This article shows how colour co-ordinated grout & silicone can be used to finish off tiled walls & floors to give professional results.

Mapei Coloured Silicone Range With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Mapei Coloured Grout Range With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Introduction

Why opt for run of the mill white grout & silicone when there are so many other options that can help transform your bathroom from good to great.

By using colour co-ordinated grout & silicone to finish off your bathroom tiling you can add a high end finish for very little extra money.

Feasibility & things to consider

Personal choice is the main factor to consider when choosing the colour of your grout, silicone & tile trims.

You can choose one of the following options:

White grout, white silicone & white trims

White Tiles, White Grout & White Silicone With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

This is the cheapest option as white grout & silicone is slightly cheaper than coloured variants.

It gives a plain, clean look though white grout can discolour more quickly than coloured variants (or show up the dirt more to put it another way).

Be sure to use a mould resistant sanitary silicone sealant to avoid this potential problem.

The impact of white grout & silicone depends largely on the tiling that it will be used with:

White Tiles Brick Pattern With Matching Grout And Silicone With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Using white grout & silicone with white tiles will invariably lessen the impact of the tile pattern as the grout lines fade into the background.

Grey Subway Tiles With White Grout With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

An alternative approach is to use white grout & silicone to contrast with the colour of the tiles, thus highlighting the brick pattern layout.

White Grout & Trims With Beige Tiles With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

White grout & silicone with beige tiles can look a bit stark and it is often best to use ivory or jasmine coloured versions instead (see examples further below). Tile trims also come in these colours.

White Grout And Silicone With Colourful Tiles With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

White grout & silicone can be used in conjunction with bright tiles to act as a strong contrast as above and below.

Multi-Coloured Glass Tiles With White Grout With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Contrasting grout, silicone & trims

White Tiles With Red Silicone And Grout With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Red Bathroom With Red Grout With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Here brightly coloured (colour matched) silicone & grout from the Mapei range have been used to compliment the existing colour scheme of the bathroom.

Chrome Tile Trims With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Chrome tile trims can be used to stand out against the tiles rather than blend in with them.

Grey Grout With White Brick Pattern Tiles With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Light grey grout has been used in the example above to highlight the brick patterns of the large format ceramic tiles, and to tie in with the floor covering (grey vinyl).

Whether you want your tile pattern to blend in or stand out is completely down to personal preference – look at the example below (before & after grouting).

White Subway Tiles With Herringbone Pattern With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

White Grout Leaves Subtle Finish To Tiling With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

The white grout all but hides the radically different pattern of these tiles but leaves a nice subtle finish.

Colour matched grout, silicone & trims

Ivory Grout Silicone And Trims With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Ivory grout & silicone has been used above to tie in the colour of the tiles with the coloured tile trims that border the window reveal. They provide some contrast to the colour of the tiles whilst still fitting in with the overall colour scheme (white may be a bit stark here).

Ivory, beige and jasmine are the 3 most common stone coloured silicone / grout varieties most likely to be held in stock by tile retailers and local outlets.

Tile trims are generally available in white, black, ivory / beige or chrome and have a much more limited range than silicones & grouts, though there may be more options available online.

Black Porcelain Tiles With Dark Grey Grout And Chrome Trims With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Here dark grey grout & silicone has been colour matched to the tiles at the customers request.

Travertine Floor Tiles With Beige Grout With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

In the example above, white grout has been used for the white wall tiles, whereas beige grout has been used for the floor tiles (which themselves tie in with the border tiles on the wall). White silicone has been used throughout.

Resources

In order to get the best results from grouting & silicone sealing I would recommend the following:

These are essential for siliconing or caulking – save yourself loads of toilet roll, messy hands and ruined trousers and just get some – they’re great for removing oil etc as well (without a water source) so you can just leave them in the garage or car for future use when you’re done with them.

These are essential for getting neat silicone results every time, without the faff of taping everything off. I swear by them and these ones from Screwfix (see link above) are great because the rectangular shape means they can be used on their short edge as well as their long edge so it makes it easier to get in behind basin taps etc.

The Mapei range of silicone is excellent (though not the cheapest) but it has the added benefit of co-ordinating with a large variety of Mapei coloured grouts.

If you do not need to match the grout, the No nonsense range (Screwfix’s own brand) is good too.

Thanks for reading

Chris