Nearly finished tiling my bathroom.

I can tile no probs - honest.

I can't grout to save my life though and keep screwing it all up and having to clean all the tiles down.

What's the trick?

I'm currently using the adhesive/grout big tub stuff.

Spread it all over with a squegee thing.

Leave it a bit.

Start wiping the tiles down and smear the lot and make a right big mess.

Help.

Pat...

I'll tackle nearly any building task - but I leave plastering and tiling to those who are good at it

I always put it in wih my finger or a trowel type of thing then wipe down and smooth with a damp sponge.

Hi Pat

I find it best to wipe down with a damp sponge, use a diagonal motion to avoid washing the grout out of the gaps , and rinse the sponge out every couple of wipes

Adrian

I find the tub grout is hard to work with and usually mix my own. I'm not a tiler but this works for me.

Slap it on the tile, use the squeegy thing to push it into the cracks. Wipe the excess off in a diagonal line across the tiles so it doesn't drag the grout. Then use a draw down tool to remove the excess grout between the tiles.

agree with adrian and also make sure youre sponge is flat and a fare size too.

ive done several bathrooms and it takes longer to keep rinsing out but worth it.
also can use circular motion to wipe of works just aswell.

as your doing with your scweegy float, leave for about 5 mins, then with a car sponge,wetted and rung out, wipe lightly accross tiles about 45 degrees, i.e left bottom corner of room------to------ top right corner, or other way,
and keep repeat leaving a bout 5 mins between each area regually washing out sponge, until you have a slight glaze left over the tiles then give it twenty more mins then get a coule of clean towels, and as you did with spong i.e 45 degrees lightl buff until tiles are shiney,
don't worry about every last little bit as you can really scrub then clean the next day,
remember to do it at them angles so your working accross the crack not along it so as not to pull out the growt.

myself, id use powdered grout rather than ready mix. Apply with a soft float, do a square metre, wipe off immediately with a damp sponge, rinsed regularly in a bucket. Every few metres, go back to the begining and sponge down again. Towards the end you can just use a dishcloth, wiping particular bits and rinsed in the sink, but beware that you will block your drain eventually as it settles out!

If too much comes out, its either too wet or you are pressing too hard.

I guess using 5mm spacers didn't help either!

Big tiles though.

Can you buy the powder stuff at B&Q?

Cheers,

Pat...

Definatley Powdered Grout and a Red Raw Plug to finish off the joints

i've done a fair bit of tiling and i did it excatly like joel described and with v good results. after using powdered stuff you'll never go back

if B&Q don't do it, al murad do.

the non scratch white pan scrubber sponges are good for cleaning off stubborn bits of left over grout, and don't leave green bits like the normal ones.

what colour grout you after? my dad's probably got a bag lingering somewhere.

tom

White - but I'll get myself a bag thanks.

Where's al murads?

Cheers,

Pat...

I like the adhesive grout stuff. Use a bit too much to stick the tiles down and it fills the joints nicely. Wipe it down the joints and across and don't let it set on the tiles or it's a b*stard to get off. I recently did 5 yards of the 4" tiles and can confirm that it's not to be taken lightly.

towards heckmondwike (dewsbury moor way) on walkley lane, to the junction with dam cheap cars on it, by the bus depot in heckmondwike. turn left, under the bridge (greenway) and it's the first mill on the left. that's the tile place with the full tiling paraphenalia on sale. if you go looking mucky, they'll usually price up as trade.

the general al murad (decorating and what not) is on halifax road, again going out to heckmondwike on the traffic lights with the butchers arms and the crown, (just past the hospital).

hth
tom