Grout question for bathroom / Tile question for Kitchen

[dwnewman]

Bathroom
12 x 12 floor tiles laid on a bathroom floor with a "Heat-It" under tile mat rolled out into the thinset before tiling. Tiles were laid using 1/8 inch tile leveling clips. It's been a few weeks now, as I've been procrastinating the grouting.
I have a gallon of TEC InColor premixed grout, and am a little confused.
ALL of the instructions I see make it look like you grout over the entire floor, then clean most of it up. Is it possible to just sit down on the floor (about a 6' x 8' room) and spread the grout an inch or so on either side of the line? It seems to me that would minimize any "grout haze" (or is that the issue - do I want the haze over the whole floor, so it cleans up more consistently)?
The wife is waiting to see how well I do with this bath before letting me tackle the same setup in the kitchen/dining room
Kitchen/Dining room
Kitchen is about 12' x 12' - Dining room is close
Kitchen will be same tile as bathroom Dining room will be engineered Bamboo - Heating will be using Shulter Ditra Heat under both floors.
Kitchen question is - what do I do under cabinets and island? Do I tile?
I know I don't heat, but would I use more membrane to assure the same level? Do I raise that area to tile level with "whatever"? (my "whatever could be more of that engineered Bamboo which comes in at about the same height as thinset + tile, and I have a truckload of the stuff) I just want to be sure that this "last remodel project of an old mans life" winds up looking decent.
Thanks in advance

[cx]

Welcome, Dennis.

I'd like to know more about the subfloor over which this installation is being made. Your heating system indicates it should be self-adhered to the subfloor, then covered with thinset mortar or SLC, depending upon the substrate, as opposed to being "rolled into thinset" as you have indicated. We talking about the same product?

As for the TEC grout, I've not tried that one, but it reads as though it is the same sort of product as the newer single-component grouts from MAPEI and Custom, and others. As such, I really recommend you follow the installation instructions to the letter. It is not an A118.6 grout, despite what is printed in their online literature and it won't act like a cementtious grout. It's not a lot different, but it must be treated a bit differently for a successful installation.

You can certainly try to install it without smearing it over the entire surface, but I think you'll find that in order to get full grout joints, you'll have smeared it on a good bit of the tile surface while forcing it into those joints. Up to you, of course.

Let's stay with this bathroom floor on this thread 'till we've got it finished. You can then start another thread for your other rooms, or continue here if the substrate is all the same throughout.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[Snets]

Dennis,

If you switch to a standard grout, one that is in a bag and mixes with water, you will likely find many more good folks here that can help you.

As a fellow DIY'er, I can tell you that grouting with regular grout such as Custom's Polyblend and many others like it is not rocket science; it's actually fairly easy IF you follow the instructions and advice here. It IS hard work, you will sweat.

There are a million youtube videos on regular grouting. There are probably few on the grout you have currently. Just information for you to consider.

[dwnewman]

Amateur mistake - I worded it wrong - heat "mat" was adhesive back rolled onto a new layer of 3/4 plywood (over original floor - I believe 1x pine over 16" on center x8 joists) then covered with the thinset - then butterbacked 12x12 tiles over that - happy with the tile - just leery of screwing up the look when I grout. Kitchen can be in a new thread if that is preferred - same sub - but the kitchen will also have the Ditra Heat instead of the mesh held heat wires in the bath.
only real question on kitchen is how to handle the "under cabinet" area especially under the island

[cx]

You can certainly keep all the floors here, so long as they don't start getting confused. Such as the joist structures and such.

I always recommend, and have always done in my own houses, that the floor tile installation be done before the base cabinets are installed. No need to tile completely under an island, or other cabinets, only such that the tile extends under the outside edges of the cabinets. One can shim the cabinets to level on the un-tiled portions. The finish toe-kick veneer can then be installed to fit nicely over the tiled floor.

My opinion; worth price charged.