I am pregnant with Spectralock Pro's baby

[cjkreutze]

I just completed my first tiling project and I have to say that grouting with the spectralock was the easiest part of the job. I have no idea what it is like to work with traditional grouts, but the Spectralock Pro is awesome.

[jdm]

I wanted to respond to the title of this thread, but no matter how I tried to word my post, I realized it would get me into trouble.

[Mike2]

Yeah, right Cory . So how you going to break this news to your wife?

[DonB]

He should do it at the same time he tells her about the tattoo he still has to get.

Don

[oliverw]

All I can say is, get in line. I did my first grout job this last weekend using the regular SpectraLock and I was glowing when I was done.

I too don't have any grouting jobs with other material to compare it to, but I was amazed how easy it was. Had only one small problem, the mini kit didn't go has far as the guy at Lowes said it would, so it was a good thing I got 2.

[cjkreutze]

I guess you could call the spectralock an impregnating sealer.

Seriously Don, your posts on this site convinced me to try the spectralock on my granite tile countertops. My tile supplier gave me a look that said "your an idiot" when I told him that I was doing an epoxy grout. Thanks again for all of your posts, I couldn't be happier with the results. I will post some pictures of the countertop when I get the kitchen sink back in place.

~Cory

[vanwassup]

Should I be considering using this for my bathroom remodel? I am almost ready to grout and I have MAJOR grouting - lots and lots of small tiles (some mosaics). Is it more expensive and what are the benefits to the standard grout? Do you still get grout haze with epoxy? How are the fumes?

[DonB]

Cory,

I'm glad it did well for you and glad I could help. It's my pleasure.

Vanessa,

There is no downside to SpectraLock except the cost. Standard grout has no benefits when compared to epoxy except it's cheap. You still get haze with epoxy but it's easy to handle and much less ugly than cement grout haze. There are no fumes and it's like lotion on your skin when compared to cement.

Don

[claycarson]

CJ has a point. I have not tried Pro version, but the regular is pretty awesome.

I'd say that it is harder to install than cement grout, though. It's like oily peanut butter consistency. And getting it clean is even more important than cement grout, cuz the next day the haze is now epoxy haze...

Price is so high it will not fly as a commercial product for large jobs. For a kitchen or bathroom, the extra $ will make you gulp, but not choke.

[claycarson]

Let's keep 'em coming, folks!

Just say No to boring Thread Titles!

[cjkreutze]

Vanessa,
I would like to add to Don's response and agree that the only downside to Spectralock is the cost. I went with an extra step and buffed my tiles with a terrycloth towel right after my final wash. I do not see any film at all. I am not sure if this was necessary but I do not care because compared to the rest of the project it was hardly any work.

After reading some posts, I am starting to think that people are afraid to use Spectralock PRO since it is an epoxy. If anyone is afraid of Spectralock, here is why you should not be afraid if you are a DIYer (if using this product on a daily basis for a while you might need to consider some protection from chronic effects).
1. According to the MSDS, A 150lb person would have to eat more than 0.3lbs of Spectralock's part A to die assuming that human toxicity is comparable to a rat. If you are dumb enough to make yourself a spectralock sandwich then you should not be breeding anyway and deserve to be claimed by natural selection.
2. The major reactive components of the epoxy are polymeric meaning that they are not very volatile (no overwhelming vapors) and have a more difficult time passing through your skin than small molecules.
3. The color (sand) component in Spectralock contains crystalline silica just like regular grout so this component poses no more risk than regular grout (silicosis is a chronic effect anyway).
4. Regular grout is extremely alkaline (pH 13) and in my opinion this is more of an acute hazard than the spectralock.

Essentially, regular grout and Spectralock pro seem to have very similar health effects on both the long and short term. I personally would not use either with my bare hands because they can both cause sensitization.

[jdm]

The big reason that people are afraid of epoxy grouts is that the original epoxy grouts were very difficult to use. They were hard to force into grout spaces and flowed out of the joints on wall applications. They set up very quickly and left installers with epoxy messes that were next to impossible to remove stuck to the tile. Entire jobs were ruined.

Unfortunately, while epoxy grouts have improved tremendously, the press about them has not. Even many of the pros here are still scared of the stuff. The truth is that they could upcharge for epoxy, make more money, and dramatically improve the part of their work that almost all of their customers despise -- the grout. And maybe then their customers will stop trying to find room-sized tiles in order to reduce the number of grout joints.

And no, I don't work for Henry Rothberg (head of Laticrete.)

[DonB]

Anybody in their right mind would be scared spitless of epoxy grout if they read all the horror stories about it in the archives.

Don

[Zaritile]

jeffs right about the bennefits of the spectra loc. It is the only type of grout that I use on my jobs, and the results never let me down.

[vanwassup]

I'm still finishing up the Kerdi in the shower, but will begin grouting within the next few days. I'm really interested in the microban aspect of the spectralock. I HATE cleaning grout. HATE, HATE, HATE and I have picked tiles with large and many grout lines. I made it 'okay' in my mind thinking that I would put a sealer on it twice as often as you are expected/recommended to do to minimize the grout stain issues. It sounds like spectralock pro might be the answer.

But, yes, I am afraid of it. I have read lots and lots of stories about epoxy and how difficult it is. I am afraid of the haze. I think most people are afraid of the unfamiliar. I don't know if I have time for the learning curve associated with it.

Does anyone have any pictures of spectralock with tumbled marble? I have that pitted marble tile that everyone seems to be using these days (but I intend on grouting the pits - don't want to scrub out soap) and I wonder how an epoxy would work in those pits.

Thanks for this thread and for the responses. Whether I go with it or not, it is interesting to learn about new things.