Grouting My Marble Kitchen Floor
Grouting My Kitchen Floors...
Like many of you, my kitchen is the main "hub" of my home. It's where I eat meals, meet with staff, and do a lot of my paperwork. It's also where my four dogs spend most of their indoor time - at my feet keeping me company. But, with so many animals the marble floors must get washed and vacuumed frequently. And after time, the grout between the pavers loosens and chips away. Yesterday, I decided it was time to repair the grout and my old floors, so I got to work.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Early morning, after my hair was done and before I left for a busy work day in New York City, I had just enough time to grout my kitchen floors. It may sound funny, but I got the job done in about 35-minutes while also answering calls and planning calendar commitments with my executive assistant.
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- These floors are from a home I once owned in Long Island. They are its old garden pavers. Both the tops and bottoms were so nicely aged – stained from earth and grass, I loved them and had just enough of the timeworn stone slabs to cover my Winter House kitchen and servery floors.
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- Here’s my beautiful Chow Chow, Empress Qin. She and my other dogs are in my kitchen when not outdoors – relaxing on the cool marble and waiting, hoping for nibbles and treats from anyone.
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- Unfortunately, all the traffic and cleaning wear on the floor joints and every few years the grout loosens and chips.
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- I walked around my entire kitchen and servery and placed a sticky note next to every section of grout that needed refilling. Most were in front of the sink…
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- … by the doors…
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- … and near the counters. There were also some spots to fill near the cappuccino maker and in front of the refrigerator.
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- Before doing any grouting, my housekeeper, Elvira Rojas, vacuumed the cracks thoroughly.
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- Grouting repairs like this don’t require a lot of equipment. For this job, I mixed a little cement with some polymer modified un-sanded grout. These are available in hardware stores and tile shops.
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- I added some water and according to manufacturing instructions mixed the powders together in a disposable container until it formed a paste.
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- Here is the grout mixture in a natural cement color.
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- Using a soft, damp sponge, I wiped the area clean.
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- Next, using a plastic disposable spoon, I packed and smoothed the grout into the joint. One could use a tile float, but for small areas, these spoons do a great job – so flexible and light.
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- Lastly, I removed any excess grout using the sponge.
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- It is also important to use protective gloves, so none of the material comes in contact with skin, which could cause irritations.
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- The material dries quickly, but each area only took a few minutes to clean, fill, and wipe. I worked in one direction, so I could make sure I caught every joint that needed repair.
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- Here is another joint after it is filled with the grout.
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- Any excess is easily wiped away. I also removed any grout that accidentally got on the marble.
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- Here is a closer look at one of the joints I grouted. The color will darken over time.
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- One by one, I filled the cracks. I actually find it quite pleasing to do these projects.
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- At the door to my courtyard is a bigger repair area. Here, I used the margin trowel to fill the void with the grout mixture.
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- I made small batches of filler as I worked, so nothing would be wasted in the end. And don’t worry, the dogs were outside. They desperately wanted to come back in, but I didn’t want them to get any of the grout on their feet.
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- And in just about a half hour, I was done. All before a full day of work. I hope this inspires you to get some of those small DIY projects around your home finished and checked off the everlasting “to-do” list.
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