by Juanita Canzoneri
Grout: Start with dry, sanded grout. I have used, and taught with, Polyblend Sanded Grout for years.
(Premixed can be harder to work with and more expensive; avoid it at this stage unless you want to make your life more difficult.)
Sanded grout is very forgiving.
Here's how you mix your grout:
Make sure that there is no adhesive on the face of the tesserae or more than halfway up the side of the tesserae.
To mix your grout put some in a plastic cup or bowl. (The instructions on these photos were created for a pre-made kit. So where it refers to 1/2 the bag that means 1/2 of the grout provided in the kit.)
add cold water a little at a time and stir until it's somewhere between the consistency of mayonnaise and canned frosting.
How to grout your project:
Smear some of your grout onto your project.
Smear it around, working it into the joints between the tiles.
I use the flat of my fingers for the application process, but there are also tools available to do this.
Once you've got your project or area covered, you want to begin removing it from the areas where you don't want it, like the surface of the tiles.
I'm using a shop towel to remove the grout from the tile surface. You can also use crumpled newspaper or paper towels. (Do not use crumpled printer paper, this leaves a clay coating on the grout surface.)
Alternatively you can use a tile sponge and water for the removal process.
Keep cleaning until you have uncovered most of the tile surface. At this point it can be helpful to put the project away for a few hours to let the grout between the tiles dry more completely.
Give your project a final polish with a clean dry shop towel or soft cloth.
And you are done!