Walk down the tile aisle and you will see a wall of grout bags and buckets from names you may not recognize, and picking wrong can mean cracked joints or a color that never quite matches. Knowing the major grout companies and what each one does well takes the guesswork out of that decision. After years of setting tile, I have used products from all the big manufacturers, and the truth is most of them make excellent grout. What separates them is their specialty product lines, color systems, availability, and how forgiving they are for a homeowner doing the work. This guide breaks down the leading brands, the difference between cement and epoxy grout, and how to choose.
Grout is not glamorous, but it is the part of your tile job you look at every day and the part that fails first when the wrong product is used. Spend a few minutes understanding who makes what, and you will buy with confidence.
The Major Grout Companies
A handful of manufacturers dominate the North American market. Each has strengths worth knowing before you stand in the store deciding.
Mapei
Mapei is an Italian-founded global giant and one of the most widely stocked brands in home centers. Their Ultracolor Plus FA is a favorite of professionals and DIYers alike: it is a rapid-setting, efflorescence-free cement grout that works in joints from 1/16 inch up to 3/4 inch, which means you can use one product for almost any tile. For epoxy, their Kerapoxy line is a benchmark. Mapei’s color selection is deep and consistent from bag to bag, which matters when you order a second batch mid-project.
Custom Building Products
Custom, maker of the familiar red-and-white Polyblend bags, is the brand most homeowners have actually held. It is the house grout at many big-box stores, affordable, and available in a wide color range. Their Fusion Pro is a single-component, ready-to-use, stain-resistant grout that comes premixed in a bucket, which many DIYers love because there is no mixing and no separate sealing step. Custom is the accessible, budget-friendly option that still performs well for typical residential jobs.
Laticrete
Laticrete is a pro-favorite known for engineering and strong technical support. Their PermaColor Select is a clever system: you buy a base and add a color packet, so a store can stock dozens of colors without warehousing dozens of bags. Their SpectraLOCK epoxy grout is legendary among tile setters for durability and vivid, consistent color, and it is the product I reach for on high-traffic and wet installations. Laticrete leans professional, but its products are increasingly available to homeowners.
TEC
TEC, part of the H.B. Fuller family, is a strong contender especially in the Midwest and through flooring distributors. Their Power Grout is a high-performance cement grout marketed as stain- and efflorescence-resistant with a very uniform color, bridging much of the gap between ordinary cement grout and pricier epoxy. TEC has a loyal following among installers who value its workability and color consistency.
Bostik
Bostik pioneered a category worth knowing about: pre-mixed, ready-to-use grout with their Dimension and TruColor lines. Bostik’s reactive urethane and glass-bead grouts resist stains and cracking while going on more easily than traditional epoxy. If you want epoxy-like performance without the demanding mixing and short working time of true two-part epoxy, Bostik is the name to look for.
Cement Grout vs. Epoxy Grout
Every one of these companies makes both cement and epoxy grout, and understanding the split is more important than the brand.
Cement grout is the traditional choice: a portland-cement base you mix with water or acrylic. It is inexpensive, easy to apply, easy to find, and available in every color. Its downsides are that it is porous, so it needs sealing, and it can stain, crack, and show wear over time. For most walls, backsplashes, and low-traffic floors, a quality cement grout like Ultracolor Plus or Power Grout is perfectly good.
Epoxy grout uses resins and a hardener instead of cement. It is nonporous, so it never needs sealing, resists stains and harsh chemicals, and holds its color for decades. That makes it the right call for kitchen backsplashes, showers, commercial floors, and anywhere water and staining are constant. The tradeoffs are higher cost, a shorter working time before it sets, and a tackier, more demanding application. SpectraLOCK and Kerapoxy are the gold standards here.
The Middle Ground
Premixed single-component grouts like Fusion Pro, Bostik Dimension, and Laticrete’s ready-to-use options split the difference. They arrive in a bucket, require no mixing, resist stains far better than plain cement, and never need sealing. They cost more than cement but less hassle than epoxy, and for a homeowner tackling a backsplash on a weekend, they are often the smartest pick.
How to Choose a Grout Brand
With so many good grout companies, the decision comes down to a few practical questions.
- Where is the tile? A dry backsplash forgives cement grout; a shower floor or busy kitchen argues for epoxy or a premium premixed grout.
- What joint width? Match sanded grout to wider joints and unsanded to joints under 1/8 inch, or choose a product like Ultracolor Plus that spans the full range.
- How much mixing can you handle? DIYers often prefer premixed buckets; pros comfortable with pot life can save money with bagged cement or true epoxy.
- Color availability: Buy all your grout for one job from the same lot number to guarantee a color match, and confirm the brand stocks the shade you want locally.
- Support: Laticrete and Mapei both offer excellent technical hotlines if you hit a problem mid-install.
- Cure and traffic timing: premixed urethane grouts often need longer to fully harden than cement, so check the label before exposing a floor to heavy traffic or water.
One thing homeowners overlook is that the same company often sells several grades at different price points, so read past the brand name to the specific product. A bag of basic Custom Polyblend and a bucket of Fusion Pro come from the same manufacturer but behave nothing alike. Likewise, Mapei’s economy grouts sit well below Ultracolor Plus in performance. Buy the product line that matches your project, not just a familiar logo, and you will get far better results for the money.
Where to Buy
Custom Building Products dominates the big-box shelves at the major home centers, so it is the easiest to grab same-day. Mapei is widely stocked at both home centers and tile shops. Laticrete, TEC, and Bostik are strongest at dedicated tile and flooring distributors, where you also get better color selection and staff who actually set tile. For unusual colors or full epoxy systems, order ahead from a specialty tile supplier or online, and always buy 10 to 15 percent extra so you are not chasing a matching lot number later.
A Word on Color Matching and Sealing
Grout color darkens when wet and lightens as it cures, so judge samples only after they fully dry, usually 48 to 72 hours. If you use a cement grout, seal it after it cures and reseal periodically in wet areas. Epoxy and quality premixed grouts skip that step entirely, which is a real convenience over the life of the installation. Whatever brand you land on, mixing consistency and clean, timely wiping during application affect the final look more than the logo on the bag.
The Bottom Line
The leading grout companies, Mapei, Custom Building Products, Laticrete, TEC, and Bostik, all make reliable products, so you are unlikely to go badly wrong. Match the product type to the location, choose cement for dry budget jobs, epoxy or premium premixed for wet and high-traffic areas, and buy from the same lot for color consistency. Do that, and your grout lines will stay tight, clean, and true to color for the life of your tile.
