I have an outdoor patio, about 15 x 50. It is covered with 16 x 16 ceramic
tiles. The grout lines are about 1/4" wide. The tile was installed 5 years
ago. Three feet of the patio floor is in direct sunlight, most of the floor
is in the shade of a roof overhang.

During the last two years, the grout between some tiles is coming loose:
Hairline cracks develop where the grout meets the tiles and, before long,
sections of the grout crumble. There are no cracks in the tile. The
deterioration of the grout is confined to the areas where the tile is
exposed to the southern sun.

When I repair the grout, I would like to match the color to the existing
grout. This may be a case of thermal expansion. There are no expansion
joints in the patio tile area.

How can I repair the grout and how can I prevent the grout from crumbling
again. Is there such a thing as flexible grout? Mix the new grout with
epoxy?



Thanks

Walter
--
www.rationality.net

walter wrote:
I have an outdoor patio, about 15 x 50. It is covered with 16 x 16
ceramic tiles. The grout lines are about 1/4" wide. The tile was
installed 5 years ago. Three feet of the patio floor is in direct
sunlight, most of the floor is in the shade of a roof overhang.

During the last two years, the grout between some tiles is coming
loose: Hairline cracks develop where the grout meets the tiles and,
before long, sections of the grout crumble. There are no cracks in
the tile. The deterioration of the grout is confined to the areas
where the tile is exposed to the southern sun.

When I repair the grout, I would like to match the color to the
existing grout. This may be a case of thermal expansion. There are no
expansion joints in the patio tile area.

How can I repair the grout and how can I prevent the grout from
crumbling again. Is there such a thing as flexible grout? Mix the new
grout with epoxy?

There are epoxy grouts, but the ones I've used don't like the sun, according to
the manufacturer. There are grout additives that might help. It might be helpful
to know exactly what the origional installer used. Real tile shops can be very
helpful if you have one in your area.