The difference 8 months made on my kitchen tile job is wild

I finished tiling my backsplash back in February and it looked perfect, clean grout lines and all that. But after 8 months of cooking steam and grease splatter near the stove, the grout has yellowed in patches while the grout away from the stove is still bright white. Has anyone else dealt with uneven grout discoloration from kitchen use, or did I just pick the wrong grout type?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookerobinson1mo ago

Honestly, "clean grout lines" is such a tease. You think you did everything right and then the kitchen just hits different. The steam and grease near my stove did the exact same thing to my backsplash, and I swear it only got worse after the holidays when I was cooking more. I picked a standard unsanded grout because it was cheaper and easier to work with, but I think that was the mistake. If you ever redo it, go with a urethane or epoxy grout near the stove. It costs more but it doesn't soak up the grease like a sponge. That yellowing is basically just oil that has nothing to do with how clean you are.

gavin_clark1mo ago

You ever try sealing the grout after it dries? I did that on my kitchen backsplash. Made a huge difference for the first year. But the heat and grease still get through eventually. Epoxy grout is the real answer. More of a pain to work with but you won't have this problem again. I learned that the hard way too.