Some kitchen trends are worth investing in, like vintage-style kitchen appliances. Others — like open shelving in your kitchen — really deserve the “skip” button. Unpigmented grout on kitchen floors is one design practice that leaves us scratching our heads. Putting light grout on a high-traffic tiled floor is like putting white carpet in a living room — only advisable if you plan to never, ever walk or spill on it (not really feasible here in the real world). Yet alabaster grout persists as a common design feature.
Food Republic spoke with Alecia Taylor, a designer at Cabinet Now, for some insider insight into the dirty design mistake that is pale floor grout. Is there any way to make it work? What are some better alternatives?
Taylor shared that while chalky grout is beautiful on the pages of a magazine, it’s not very practical in a home. “It can stain very easily, even with sealing, and requires constant mopping,” she explained. Other alternatives require less upkeep and yield a cleaner look. “Here are some low maintenance options I suggest,” she shared. “Mid-tone or dark grout (light gray, charcoal, or even beige) to hide everyday dirt. Epoxy grout, which is more stain-resistant than traditional grout. Contrasting grout colors, which can highlight tile patterns and add visual interest without the upkeep.”
A colored grout alternative, and making the best of white grout
If you still want the brightness of white on your floor, it can be achieved with the tile itself rather than the grout. A colored grout, as Alecia Taylor suggested, can give a nice contrast to white tiles, as opposed to grouting with white to contrast with a colored product. Tiles themselves are typically highly stain resistant, so dirt and spills will still show up, but you won’t need excess scrubbing or specialty products to restore the tile’s whiteness like you will with grout.
If you’re already stuck with a white floor grout — and it’s not the low-maintenance epoxy type that Taylor advised using — extra upkeep is just a reality to come to terms with. Grout can be sealed for extra protection against stains — though, as Taylor mentioned, it’s not failsafe, and stains can still form. You still need to wipe up spills quickly and regularly clean the floor to help keep your grout from staining. Grout also needs to be resealed annually or whenever you notice it’s no longer resisting liquid.
Once a white grout has become dingy, commercial grout-whitening products can be used to help restore brightness, as can some at-home treatments. For instance, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda can be combined to form a paste, which can then be applied to your grout with a stiff brush and rinsed away with water. The drawback is these methods require a lot of work and must be repeated.
