How To Match Grout Color. What the professionals say

If you’re installing new tiles in your home, you probably haven’t thought much about grout color. It’s important to understand that choosing the wrong grout color can seriously ruin the style and flow of a room, so it’s essential to match it with the tiles as best as you can.

To match grout color, you should consider the room’s color scheme and general style. For example, if the room is mostly neutral in color, it’s probably best to keep the grout color neutral. You should also determine what style you want and think about the size and shape of your tiles.

It’s crucial to know how to match grout color if you’re installing tiles, and this article will dive into this topic in more detail. So, keep reading to learn more!

1. Think About the Color Scheme of the Room

The color scheme of a room can impact people’s moods, so it’s one of the most important factors to consider. If you aren’t sure yet what the color scheme will be, it’s best to decide before choosing a grout color. There are different ways to decide on a color scheme:

• Tile color: Choose a tile color and base the color scheme on that.
• Furniture: Choose furniture and base the color scheme on that.
• Paint color: Choose a paint color and establish the color scheme on that.

If you must choose a grout color before you’ve decided on a color scheme for the room, it’s best to go with a color that matches everything, such as gray or white. These are ‘safe’ options because of how well they go with any theme or color.

If you want the room to be bright, it’s best to use a lighter grout color. However, if you want darker tones, you might want to consider a darker grout, such as dark gray or black. 

If you want a splash of bright and dark colors, you could also consider choosing a dark grout color and light tile color (or vice versa). Remember that it’s always best to know the color scheme before selecting a grout color.

2. Decide What Style You Want

Once you know what color scheme you want, it’ll be easier to decide what tile and grout style you’re looking for. 

Here are some questions you’ll need to answer when deciding on grout color:

• Identical: Do you want the grout to be identical to the tile color or not?
• Conspicuous: Do you want the grout to be conspicuous or more subtle?
• Bright: Are you looking for loud and bright colors or more neutral colors?

If you want the grout to match the tiles and not appear too obvious, it’s best to choose a similar color. For example, if you’ve chosen gray tiles and don’t want visible grout lines, it’s best to go with grout of a similar shade. However, for a noticeable contrast, you can choose a completely different grout color.

● Consider How Many Tile Types There Are in the Room

Sometimes, people may have different colored/styled tiles in the same room. For example, one wall could have white tiles, and another could have gray ones. If this is the case for you, you might need to choose different grout colors for each set of tiles. 

Of course, you could choose the same grout color for all tiles, but this is only appropriate if the grout color matches all tile shades and blends in well. The easiest way to match a grout color with different tiles is to ensure it’s neutral; that way, it will match any color, as I mentioned earlier.

However, you could also choose different grouts for each tile color. So for black tiles, you might go for a gray grout, and for the gray tiles on another wall, you might want to go for black grout.

3. Look at Different Grout Colors

It’s always a good idea to consider all grout color options before making any decisions. 

Even if you’re sure you want to go for a neutral color, it might be worth your while to look at some bolder colors, like green or red. You might realize that you want to add a bit of contrast to the room by choosing a bold grout color! 

Keeping your options open will give you new and different ideas. Going to stores and showrooms is one of the best ways to see grout and tile colors because you can see how they look in finished rooms. A specific grout color might look awful in your head, but it could look much better if you see it in person!

4. Think About the Size and Shape of the Tiles

Tiles come in many shapes and sizes, impacting the room’s overall style. For example, if you have large square tiles, you might want to choose a subtle and neutral grout color to ensure the tiles remain looking as large as possible. Loud and thick grout lines between large square tiles can make them appear smaller and affect the room’s look.

On the other hand, contrasting colors and thick grout might look more appropriate on smaller tiles because it breaks them up more, which is likely the style you’re looking for. 

However, there are no set rules. Loud, contrasting colors and thick grout lines might look amazing between some large tiles, and neutral colors can look good between some small ones. So while it’s important to consider the size and shape of your tiles, you should still consider the other factors mentioned above when determining what grout color to choose.

Should Grout Color Be Identical to Tile Color?

Grout color should be identical to tile color if you want a uniform look. However, they don’t need to be identical. You can choose a different grout color if it matches the color scheme and doesn’t stand out badly. As mentioned, popular grout colors include white and gray because they’re neutral and go with many different tile colors.

Here are some examples of grout and tile color pairs:

• Gray grout and white tiles. Perfect for a modern look. The grout color will look subtle in this case.
• Gray grout and black tiles. This is another subtle and modern combination. However, it may look less subtle if it’s a light shade of gray.
• Black grout and gray tiles. This can also be subtle if the gray tiles are dark. 
• Black grout and black tiles. This will give a dark, uniform look.
• White grout and red tiles. White tiles with red grout is a popular combination and perfect to liven up any room.
• White grout and black tiles. White grout and black tiles is a good color combination if you want a stark contrast in colors.

Important note: the above combinations are just some of the most popular; there are so many color combinations to choose from, so be sure to research!

Final Thoughts

When matching grout color, you need to consider the style you’re looking to achieve and the color scheme you want. You should stick with a grout color similar to the tile color for a more subtle look. On the other hand, if you want to create an eye-catching combo, don’t hesitate to try bolder contrasts.