Differences Between Sanded and Unsanded Grout

Sanded vs Unsanded Grout

By Troy Cantini

The difference between sanded and unsanded grout is that sanded grout has sand in it while unsanded grout does not have sand in it.  Sand in the grout reinforces the grout to make it much stronger and less likely to crack. Sanded grout is best used for wider grout joints over 1/8th inch wide while un-sanded grout is best for more narrow grout lines less than 1/8 inch wide.

Unsanded grout will have a smoother texture while sanded grout will have a rougher more grainy, rough texture to it.  You can generally tell if you have sanded or unsanded grout just by looking at the grout and feeling it with your finger. If you look closely at the sanded grout you will be able to see the sand in the grout. Unsanded grout will have a much smoother texture with no appearance of sand in the grout. Unsanded grout works better in stone tile installations with soft stone tiles because there is no sand in the grout to scratch the tiles when grouting them.

The general rule is to use unsanded grout in grout joints less than 1/8 inch thick and use sanded grout joints for 1/8 inch thick or wider grout joints.  The technology of grout is changing so that there are newer types of sanded grout that have smaller pieces of glass sand in them. The smaller picece of sand allow you to use this type of sanded grout in grout joints as narrow as 1/16 inch. Sanded grout will always be harder and more durable than unsanded grout so if you have an option to use sanded grout over unsanded grout you should choose the sanded grout.

When choosing grout it is important to understand that the unsanded grout will typically dry lighter than the sanded grout color.  It is difficult to achieve a full, rich color when using unsanded grout. The water used to clean the grout will often remove much of the colored pigments in the unsanded grout. It is usually recommended to choose a grout color slightly darker than the grout color charts to get the desired color when using unsanded grout.

Sanded grout can also sometimes dry lighter than the grout color charts.  Sanded grout will present a truer and richer color that is closer to the color in the grout color charts than unsanded grout. You should still understand that the applied grout will usually be lighter than the color displayed in the grout color charts. Many people are not happy with how light their grout looks after it has been installed. Very few people feel that their grout color looks too dark or darker than the color chosen with the grout color chart.