Creative Tiling Qld Pty Ltd

Grout colour has a huge impact on the overall aesthetic of your tiling project. Choosing the perfect tile splashback for your kitchen or bathroom is only half of the work!

That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide to help you choose the right grout colour for your splashback. Read on to discover some crucial questions you should ask yourself during the grout colour selection process.

1. Do you want to create visual contrast or harmony?

Neutral, harmonious spaces are calming and timeless.

If you would like to create a classic tonal look that is soothing on the senses, then choose a neutral grout that blends in well with the main colour of the tile.

Neutral colours lend themselves well to timeless designs. They also allow the tone and texture of the tile to stand out in simple splashback designs.

Contrasting grout, however, shows off a design pattern and brings a graphic element to your space. High contrast splashback designs create more of a standout, contemporary look.

The space will be busier and less calming, but dark grout does give a trendy industrial look.

If you are using a contrasting grout colour as an accent, ensure that it’s also featured in other elements throughout the room. For example, you can coordinate your grout colour with countertops, cabinets, vanities or other fixtures.

For a very modern look, use an on-trend hue for your grout.

2. How prone is the splashback to stains?

Kitchens and bathrooms get a lot more useful than other rooms. Therefore, they often require a premium performance grout with stain and bacteria-resistant properties.

It’s important to select a grout suitable for its environment. For wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, it would be beneficial to choose a grout that has stain and water-repelling properties.

Grey is a very trendy and popular grout colour because it doesn’t show marks easily and has multiple applications. It can contrast or unify your tile installation design.

3. Do all grouts require sealing?

Some grouts already come pre-mixed with sealing properties, however, cement-based grouts do require sealing to help protect against stains, soiling and discolouration.

4. Do you have a unique tile pattern or shape that you want to emphasize with your grout colour?

Contrasting grout lines add visual interest to geometric patterns such as herringbone, chevron, and mosaics. When used effectively, they will draw the eye to the overall pattern or emphasise individual tile pieces.

5. How big is your room or space?

Light colours and cool greys are a great option for smaller kitchens or bathrooms. Neutral colours recede into the background and make spaces visually feel larger.

Finally, always remember to test your grout colour first!

Always test out your grout before you invest. You might have spent a long time trialling out your favourite tiles and it’s equally important to test a few different grout colours too.

Get grout colour swatches and put them up against your favourite tiles.

You can also use our grout colour selection tool to visualise different tile and grout colour combinations.

Then investigate how the overall pattern looks. Install a few tiles on a piece of wood with a few different colours of grout.

Place your test piece throughout the room and see which grout colour you prefer. Test it a few different times of the day to see how different light levels affect the colour.

For more information on grouts, take a look at our range of Mapei grouts and sealers.