DIY Grouting a Backsplash

So, we decided to use black grout with our white subway tile. It seemed like a rebellious thing to do, but there are precedents. My favorite was what Daniel did over at Manhattan Nest here and here. I would like to give you serious design theories about why black grout was a great aesthetic choice, but the truth is that I was most convinced by the fact that it might not look as dirty as white grout after several months or years. Douglas likes it because he feels there is too much white in our kitchen. You can imagine how the all-white kitchens go over with him.

Another reason that we had to go with black grout is that it is always best to match your grout to your animals. That way when they choose the worst place for their afternoon nap in the middle of the grouting process, the mess on them will not be as noticeable. It will also be harder to see all of the fur stuck in between the tiles.

Of course, you may have better behaved animals or chose to lock them up for this process. You can also threaten to grout their orifices, but if yours are anything like ours, they will be totally unfazed. I think she knows that Douglas would never hurt her in any way.

There are a few things to remember when using black grout. The first is that it may look like a bucket of chocolate icing, but do not under any circumstance confuse it for such. You will be sorely disappointed!

Secondly, it is better to get the grout on the tiles and not on the untiled portions of wall. For full disclosure this happened while trying to sponge off the excess grout which was a messy process.

Thirdly, as Alex at Old Town Home explained in his recent post about grouting tile, it is a good idea to wear gloves. That is unless you want the newest look in manicures. I am calling it the reverse French manicure. Rather than white tips, this modern update outlines the nail in black. While mechanics have been sporting this look for years, I believe that it is going to catch on in high society very soon. While others will be flocking to nail salons to get the popular manicure, you can have it for free grouting at home without gloves.

Seriously, grouting is not difficult. It just takes time and concentration. Spread the grout on your float and then smear it on the wall.

Keep smearing until all of the cracks are filled. Just make sure that you only fill the cracks on the wall. Smear in different directions to make sure there are no gaps.

We went back and filled a couple of pinpoint holes that showed up later with our fingers. Again, gloves would have been a good idea.

When we had finished applying the grout to the walls, they looked like this. It was pretty messy.

The hardest part about the entire process of grouting was wiping it off. After letting it sit for fifteen to thirty minutes, we needed to remove the excess grout. We used sponges and a bucket of water, and started cleaning.

When I say a bucket of water, I really mean about seventeen buckets of water. At least that was the number I reached when I quit counting. It took a lot of wiping.

Feeling sorry for the nap she had taken earlier in the less than desirable location, Crème tried to help. Unfortunately, she quickly became distracted by something outside the window and lost interest in the work at hand and tried to escape out the window.

And after all that scrubbing, the tiles still had not returned to their original white color. ARG!

We had to let it go for the night. In the morning, Douglas and Alex went at it with little Scotch-Brite scouring pads.

I forgot to take an after picture, but we still have to caulk and change out the outlets, so I will give you the true after pictures in another post.

Happy Homemaking!