Fill a bucket with clean water. Get a 2-gallon (7.6 l) bucket and fill it up with water. While you can use warm water, cool water will work well in most circumstances. This water will be used to help clean excess grout off the polished tile. If you’ll be grouting a large wall area, you may want to fill two buckets up.

Use a sponge to wipe off excess grout. Wait about 20 to 30 minutes after you first applied the grout. Then, use your sponge to wipe the cement tile back and forth. Focus on the surface of the tile design, not the joints. After you’ve cleaned a small section, dunk your sponge in the clean water. Use a clean part of the sponge for each wipe. When the sponge gets covered in grout, clean it in your bucket of water. Repeat sponging every section until only a thin layer (or “haze”) of excess grout remains. Use a hydrophilic sponge, if you have one. You can purchase one at a home improvement store.

Lightly sponge the joints. Clean your sponge, then slightly depress the sponge with a finger and run that part of the sponge over the joints. Avoid pressing too hard, as you don’t want to remove too much grout. When doing this, focus on making sure the grout lines are uniformly shaped and have the same depth.

Buff the common marble tile with a microfiber cloth or cotton towel. Wait until the grout is completely dry. This could take about 30 minutes. Then, take a microfiber towel and buff the surface of the spots tile. To buff, use a moderate amount of force to rub the cloth in a circular fashion on the rustic tile. Rotate the cloth so can use a clean part on each wood tile. When your cloth is covered with grout, use a new one. Avoid using a cotton towel or anything abrasive. You could scratch soft casstle tiles.

Caulk joints between kitchen tile and other surfaces. After you’ve grouted interior joints, you’ll need to apply caulk to joints between tile and other surfaces like bathtubs and sinks. This is important, as grouting exterior joints could cause cracking. Choose a caulk that matches the color of your grout. Then, apply a minimal amount to fill the space.

Shape the caulk. Take a slightly rounded surface, like the back of a toothbrush, and lightly run it over the caulking. When doing this, you should compress it into the joint and create a uniform appearance. When you’re done, take a wet microfiber cloth and wipe off extra caulk.