Why is my grout turning orange?

Almost certainly iron in your well water. Standard cementitious grout is porous, so mineral-bearing water soaks into it and leaves staining that is inside the grout rather than on it. That is why scrubbing does not touch it. The fix for an existing floor is regrouting; the fix for a new one is specifying epoxy grout from the start, which is non-porous and simply does not take the stain up.

Should I avoid natural stone if I am on a well?

Be careful with it in wet areas specifically. Porous stone and mineral-heavy water are a poor combination over time — you get staining and, with harder water, mineral deposits that etch the surface. A dense through-body porcelain gives you the look with none of that. If you want real stone, keep it out of the shower and the areas that get mopped daily, and stay on top of the sealing schedule.

Tile & Stone in Magnolia, TX

County: Montgomery County
Drive time from our base: 20 min from our Montgomery crews

Free measure in Magnolia (713) 377-1303

What tile & stone involves in Magnolia

This is the market where the water supply changes the tile specification, and it is the single most useful thing we know about flooring in Magnolia. A large share of property out here is on private well, and well water in this area frequently carries high iron and mineral content. That water is what will clean the floor, fill the mop bucket, and run through the shower for the life of the house.

Standard cementitious grout is porous. Run iron-bearing water over it repeatedly and it discolours — an orange-brown staining that works into the grout rather than sitting on it, and which no amount of scrubbing removes because it is not dirt. We have been called out to look at three-year-old showers in this area where the tile is perfect and the grout looks a decade old.

So on any well-water property we spec epoxy grout rather than cementitious. It is non-porous, it does not need sealing, and it does not take up mineral staining. It costs more per square foot and it is more demanding to install correctly, and it is worth both. We also lean toward a denser through-body porcelain over softer ceramic and away from unsealed natural stone in wet areas, because the same water that stains grout will etch and mark porous stone over time.

The job we run most here

A shower or floor tiled with epoxy grout and dense porcelain in a well-water home off 1488 or out toward High Meadow Estates, specified for the water rather than just the look.

What it costs in Magnolia

Tile runs $10–$20 installed. Epoxy grout adds to both material and labor and we recommend it as standard on well-water property here — it costs less than regrouting a shower that has stained, which cannot be cleaned back.

What’s included

Tile, stone, setting material, and grout supplied and delivered — with overage figured for cuts and waste
Substrate flattening to tile-industry tolerance
Waterproofing for showers and wet areas
Large-format, herringbone, and custom layouts
Natural stone sealing
Demolition and disposal of existing tile

Materials we supply for this

Questions we get in Magnolia

Why is my grout turning orange?: Almost certainly iron in your well water. Standard cementitious grout is porous, so mineral-bearing water soaks into it and leaves staining that is inside the grout rather than on it. That is why scrubbing does not touch it. The fix for an existing floor is regrouting; the fix for a new one is specifying epoxy grout from the start, which is non-porous and simply does not take the stain up.
Should I avoid natural stone if I am on a well?: Be careful with it in wet areas specifically. Porous stone and mineral-heavy water are a poor combination over time — you get staining and, with harder water, mineral deposits that etch the surface. A dense through-body porcelain gives you the look with none of that. If you want real stone, keep it out of the shower and the areas that get mopped daily, and stay on top of the sealing schedule.

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