Selleys White for Life Ready To Use Grout

What is Selleys White For Life Ready To Use Grout, and where should you use it?

Selleys White For Life Ready To Use Grout is a water-based, brilliant white grout supplied ready mixed in a cartridge, for indoor wall and floor tiles with joints up to 5mm wide. It resists yellowing, staining and blackening when used as part of the Selleys White For Life™ Tiling System and as per pack directions.

Two things separate it from a conventional cement-based grout. It arrives mixed, so there is no powder to gauge and no pot life pressure — you apply it from a caulking gun and the cartridge means minimum wastage on a small job. And it is sand free, so it resists scratching tiles, which matters on polished or delicate surfaces where a sanded grout can leave marks during the float-off.

The limitation to settle first: it is not for areas frequently immersed in water, such as shower floors. Shower walls are within its use; the floor of the shower is not.

Coverage

Pack	Coverage
1 cartridge	Approximately 2m² of tiling
1.4kg	Approximately 6m² of tiling

Both figures are based on 300mm x 30mm tiles with a joint depth of 5mm and a width of 3mm. Your own coverage changes with tile size and joint dimensions — larger tiles mean fewer joint metres per square metre, and a wider or deeper joint uses proportionally more grout.

Where to use it

• Indoor wall and floor tiles
• Shower walls only
• Joints up to 5mm wide
• Most tiles

It provides water resistance and mould and soap scum resistance, which is what makes it appropriate for a bathroom wall in the first place.

Preparing to grout

The preparation steps carry more risk of a bad outcome than the grouting itself:

• On new tiling, ensure the tile adhesive has set — usually 24 to 48 hours. Use Selleys White For Life Tiling Adhesive for new jobs. Remove the spacers and rake dust, debris and excess material out of the joints.
• When re-grouting, remove the old grout and clean thoroughly with Selleys Rapid Mould Killer, then allow the joints to dry.
• Do not grout at temperatures below 10°C, or in damp conditions.
• Check ease of removal from matt or textured tile surfaces before you start. Texture holds grout residue that a glazed tile releases easily.
• Seal porous tiles before grouting, or removing grout from the tile faces will be difficult. This is the step most often skipped, and the consequence is permanent haze on the tile.

How to apply it

1. Cut the seal, screw on the nozzle and cut it to size. Apply with a caulking gun, forcing the grout into the joints. Grout small areas at a time.
2. Work the grout into the joints and smooth off with a rubber squeegee or grout float, moving diagonally across the joints with several passes. This compacts the grout line and minimises the amount left on the tile faces. Avoid moving along the joint — that drags grout back out of it.
3. Hold the float or squeegee at a 45 degree angle and clean it regularly.
4. Allow the grout to firm up in the joints for approximately 20 minutes, or longer in colder conditions.
5. Clean the tile surfaces with a damp — not wet — sponge, wiping lightly in a circular motion. Finish with a single diagonal wipe using a clean damp sponge. Avoid repeated wiping, which pulls grout that has not fully set out of the joints.
6. Buff and polish the tile surface after 24 hours with a soft clean cloth. Use Selleys White For Life Tile & Grout Cleaner for any stubborn haze marks.
7. Allow the grout to dry for 3 days before exposing it to water on shower walls.

The diagonal working direction is the detail that decides how the job looks. Moving across the joints packs the grout in and skims the excess off the tile; moving along them scoops the joint hollow, and you will not notice until the grout has set.

If the grout looks like it has shrunk

If the grout is overworked, or excessive water is used to smooth it off, it may appear to shrink. The fix is straightforward: apply a second coat to the affected areas. Both causes are worth avoiding in the first place, which is why the sponge should be damp rather than wet and the wiping kept light.

Limitations to observe

• Not for areas frequently immersed in water, such as shower floors.
• Suitable for indoor wall and floor tiles — and shower walls only within a shower.
• For joints up to 5mm wide.
• Do not grout below 10°C or in damp conditions.
• Do not use harsh acidic cleaners on the finished grout.
• Allow 3 days drying before water exposure on shower walls.

No technical data sheet is published for this product, so figures beyond those above — compressive strength, full cure schedule, VOC content — are not available.

Keeping it white

The whiteness claim is conditional on maintenance, and Selleys sets out what it requires:

• Let the grout set for 3 days, then seal it with Selleys White For Life Grout Sealer for maximum stain resistance. Reapply the sealer annually, or whenever the grout has been scrubbed hard.
• Clean grout and tiles regularly with Selleys White For Life Tile & Grout Cleaner to avoid a build-up of soil or soap scum. Do not use harsh acidic cleaners.
• High foot traffic areas will require frequent cleaning.
• Clean up spills immediately — the grout resists penetration by common stains for up to 10 minutes.

Clean up

Clean tools with water before the product hardens. Uncured product may be removed with water. Cured product can only be removed by sanding and scraping, which is a strong reason to clean up as you go rather than at the end of the day.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Warning.

• Skin sensitisation — Category 1. H317: may cause an allergic skin reaction.

That is the entire classification. It is not classified as Dangerous Goods by any transport mode — not under the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or New Zealand NZS5433, and not under the IMDG Code for sea or the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for air.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
2-Octyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (OIT)	26530-20-1	<0.07%
1,2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (BIT)	2634-33-5	<0.05%
2-Methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (MIT)	2682-20-4	<0.05%
Ingredients determined to be non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

The most useful thing on this list is what is not on it. There is no dust or respirable-particulate classification, no eye classification, no skin irritation, no flammability and no transport classification of any kind. That is a direct consequence of the format the page above describes: this grout arrives as a ready-mixed white paste, dispersible in water, so there is no bag of powder to gauge, tip and mix, and therefore no powder in the air of the room while you do it. If the appeal of a ready-to-use grout was convenience, the absence of a mixing step is worth something on the health side too.

What is on the list is skin sensitisation at Category 1, and the three declared components are all isothiazolinones — the preservative class used to keep water-based products from spoiling in the cartridge, and the class most often behind an H317 on a water-borne formulation. The Selleys White For Life Grout Sealer carries the same three at the same order of magnitude with the same single classification. That consistency is a fair basis for saying the preservative system rather than the grout chemistry drives the result, though the data sheet does not state the causal link.

Sensitisation is a different thing from irritation and it is the reason to wear gloves for this job in particular. An irritant is uncomfortable while it is on the skin and stops once you wash it off. A sensitiser teaches the immune system to react: once acquired it is generally permanent, it is triggered afterwards by much smaller exposures than the one that caused it, and each later contact tends to be worse rather than milder. It develops from repeated ordinary contact. Now consider how grout is actually applied — worked into every joint with a float, then the tile faces sponged off, then sponged again, then polished, over the whole area, with wet material in constant contact with hands for as long as the job takes. Of all the products in this range, grouting is the one where bare hands stay wet the longest. The data sheet's note that effects may be delayed is the tell: a rash the next morning is an allergic response, not soreness.

Wear gloves, use the float and the sponge rather than fingers to strike the joints, and wash your hands and forearms properly at the end rather than just rinsing them.

Protection

• Gloves — the important one. Nitrile rubber is indicated as suitable for intermittent contact; glove construction and site conditions vary, so make the final assessment yourself.
• Eye protection — safety glasses.
• Clothing — overalls and safety shoes in a workplace setting.
• Ventilation — natural ventilation is adequate in normal use.
• Wash hands before smoking, eating, drinking or using the toilet, and wash contaminated clothing and protective equipment before storing or re-using it.
• Storage — cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight, away from foodstuffs, incompatible materials and sources of heat or ignition. Keep the container upright and closed when not in use, and check regularly for spills.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Skin	Effects may be delayed, so act promptly. Remove contaminated clothing and flush the skin and hair with running water. If swelling, redness, blistering or irritation develops — including hours later — seek medical assistance.
Eyes	Wash out immediately with water. As a sensible precaution, seek medical advice in all cases of eye contamination.
Inhalation	Move the person to fresh air without becoming a casualty yourself. Remove contaminated clothing and loosen the rest, let them settle into the most comfortable position and keep them warm and at rest until fully recovered. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water to drink. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If vomiting occurs, give further water and seek medical advice.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about Selleys White For Life Ready To Use Grout

Can I use it on a shower floor?

No. It is not for areas frequently immersed in water, and shower floors are the example given. Shower walls are within its use.

How long before the shower can get wet?

Allow the grout to dry for 3 days before exposing it to water on shower walls.

How long do I wait before sponging off?

Approximately 20 minutes for the grout to firm up in the joints, longer in colder conditions.

Why did my grout lines end up hollow?

Most likely from working along the joints rather than diagonally across them. Move the float diagonally, in several passes, to compact the joint instead of scooping it out.

Do I need to seal it?

For maximum stain resistance, yes. Let the grout set for 3 days, then apply White For Life Grout Sealer, and reapply annually or whenever the grout has been scrubbed hard.

Will it scratch my tiles?

It is sand free, which is what makes it resistant to scratching tiles. Still check ease of removal on matt or textured surfaces before you start.

Do I need to do anything to porous tiles first?

Yes. Seal porous tiles before grouting, or removing grout from the tile faces will be difficult.

How do I get rid of haze on the tiles?

Buff and polish the tiles after 24 hours with a soft clean cloth, and use Selleys White For Life Tile & Grout Cleaner on stubborn haze marks.

How do I remove it once it has set?

Cured product can only be removed by sanding and scraping. Uncured product comes off with water.

What else is in the White For Life system?

The system includes Ready To Use Tile Adhesive, Grout Sealer, Tile & Grout Cleaner and White For Life Silicone Sealant.