Apr 30, 2011

Grout.... the horror!

What a handsome fellow - a roadrunner pebble mosaic - done!
This post is dedicated to my friend Melody Ellis, a truly fine ceramic artist.

The first trip of the season out to NM and one of the goals was to grout the blue glass wall in the bathroom.  A previous post described the installation of the pebble mosaics, and all that was left to complete the project was the grout.  I admit I had a lot of aprehension; mainly due to the pebbles.  True, I had sealed them thoroughly, but I just couldn't get away from the idea that grout would stick into those tiny pits and crevices and ruin the lovely birds.

Melody suggested grouting to match the tile color which would emphasize the mosaics and diminish the tile.  Since I wanted to visually expand the space (tiny bathroom!) having the effect of a large blue sky would be beneficial.  Surprisingly, I had a difficult time finding grout colorants (either you pay a lot for tiny amounts of pigment, or you pay less for enough pigment to color a warehouse floor).  In the end, I had to special order pale blue grout from Home Despot, but no complaints.

So, here's the process:
Tape off the area around the mosaic.  I did this because I chose to grout the birds with a grey/beige grout.  Although in hindsight, I should have used a darker grey.








Grout each bird.  Recalling Melody's advice, I just pressed the grout between the rocks with my hands.








Clean off the excess grout.  Not as difficult as I thought it would be!  Yes, there was a bit left behind, but I can live with it.








Remove the tape, and let the grout set overnight.  I retaped over the birds, then grouted the tiles (not worthy of a photo).  Even though the background grout is a clear, light blue, it looks grey in the pictures.  The overall look is just like a blue sky. 






So, I have to apologize Melody.  Cleaning the mosaics was NOT horrific (I was sure it would be), no grout left in the crevises (I was sure there would be), and my birds are lovely (I was scared).  I had doubts.  You did not.  You told me all would be well and it is!  Thank you Melody, your advise was spot on.

cranes flying toward the window