Stone (both natural and artificial) is currently an unusually popular finishing material. However, without using the correct grout, a beautiful design will not work. You must first determine the color. In addition, grout for stone must meet certain requirements regarding quality and composition. Only in this case, the finish will last a long time.
What exactly the properties of the grout should be, depends primarily on where exactly the stone will be mounted. For decoration on the street side, you must choose a tool that is resistant to the influence of low temperatures. Special types are designed specifically for use outside buildings.
This grout for stone incorporates special latex plasticizers. Due to this, it becomes much more elastic. In addition, in this case, it fills all voids much better. And this is important when performing clearance on the street. The fact is that if water gets under the tile, it will freeze when the temperature drops, and accordingly, the volume of the substance will increase, which can lead to tearing of the tile.
In the event that you can not find a tool of a suitable color, you can always color it with tinters, which are produced specifically for this purpose. The grout for the stone will last longer if you add some antiseptic to it. In this case, mold will never appear on it. When choosing a color, it is also worth considering that the tool is darker in tone than the stone itself, will be preferable. Specialists often use such a grout during installation. This will favorably shade the stone and emphasize its texture. Of course, the tool should not be too bright.
In the event that a seamless installation is expected, the best option is a polymer grouting of joints for stone, made on the basis of silicone. It is used most often when it is supposed to further polish the material. Such a grout can be used both outdoors and when installing “warm floors”, since it has a very high degree of elasticity. In order to make a seamless installation, the polymer composition is injected directly into the joints using a syringe.
Grout for artificial stone may have the same composition. A polymer mixture is also used for porcelain stoneware. On sale, this type of product is called "suture fillers." However, in any case, when choosing a grout, it is necessary to pay attention to what material was used to stick the stone to the surface. For example, with cement-sand mortar it is best to combine a cement-based product.
Grout for stone is applied after cleaning the joints and washing them with a damp sponge. Also, they need to be moistened and immediately before application, after preparing the mixture. During operation, it is best to use a small rubber spatula. Grout is prepared according to the instructions on the packaging. For each type of tool, its own specific method is used.