none of those. no warm, beige or tan colors. where are the gray tones??

you need the grout colors like these on the right side

they are a cool, grayish brown. all of your grout choices are warm toned, red, beige or tan. What brand of grout is that and why can't you change?

see any other colors on here you like?

you don't want to pick anything too light, or too dark. you want to pick a medium tone in that tile and match it.

what is SGM? is this a tract home build or what?

You're paying for this, yes? If this SGM has no color that matches your floor, why use it? Grout is cheap. buy a few bags of something else and tell them to use it instead.

(please do some samples on spare tiles)

you always have an option if you're the one writing the check. remember that.

none of those colors match the tile. If you held a gun to me and told me to pick, I'd pick oyster. oyster is the only one with a hint of that cool gray to it. but oyster is light. and the last thing you want is a light grout color on a heavily walked floor.

Mocha, as previously mentioned, in your choice, is too dark and too red. Mocha in the Mapei choice would work. Malt and Sahara Beige also seem to work.

if you use SGM, do a sample grout w/your spare tiles to see how you like it when dry.

Amy this is a dangerous decision to make based on photos posted online - colors change for everyone's different screens. Hold the grout colors up to your tile, match the color as close as possible and pick one shade darker.

Amy, Grout is like $20 a bag. see if they'll cut you a deal on something else if you pay out of pocket to bring in new grout. just drop off the bags on the day they come to grout and tell the guys to use yours. you will be living w/this floor a very long time. you don't want to be one of those posters that come back and complain about how your grout doesn't match the tile.

Always, always do some samples w/diff shades if you're unsure. see if these grout guys have some extra bags of diff colors in their truck. take a tablespoon of it and mix it w/a bit of water and try them on your extra tiles to see what looks good. maybe in person it will look better than the pic you show.

ok,,i looked them up and they do have some gray tones. pick one of those. Maybe Dove Gray or Burlap?

I'm not convinced that it's that grey of a tile on my screen. I'd be nervous to make any recommendations at all without being able to see it in person.

ok,,when I said gray, it's because i'm wanting to use something cooler. a cooler, grayish brown. all the others are warm tone because of the yellow or red undertones. does your tile have any yellow or red tones to it in person? You may be able to get away w/a taupe, but I'm saying gray to denote the cooler, non-yellow colors. Doesn't mean you tile is 'gray'. yes, it's brown, but it's an ashy brown w/ what appears to be gray and taupe tones. maybe it's just my monitor, but that's what I'm seeing on my end.

Amy, just try out some samples and let them dry before choosing.

We quite frequently get calls asking what the recommended grout color is with a certain tile, and even if we don't sell grout, we have samples here that we can try and match to our tile. See if you can reach out to whoever you bought it from and see if they can make a match!

I have wood look tile. It has the look of hand scraped in a medium leaning to dark..
We went with a very dark brown and I wish I had chosen black. It would have disappeared better.

With wood look tile you really do not want to see the grout. Cracks between wood floors look very dark.

much better. yes, pick something from that column. not too light, not too dark.

Burlap, Koala, Tawny, Ash, Dove Gray,,,,I'd see if you can do some samples w/those.

koala. hope it looks good on the sample!

i like the color. it's a tad light, but it still works. He 'swept' it in??I've heard of that done outside with polymeric sand, but never on indoor tiles.

is he wiping it down w/a damp sponge or something? I hope so because I see holes and gaps in some of the joints. make sure you go over all of the joints carefully to see if anything needs filling in.

do you have a pic of the grout he used? maybe there is a box or something still around your house?

oh,,so that was just for a test sample? good,,,this is the way it's supposed to be done: (why did he sweep it in such a large area? how is he supposed to get it out before grouting? make sure he sucks it out first)

APPLICATION:

Mix SGM Security Grout in a clean mixing container using clean water suitable for drinking. Always add powder to liquid. Mix grout to a heavy cream consistency and allow to slake for 5-10 minutes. Then remix thoroughly until smooth. Do not add any more water. Do not mix more than can be used in 30 minutes. Joints should be thoroughly cleaned before applying grout. The most consistent color will be obtained by using a firm rubber float to fill and compact grout joints. Remove excess grout from surface with rubber float, wait a few minutes. Allow grout joint to become slightly firm. and surface haze has formed, polish with a soft, clean cloth. Dampen lightly to clean tiles.

CURING:

Proper curing is necessary for gout to achieve maximum strength. After surface has been polished, wait 24 hours and damp mop entire installation with clean, clear, potable, water and cover entire installations with a non- staining craft paper for at least 3 days. If this is impractical, mist grout several items a day for at least 3 days.

as for the Koala color, you could go a bit darker

Amy, how wide is your grout joint? do you know what size spacers he used? that particular grout you have is meant for 1/8" to 1/2" grout lines. (unless you have an unsanded grout. u have a pic of the bag he used?)

does he happen to have any of the other darker colors you could try?

Amy,. if he's using this type of grout, (as listed on this spec sheet) then it's incorrect. you probably should have an unsanded grout because you have small grout joints. 1/16" isn't wide enough to fully accept sanded grout (the granules are larger in sanded). that's why it says it's for 1/8-1/2" grout widths. double check whatever he is using to make sure you have the correct grout for your grout width. Hopefully he got you the un-sanded version.

SGM Security Polymer Grout is a polymer modified Portland cement based grout designed to be used with all tile types in joint widths from 1/8” to 1⁄2”.

here is the link to the spec sheet I posted

http://sgm.cc/pdf/InfoSheets/Security_Polymer_Grout.pdf

It's hard to tell from you pic. if you have 1/16" grout lines, he needs to use unsanded. if those grout lines are 1/8", then that bag he has (sanded) is fine. (you can see where it says sanded right after " Polymer Modified ,,,,sanded" in the middle portion.

Go over it with him tomorrow and voice your concerns to see what he says. I gave you the spec sheet to read (and the directions will be on the back of that bag). I'm hoping he will be mixing it w/water as directed and using a rubber float to apply the grout.

Also, if you're happy w/the Koala color, use it. if you want something a little darker, see if he has a bag of the Tawny on hand you could sample.

good. glad to help. he would have had a hard time trying to press that sanded grout into those small grout lines. Here is the spec sheet on the unsanded version. Read the application and curing instructions so you know what is to be done. (did you ask if he had any of the Tawny color? the grout does lighten as it dries. if you like the lighter color, it's fine. I just think a tad darker would work better for you)

http://sgm.cc/pdf/InfoSheets/DrySet_Unsanded_Grout.pdf

this is what their Unsanded grout looks like (are you sure he can't use another brand?)

http://sgm.cc/pdf/Good_Grout_Brochure.pdf

He should know,,,,too much water will dilute the grout color. too much water during the clean up phase will result in uneven color patches.

MIXING

Proper hydration (curing) is also dependent upon the amount of water used in both mixing and in the final clean up. Consistent and uniform color development of the grout in an entire installation depends upon the limited and consistent amount of water being used. For mixing, the appropriate amount of water is one that produces a stiff “dry” mix. “Wet”, easy flowing, fluid mixes cause the cement and color to bleed and float to the surface with resulting variations in the color of the joint.

The same amount of water must be used in every batch. Approximately 1⁄2 gallon (1.892 liters) of water for 25 lb. bag of Security Polymer grout, 1 gallon (3.78 liters) for 25 lb. bag of Dry-set grout and 50 lb. bag Quarry (AR) grouts.

Use the same person for grout mixing throughout the entire installation.

The entire contents of grout bag should be dry mixed first when using less than a complete bag or whenever two or more dye lots are being used.

Use a clean container and potable water. Gradually add powder to the appropriate amount of water.

Mix by hand with margin trowel or slow RPM power mixer. Allow grout to slake 5-10 minutes, remix, and then use.

Do not retemper with water or powder after this point, if mix becomes unusable, discard and prepare fresh mix.

Periodic mixing will keep grout mix workable longer.

APPLICATION

Verify appearance with a test area before installation commences.

Using a firm rubber float, fill and compact grout joint working diagonally across the joints.
Remove excess grout from surface initially with rubber float. Grout small areas.

Grout all areas with the same procedure.
Do not grout when the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees F.

USING THE PROPER CLEANUP PROCEDURES

Even with proper curing, poor cleaning techniques can spoil an otherwise good installation.

Allow grout joints to become firm, the amount of time will vary for each installation, due in part by the ambient temperature, absorption of substrate and porosity of the tile being grouted.

Remove any excess grout left on surface of tiles with a rubber float, then after the grout has become firm in the joint, smooth the joint with a cheesecloth or lightly dampened towel.

Use two buckets of clean potable water, one for rinsing the majority of the grout residue from the cleaning towel and one to moisten the towel in clean water.

Never use a sponge for grouting.

Re-polish the installation 1-2 hours after to remove any weep water and residual grout residue.

ADDITIONAL HINTS

Avoid excessive use of water during the first cleaning operation. Work as dry as possible. Using a cheesecloth or lightly dampened towel will produce a consistent finish, minimize clean-up water.

Final cleaning and polishing must be done as dry as possible.

lol. you had to raise a stink for him to bring/use the correct type of grout ??? wow. what a great tile guy you have. lets just hope he's read the directions on how to properly mix, (you don't add water to the grout in a bucket. you put the correct amount of water in the bucket first and slowly pour in the grout mixture, stirring and mixing as you go). I hope he also knows how to apply it w/a grout float and knows how long to wait before wiping up and cleaning. wouldn't hurt for you to watch a video on how to properly grout a floor w/unsanded grout. the more you know, the less chance you'll get screwed w/a crappy application.

Darker colors mean more chance of color dilution. (you'll see dilution after it dries if there are darker and light spots instead of one continual color)

please remind him not to use too much water during the clean-up phase. the sponge for clean up only needs to be slightly damp, not soaking wet. And water buckets need to be changed frequently during the clean up phase. he should always have a clean water bucket when wiping. the more water he uses to wipe clean, means more dilution for the darker colors. if you have ANY type of lighter spots after it dries, tell him he will be coming back to redo it.