How to: Grout in Bright Colors!

2 Materials
$13
1 Hour
Easy

Why settle for the usual colors? Mix your own!

Grout colors, pfffft. They come in the same ol' same ol' colors, right? Why not try something new and fun and colorful and bright? For cheap!

After emailing my sweetheart several tile options and getting a snarky response in return related to the quantity of choices, he finally selected one for our kitchen backsplash.

When he chooses, I buy as it's a rarity that he does. The first piece was kinda' a pain in the rear but I eventually got it under control. Come read all the details about this project, the other things I've done in the kitchen, and a whole lot more over on my blog Flipping the Flip at humboldtartdept.blogspot.com!

Once all the tile was up it was grout color discussion time. "I dunno babe, what about, um, uh, gray?" I asked him. He shot me a look. "Uh no. How about yellow?" I got excited! Bright color grout?! How fun! Niiiiice. We settled on blue.

Info was minimal on the interwebs but I went with an 8 oz. bottle of acrylic paint. I mixed that to about 2.5 lbs. of white unsanded grout, added water, let sit, held my breath.

I did a couple sample pieces prior to the big mix which is important -- mixing acrylic paint into grout can result in several shades lighter than what's in the bottle. Test first to make sure it's the color you want.

ACK!!! It was scary for a bit there but in the end, it turned out great!

Here's a comparison of the blue paint bottle and the finished dried grout color. Came out closer than I expected!

What fun, right?! You can even do this in a bathroom too for a

And the paint was only three bucks! Can't beat that for some interesting and different grout color. Be sure to click on the link below for all the details, links, and more!

Suggested materials:
  • Ceramic tile   (Home Depot)
  • Acrylic paint   (Amazon)
  • Tile mortar   (Menards)
See all materials
Becky at Flipping the Flip
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Natalie Jarnstedt Natalie Jarnstedt on Jun 29, 2018

    How would paint hold up on a tile counter where grey cement grout was use; I scrub it with a brush at least once a week.?

  • Oliva Oliva on Dec 20, 2018

    Hi, Becky,

    This is really striking! Have you had difficulty in maintaining the pristine appearance? Do you do much tomato cooking?

    Great color choice!

  • Tod52081836 Tod52081836 on Aug 14, 2021

    Hello, I’m going a mosiac piece, trying to make bright red grout . I used a .7 tube of acrylic paint added to white grout. Outcome was pink plus as I Stirred in the color the grout became thicker and harder to stir in the color. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you

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