We are beginning a project to tile the master bathroom. The local tile shop where we are purchasing the tile is recommending a urethane-based grout (specifically Bostik TruColor Pre-Mixed Grout). I am sure there are other brands as well. It is like 4x the cost of traditional grout, but apparently has better characteristics like anti-mold, cracking, fading, etc. There is no need to seal the grout as well.
Does anyone have any experience working with these grouts? Apparently they are newer and have not been around too long, how are they holding up? Is this newer product catching on or is it still too new to tell? I can afford the cost, but is it really worth it?
UPDATE: A few more facts. We are not going to be installing this ourselves for various reasons. We have not yet contacted our installer to see if he has used it, and what his preference is. We will do so and I will report what he recommends as well.
Best Answer
I, and many tile pros, aren't fans of the pre-mixed urethane grouts. Again, they're newer products. There's two downsides to the urethane grouts I looked at. The first is that the dry time before water exposure is something like seven days ... again, this is the last time I looked at it, and that might have changed. The urethane grouts are supposedly easy to clean, HOWEVER, every tile guy I've talked to has said it's not a product for newbies.
I haven't worked with them personally, because my go-to is Spectralock by Laticrete. Spectralock is an epoxy grout, and can be had at Lowe's or through your tile supplier. You mix two parts goo with one part colored sand, and you get a very consistent and easy to apply grout. You have to pay careful attention to the setup time and the cleaning instructions, though, because they will leave a haze on your tile as the epoxy sets up if you don't clean promptly, and it sets up quickly.