Question about my bathroom tile grout crumbling after 2 years

We did a full bathroom reno in Oak Park back in 2022, used sanded grout from a big box store, and now it's flaking out of the corners near the shower niche. I sealed it once after install but never again, and I'm wondering if that's the whole problem or if the mix was too wet when I put it in. Anyone else had grout fail this fast and did you just patch it or rip it all out?

2 comments

2 Comments

evaallen23d ago

The sanded grout from big box stores usually has a shorter working time than the pro stuff, so if you mixed it a bit wet or took your time, it can crumble fast near warm spots like a shower niche. Sealing once helps but it's not the whole fix, water gets behind the tile and eats the grout from the back anyway. I'd patch the corners with a polymer-modified grout and seal it twice, but if you see it flaking more than a few spots, plan to redo it before water works its way deeper.

the_patricia23d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you're saying water can eat the grout from the BACK? That's terrifying, I had no idea it worked like that.