First of all, the word “grout” may sound foreign to you. Mostly if you haven’t worked with any cement before, it’s apparent that you won’t be familiar with it.
For an introduction, grout is mainly a mixture of cement with sand-water used for bonding and a lot more during construction work. When you’re walking past a construction site, you’ll seldom see bricks being placed over a grey paste – that’s what grout is.
And to your surprise, when you start using grout to fill up holes, gaps or want a permanent adhesive to the structure of your building, you’ll want to know “how long does grout take to dry?”
Depending on the content you’re using, the grout should take about 2-3 days to dry off completely. After the grout has been used, recommended to not use paint over it for at least 72 hours, so the grout can take it’s time to absorb oxygen and dry off.
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How Long Does Grout Take To Dry?
Well, the grout you’re using will have quite a few factors to consider. The elements will determine what time it will need to cure up. Usually grout takes around 24 hours for drying. However, it may extend up to 72 hours.
And, no matter what, we’d like to remind you never to underestimate your drying time. It’ll play a vital role in strengthening your grout for what’s to come next.
An improperly dried grout can lead to your home renovations looking unpleasant. It might not even be useful for the holes you want to be filled. Thus, give your grout some time to breathe.
Ensuring Proper Grout Application
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Determine the Type of Grout
One of the most critical factors about grout is the kind you’ll be using. This is an exciting part since you’ll be finding many different types of grout on the market.
If you’re unsure about what kind of grout you already have used/own, check the labelling behind the bucket or the grout’s packaging. This will let you determine the grout drying time more efficiently. Let’s discuss the main types of grout and their drying time.
Grouts are mainly of four types. From non-sanded grout to sanded grout, epoxy grout, furan grout, quarry type grout and even mixed grouts, they all have their specific drying time. The manufacturer will mention the drying time at the back of the packaging.
However, we solely recommend you not to trust the packaging; advertisement timing is most of the times gimmicky and not at all suited for the weather inside your home. Thus, make sure to give your grout double the time of the advertised drying time.
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Give The Grout Proper Drying Time
Giving your grout an adequate amount of drying time is extremely necessary. Many people tend to apply the grout and walk all over it within a few hours. They tend to consider the advertisement time only, which doesn’t result in a successful grout application.
You’ll have to be very careful when the drying time is ongoing. Or else your entire process will be of waste. If the grout doesn’t get enough time to breathe and dry itself, it’ll discolor soon, and the tiles will start to loosen.
We all know that waiting on your grout to dry can be extremely annoying. However, that’s for the best since the result will be undoubtedly worth waiting for.
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Chalk out Your Plan
Make sure you have a plan at hand when you’re setting up your grout; you should have all the things such as a bucket, grout float, margin trowel, microfiber towel, putty knife, shop vacuum, tiling sponge, knife, etc.
When you’re applying grout, if ther4e’s a shortage of the required utensils, you’ll be in a lot of trouble later ahead. Thus, make sure that you have nothing short of. The plan should also include considering how long the room will not be suitable for use.
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Know the Humidity Level
How your weather is around the place you’re using the grout will affect the grout drying time by a significant margin. In the room you’re using, the grout ids can be too humid or dry.
If you’re using the grout on bathroom tiles, the chances are that the air will be humid from all the mixture. However, if you’re using the grout is a well-ventilated room in a dry season, the grout can take a lot less time to dry because of the air’s dryness.
The humidity level can depend on many factors depending on where you live, where your house is positioned (whether it’s beside a water body or not), and more. To determine and adjust the humidity levels of your home, you can always get a dehumidifier.
If you choose to let the natural air do the job, you’ll have to be prepared for the grout to take much more time to cure itself than presumed. Mostly if your house is filled with humid air, be sure that this scenario is a huge possibility.
You can also use a table-fan or temporary air conditioning of some sort to dehumidify and keep the air running while your grout is drying.
However, if it’s a well-ventilated room, we suggest keeping the doors and the windows open for more air. Hence, the drying time can be successful.
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Give A Proper Finishing
When you’re drying your grout, make sure to cleanse the excess grout while it’s in the drying stage. Grout will harden within 10-15 minutes, and it’s better to keep cleaning off the excess over your tiles/holes. In this way, there will be proper leveling between your grout and the surface.
Don’t forget to seal your grout with a sealer when your grout has completely dried. It will take a total of around 2-3 days to dry off. Ensure you follow the proper instructions when applying a sealer, or else it can damage your entire grout application.
Conclusion
Many people tend to use a damp curling method to finish off the grout application to make it more durable and long-lasting. If you’re comfortable with spending a little bit more time and effort over the grout, it’s recommendable to go for it.
Therefore, we hope you’ve learnt everything there is about the drying of grouts from our article. Till the next time, happy grouting!