Should I grout the gap between the outer edge of the bathroom floor tiles and the walls?

[wazza77]

In a bathroom/laundry, do I grout the 5mm gap between the outer edge of the floor tiles and the walls, or do I use silicon to fill that gap please?

I was concerned that if I did grout that gap, the grout in that gap might rub on the exposed waterproof membrane at the floor/wall join and damage it, as the wall moves up or down.

Note - this is  *not*  the gap between the floor tiles and the wall tiles.

Thanks.

[EricL]

Hello @wazza77 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about grouting your floor tiles.

In order to give our members a better idea of the gap you are referring to, would it be possible for you to post a photo of the area? We can then make recommendations on how to proceed.

A 5mm gap is not out of range for a silicone sealer most silicone gap fillers can go up to 10mm like the Selleys 475g No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose Gap Filler. However, since it is in the bathroom area, I propose using Selleys 300g White Wet Area Waterproof Silicone Sealant. It is a waterproof sealant (in white) and is ideal for use in bathrooms, kitchens and laundries.

If you need a hand posting the photos, please let me know.

Eric

[wazza77]

You can see the 5mm gap between the light coloured floor tiles and the green wall.

So my question is whether i fill that gap with grout or silastic?

[MitchellMc]

Given that it is likely to experience movement, that gap would be best filled with silicone, @wazza77. Grout will probably crack at some point in the future and need to be re-done.

Here's a helpful guide: How to apply silicone sealant.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[wazza77]

Hi 

I agree.

I havent found anything on youtbe etc that actually shows what people do at the outer perimeter edge of the floor tiles area. Usually videos just show tiling basics. Maybe bunnings could do a video on it?

So it seems reasonable that any change of plane ( i.e. floor to wall ) that wet area silastic/ flexible sealant or equivalent be used.

Thanks

[MitchellMc]

Hi @wazza77,

The gap is mentioned in the video below. Typically, the wall tiles come down and fill it. Since you are not tiling the walls, you'd just fill the gap as with the rest of the tiles, except with silicone, as it is a joint that experiences movement. 

Mitchell

[wazza77]

Yep, thats what ive done, thanks. I didnt want the waterproof membrane exposed in any way. I used a neutral cure silicon similar to whats used for bond breaking purposes.

Thanks