What can go wrong in a marble gum grouting job and how to prevent them?
Does the above image scare you? No? Well you are not wrong, but you should be a little concern as this is the result of a vendor doing a subpar quality control job.
So what should we do here? Glad you ask, in the below section, we’ll be looking at the most common problem that can occur in a marblegum grout job, and we can check for them.
Common marble gum grout issues
1. Hollow grout
This is quite a common complication that home owners in Singapore will face.
- Cause: Air bubbles formed inside the marblegum glue when it was applied, and when dried, the bubble burst and a hollow remains.
- How to check them: Unfortunately, there is no easy way to check them. So roll up your sleeves, squat down and start going through each grout line.
One tip to share: Do this when sky is dark and not alot of external light is present. Then use your mobile’s torch light to shine at each grout line. The strong light from your mobile will cast a shadow on each hollow making it easy to spot one.
- How to fix them: Contact your vendor quickly and ask them to come down and reapply the marblegum glue and hand polish the area. The time consuming progress is in the initial stage where they need to grind down the tiles. Rectifying them typically is a couple of hours work.
2. Dirty grout
- Cause: Area around the tile’s edge itself is darker or the vendor did not properly clean the tile’s edge after they removed the original grout and applied marblegum glue directly.
- How to check them: Unfortunately, same as the previous point. Laborious check is still the only way, but unlike the previous issue this one should be reviewed when there is ample light.
- How to fix them: This is tricky and usually your vendor will attribute the blame to the tile’s natural coloring. If you don’t find alot of this type of problem, usually homeowners will not pursue further. However, if there’re too many of such issue, contact vendor directly to remove the existing glue and repeat the process.
3. Chipped grout
Similar to the #1 issue, this is also quite common for home owners.
- Cause: Vendor did not apply the marblegum glue properly and when dired is not fully sticking to the tiles. Post buffering, the dried glue was removed and this groove remains.
- How to check them: Follow #1
- How to fix them: Follow #1
4. Areas not buffed
This is especially common if you’re doing marblegum grout on flooring that has existing fixed carpentry.
- Cause: Vendor did not buff the impacted floor area properly and the floor remains rough.
- How to check them: Bright lights and get as close to the floor as possible. Inspect each tile and a 45 degree angle.
- How to fix them: Contact vendor directly and have them hand buff the area.
I hope that helps any homeowners and potential marblegum grout owners to understand the problems that might arise and how to get them fixed easily.
To understand more on marblegum grout and what other options for are available for grout treatment, do visit us at https://www.renohoot.sg/.
And if you’d like to proceed Marble Gum, have a look at our curated list of vendors who can help you on this journey.
Click here to contact them now: Renohoot’s Vendors list
And we have a comprehensive Buyer’s guide to assist you in making a more informed choice.
