3 Things to Consider When Selecting Grout Color

You have made all the major decisions for your new bathroom and kitchen renovation and now it is time to pick the grout color! At first consideration, the grout color does not seem particularly important, especially when compared to all the larger items you need to decide on in a renovation. In fact, you might not even realize that it can add another level of impact in your new space. Grout can blend in with your tile, create high contrast, or fall somewhere in between. Here are three things to consider when selecting grout color.

1) Grout Color Contrast

1A) Blending the grout and tile color

As you can see in the first image below, the tile is a solid white color with a bright white grout. This allows for a more subtle pattern overall and helps create a cohesive look, blending the individual tiles and avoiding a visually busy backsplash.

This next photo shows a backsplash containing a mixture of stones/colors. If you do not have a single color in your tile pattern, you can use one of the colors as the jumping off point. The goal here was to hide the grout so the tile pattern could stand out on its own. This was accomplished by picking one of the colors in the tile: white; and matching the grout to that section. This helped the grout visually disappear letting you focus solely on the beautiful stone pattern!

1b) Creating contrast with your grout color

In the image below, you see a bright blue tile mixed with a light gray grout. This high contrast look gives each tile the opportunity to stand out individually and creates more depth in the space. This concept can be accomplished using any colored tile and light-colored grout, or vice versa.

In these kitchen examples below, you see a white tile paired with a mid-tone grout color. This is another example of creating some contrast between tile and grout with a less severe difference. As you can see from the images, this combination still allows the subway and arabesque shape to really pop.

2) Grout Location 

Is the grout going to be installed on the wall or on the floor? Is this a high traffic area or an area that is not used often? This is important to consider as well because the grout will get dirty over time. If you are selecting grout for your floor or other high traffic areas, avoid white or lighter colors and stick with grout colors in the mid to dark tones. This will help the color last longer and eliminate the need to clean the grout constantly.

3) Tile Installation

When you choose a high contrast between grout and tile color, you are more prone to see imperfections in the installation. For example, a common combination is white subway tile with charcoal or black grout. This is a great look when installed correctly, but if not, you will see imperfect lines causing the finished product to look sloppy. If a light-colored grout would have been used, the imperfections would not as noticeable. Keep this in mind when choosing a grout color as well as deciding between a professional installation or installing the tile yourself.

MacKenzie Cain is a designer for Habitar Design, a top interior designer Chicago.  She’s written numerous blogs on interior design topics and is a contributor to Wikihow.  For more information on Habitar Design or MacKenzie Cain visit Habitardesign.com.