Customer Reviews

SpectraLOCK PRO Mini Unit A+B

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Caveat: I'm a novice when it comes to tile work. This is my first time using grout, but I'm fairly handy.

The tub surround grout in one of my bathrooms was in terrible shape: Cracking, mildewed, and missing in spots. I opted to buy SpectraLock at my local Lowe's over standard grout because of its quick drying time, anti-microbial properties, and not having to deal with resealing the grout every year. I ended up using two SpectraLock kits for my surround at $30/kit (parts a and b are purchased separate from part c), which is an excellent deal for what it provides.

The contents of each complete kit include part A, B, and C, a sponge, and latex gloves. I had to buy a margin trowel and grout float to mix and apply the grout, respectively. Applying the first batch of grout was a bit of a challenge; the mixture is a bit too thick if you don't squeeze out all the contents of the part A and part B pouches, and the directions say to NOT add water to modify the consistency. Realizing this fact, I left out about 5 to 10% of part C (powder) when I mixed up the second batch, and the second application went much smoother and faster than the first batch.

Cleanup: I made sure to follow the instructions and have two buckets of water and vinegar solution available. You must do a thorough job of cleaning off tiles and other surfaces at the time intervals specified or you'll have a coating left behind that's tough to remove. Since my tile is an off-white, and the grout color I selected was "bright white", I had a tough time seeing where I'd left residue on the tile. This resulted in a haze in a few areas that I could only remove with a razor blade. Also, it took me about two hours to scrape residue off my tub's surface from grout that had fallen off my float.

Final Result: My bathroom tile is 35 years old, but it looks brand new with the new grout. I'm very happy with SpectraLock, and the cleanup headache was outweighed by the product's strengths. I'll be doing my other bathroom with SpectraLock, and I should have an easier time with application and cleanup now that I'm more familiar with the product

I have applied 5 of the full units, which covers about 60 sq feet at a time. It takes about 30 min to apply. Wait 45 min and use the initial wash packet with 1/2 cup vinegar and clean 2x...Wait about an hour and then wash with the final wash and 1/2 cup vinegar using a scrubby and sponge.

It is a little more difficult than regular grout as it is a little stiffer and using a hard epoxy float. But the long term is great. I had tiled and grouted a room a little over a year ago and it still looks the same as when I installed it, 2 dogs, 2 cats and my kids and neighborhood kids.

The upfront cost is high, but after sealing the first time and then every two years, you come out ahead.

This was overall not really any harder to use than traditional grout. I used white, so I can't say if the colors are true to the color card. Make sure you also buy part C (the color sand). I found that the grout was a little easier to work if I didn't put in all the sand, just 85-90% of it. Coverage is about what is given on the Laticrete website, that is - not much for these small units. That suited me fine, as it gave me some time to work each batch without worrying that it would set up.

It is expensive, but worth it to have some bulletproof grout you don't have to seal. I used this on a bathroom floor and in the shower.

This was the first time we used this product. For the record, my husband works in the trades and has been tiling and grouting for over 20 years. I was helping him with this project, a tiled shower - walls and floor. The product was gummy, inconsistant and extremely difficult to work with. We had 6 kits initially, and the instructions do not say otherwise, so mixed them all to grout the shower. This was a mistake, after about 10 minutes, the SpectraLock was getting so hard, we had to pick it up like play-doh and smear it into the grout lines. The product would roll out of the lines, it was a nightmare. After consulting with the tile store, they recommended mixing one kit at a time, and the coverage was terrible, we ended up using almost 20 kits for the smaller shower, at $27 per kit, it was ridiculous. The clean up was even worse. The grout stuck to the tiles like gorilla glue, and as we tried to wipe with the vinegar/water mix, we were just smearing the product around. We ended up spending 3 days working on this grout and clean up, when it really should have taken maybe 2 hours.

Maybe the stuff is great as far as lasting and stain resistance, but we just thought it was a nightmare, and whatever you do, don't get it on you, you will have to sand it off or wait till it wears off 2 to 3 days later (with constant picking). YUCK!!!