) I think results can vary wildly depending on your exact mix ratio, water quality (minerals and municipal chemicals), the ambient humidity, and temperature. It's better to have a stern warning before using something like this (and perhaps have to do a little more corrective work like you did) than the 4-5 hours of dry grout scraping I had to do.
sounds like you were trying to go too fast and grouted too big a section
It probably depends a lot on the temperature and humidity and whatnot
@@williamanderson6006 Sounds like you are leaping to conclusions without knowing all the facts!
Use Prism and be happy
My results exactly. Rock hard and unable to scrape off. I have done 8-10 bathrooms and this is the only one there were problems with.
A lot of people don't know that you can get in trouble with this stuff if you use a high speed mixer. It will get hard in 10-15 minutes. There's another video on UA-cam from a guy who had this problem. Mix slow or even better by hand.
Another great tip!
One of my first time tiling was doing full mosaic walls on the custom shower. I used the Ultracolor plus. I did it in summer with no AC on. I just did portions at a time. Jeff is right, if it is hot, the grout will set up real quick.
I just learned this the hard way 😢
The bald DIYer is correct if you don’t know what you are doing or don’t have help or experience then you shouldn’t use that grout! That grout is not like other grouts! It is a quicker setting grout, for color consistency purposes! I have been setting tile for 39 years, so I can say he is absolutely correct! The outcome is dependent on many different variables! The temperature, the humidity, glazed tile , porcelain, clay tile, Saltillo tiles, stone all these variables will have a different outcome! So you might want to tell the guy you were wrong and he was and is correct! Because he is saving people who don’t know what they are doing or what they are getting into, from having a big mess or losing money and time! Lance/ L.A.Grout&Tile Restoration LLC
He is definitely right. I've been doing tile professionally for a long time. Mapei ultra color plus is both my favorite and least favorite grout to use. When it's used on gleazed tile like yours, it's the best grout to use. If your tile is anything else and the room temperature is above 80 degrees DO NOT use this grout because it will ruin your tile job.
That's great to know for future projects. I'll avoid this for stone and other porous tile work but use it on porcelain
If your tile is that porous use a grout release or an inexpensive penetrating sealer. Any grout, not just Ultracolor, will burn into a porous tile. If I went home everytime it got above 80 degrees I would go broke. Did you say you are a professional?
@@markme4 well said. I just cant comprehend how nonchalant this video is. Ultracolor is my favourite grout, but its an absolute beast of a product that can quickly destroy.
I watched a mapei training last week and this grout is very good is recommended for most of the tiles and situations. I think he just said to not use with porous materials as stones or use a sealer first. A great hint he gave that day was to always take a piece of tile as sample and apply the grout on the surface of the tile you’re installing. This you can check first what to expect and communicate any problems with your customer. Even with the fine aggregate it can scratch surface of a marble tile for example. You can make your customer see what gonna happen if he’s not willing to pay for sealing work. One product that really surprised me is that pre mixed bucked grout and I’m willing to use in all my projects now. It’s not just recommended for exterior I think and submerged places likes pools etc. it comes pre mixed you can apply right away. You don’t have to wait it dry a little bit like the other, it’s a different composition. Another important point was that I never saw anybody mixing the grout the way he said it’s the right way, takes a lot of time and you can mess the color of the grout if you put too much water, if you to repair it you can have different color because of the mixing. Also we always waste material when doing grout in the bucket etc. with the pre mixed product you finish the work and put it back in your shelf of grout and it’s ready to use in the next job.
Thank you. I'm taking this shit back right now, before I f*CK up my beautiful shower trying to touch up some small patches. What a nightmare, from every comment I've seen. I have travertine. Yikes! Lol 😂
I used this grout again today and had no issues. I used cold water to mix it and the temps were in the upper 50s, pot life and workability were exceptional. I grouted 60 square feet and didn't have any need to do it in sections. I actually had to wait on the grout to start the clean up. Once I was completely done with the job, the leftover grout I saved for touch ups was just as workable as when I mixed it. I really think the issues people are having are temperature related.
Your tile is like glass it wouldn't be same on tile with pores
For me i don't like the way you react, because you believe in your job,don't mean you have the right to make feel other stupid
Always start grouting from the top down, and after you clean it with a sponge use a microfiber cloth to wipe residue.
You are correct, we had ample time to clean up. Because of his video, I too was nervous in using the said grout and had to get my wife to make it a team effort. We did see another video that explained why the material sets up fast. In that video he explained that the use of a HIGH SPEED device to mix it drastically cured the material faster. So my wife and I used cold water and manually mixed the material by hand. Surely enough we are proud of our finished project. Thank you for your video!
ua-cam.com/video/hZzr0Gyrg3w/v-deo.html
I had to respond to this video. I, like many others, Saw Jeff's video about this grout and was not going to risk trying it and had decided to return it to Lowes. I haven't done any tiling or grouting in 30 years, so I basically was staring over. Thankfully I saw this video and decided to try it. I saw another video where the guy discovered that YOU CANNOT USE A HIGH SPEED PADDLE to mix this stuff. He had contacted the tech line and they, in fact, told him it had to be LOW SPEED in order to have enough working time to use this grout. He did it by hand and he had 45 minutes before it was set up and getting hard. Then he used the drill and mixing paddle and it hardened in FIVE MINUTES. With that information and the info from this video I decided to try it, starting with a small 6 sq. ft. area of mosaic tile I just laid down. I have a plug in speed controller for my router so I used it on my drill and mixing paddle and slowed that baby way down. With doing that I had PLENTY of time to use this grout....AND I HAVEN'T GROUTED IN 30 YEARS. I then went on and did the rest of the floor having about 40 minutes or working time. House temp was 66 degrees, used COLD water, mixed slow and for the specified time on package. Came out AWESOME! I am thrilled with it and that is saying a lot because I am critical and usually never like my own work.
Jeff is wrong about a lot of things, probably more than he is right about. The problem is, most people are just too clueless to understand that.
That being said, your grout lines are extremely uneven.
It depends what tile you use if your tile is not glazed it can stain the tile. As a professional contractor when you wipe the tile it will always have the colour streaks you just have to wipe it one more time.
I think I will give it a go after all. But, a 15 minute real-time demo of usage would certainly have given me more confidence than the time lapse (for nervous DIYers like me!)
Try it first on a sample and see how fast it dries first. It is a pain to work with this grout. It gives you false confidence. For the first 10 to 15 min the grout doesn't seem to be drying to fast. But then it seems it will instantly harden in the 15-20 min after you mixed it.
First of all ALWAYS READ INSTRUCTIONS!!
On my first DIY shower I did use Ultracolor, but I am a bit of a perfectionist so I not only read the instructions but I watched about 30 pro UA-cam videos first and took a few tips & tricks from the pros. I worked in small sections. Did the first small section and started another section which took about 10-15 minutes, went back to the first and cleaned it off and then started the third section, went back to the second and so on. Timing is KEY. At the end I cleaned everything with a grout haze remover. And my shower looks GREAT!!!
A truly fair and respectful assessment! The end result speaks for itself.
Dude. You made a whole video bashing Jeff. He makes so much content for the DIY'er and is insanely knowledgeable. So the fact that you made this video to say that he's wrong says so much about you and nothing about Jeff, except that he's a total badass. You, on the other hand, have issues.
Kinda weird that you're bashing someone who's doing nothing but trying to be helpful and warn the typical DIY'er to the process time of this particular grout. I mean, seriously dude. What's your problem?
Bro, I made this single video where I repeat 2x that I love Jeff and he's right 99% of the time. It's not that bad lol
But.. what if he was right in most circumstances with most people in cases where people have different tile from what you used? Theeeeen.... you just convinced someone to screw the pooch
Bald man isn't wrong. If you're going through different grouts and then suddenly get this one in the mix, it could be bad. It doesn't react like the others. You have to be more conscious with it, it behaves more like a rapid set.
I used this for my bathroom walls it worked great no problem I have only did grout about 3 times prior to this job I’am a DIY he made it seem like the product is the boogie man
Jeff has by far the best channel for learning to DIY....I follow his videos to the T and has never failed me. I don't see the point of criticizing his video, he just doesn't want anyone to make a simple mistake which can ruin an entire job.
He's talking his thousands of followers out of using a premium product (his own words). I love his content but I'm just demonstrating that he's incorrect here.
he clearly misrepresented this grout heck under different conditions you can screw any kind of grout up
You’re using the one tile that isn’t pores and that’s why you got away with it. For most DIY people he’s on the money with not being to use it correctly. A natural stone will suck it right in and if you think you’ll come back later and clean off the heavy spots or residue you are wrong. Jeff knows what he’s talking about. I feel in your case you got lucky with your variables but for the most part, any Do It Yourselfer or someone new to grouting should stay away from this grout. It’s fine stuff and I like it but I would never want to learn with it. That would be a nightmare
He wasn't 'wrong'. He knows he has a lot of weak skilled diy guys who he minimizes risk for. You left a lot of variables out, which you didn't discuss. Hope you thanked him, you got 50x your normal views off his back.
Jeff is right ,I use this grout and nothing else, but if you use it on a tile that has a none glazed face then be very very careful, the tiles in this video were glazed and therefore alot easier to clean done, just saying
Thank you very much for your video. I have watched Jeff's for quite a few videos and started to believe his confidence 100%. I got the same impression about that grout and decided against using it because of Jeff's recommendation, even though it would had been my preferred choice. So thank you again for keeping him honest.