Last week in the Just Ask Bob section of our community forums, a site user asked an interesting question: “I haven’t grouted yet, what trouble will I have when I do?” What I found most interesting about the question was the phrasing. It wasn’t “what trouble might I encounter”—this DIYer had already resigned himself/herself to the fact that grouting was going to be a problem, regardless.

Through the years, I’ve watched capable home improvement aficionados shy away from one task or another, based on either preconceived notions or bad first-time experiences. But there are tips to help you out in every project, and grouting is no exception.

You can see my response below, in which I seek to quell the anxieties of would-be tile setters everywhere by addressing a few of the finer points:

For step-by-step details, I recommend the tutorial How To: Grout Tile, which is an excellent, comprehensive guide. For more, take a look at my video overview of the tile installation process, right here: