From the Blog · Tile Installation
Should I use epoxy grout or cement grout in my shower?
For most showers, epoxy grout is the better long-term answer: it is effectively waterproof, never needs sealing, and resists stains, mould food and Colorado Springs hard-water marking far better than cement grout. Cement grout costs less, is easier and more forgiving to install, and is fine for dry floors and walls. The trade-off is price and installation skill — epoxy costs more per bag and punishes slow work, so it belongs in wet, hard-used areas where its durability pays.
The honest differences
Sealing: cement grout is porous and needs sealing, then re-sealing as it wears — realistically every year or two in a shower. Epoxy grout is a resin: it does not absorb water and never needs sealing. Stains: coffee, hair dye, hard-water scale and soap scum sit on epoxy and wipe off; they soak into cement grout and stay. Strength: epoxy is harder and more crack-resistant, which is why it is standard in commercial kitchens and pools. Forgiveness: cement grout gives you time to wash and correct; epoxy sets on its own clock and smears if you dawdle — it is a job for a tiler who has laid it before.
What it costs
Materials run roughly two to four times the price of cement grout for the same area, and labour is higher because the install and wash-off are slower and less forgiving. On a typical Colorado Springs shower, expect epoxy to add a few hundred dollars over cement grout across the whole job — against years of no sealing, no stained joints and no regrouting. On a big dry floor, that same premium buys you very little, which is why the answer changes by room.
Where each one belongs
Showers and wet rooms: epoxy, especially on shower floors and steam showers. Kitchen floors and backsplashes: epoxy earns its keep where grease and spills live. Bedroom and hallway floors, dry walls: a good polymer-modified cement grout is honest value. Natural stone: check compatibility first — some stones and epoxy combinations need a grout release and a careful wash, and movement joints still get silicone, never grout of any kind, because corners move.
Colorado Springs specifics
Our water is hard, and hard water is what turns pale cement grout grey-white at the edges and feeds the pink and black staining homeowners scrub at for years. In a daily-use shower here, epoxy joints stay the colour you chose. Freeze-thaw is not a grout issue indoors, but unheated garages and sunrooms that dip near freezing want the stronger joint too.
The short version
Epoxy grout for showers, wet areas and hard-used kitchens — no sealing, no soaking stains, joints that stay their colour. Cement grout for dry areas where its lower cost and easier install make sense. Not sure which your bathroom argues for? Call The British Remodeler in Colorado Springs at 719-521-8312 for a straight answer and a free estimate — serving Colorado Springs, Monument, Manitou Springs, Fountain and the wider Front Range.