The short answer: use a light gray grout, or an off-white a shade or two darker than your tile. From across the room the wall still reads white, but it won’t show every coffee splash and spatter of sauce the way bright white grout does.
Pick bright white grout only if you want a smooth, all-white wall and will keep it sealed. Pick charcoal or black only if you want the tile pattern to stand out, and plan on one extra step to protect the tile.
The three choices
CUSTOM Building Products, a large grout maker, sums up the trade-off. Grout that matches the tile gives a uniform look; grout that contrasts gives a striking, patterned look. And light grout shows “spots, scuffs or stains” more than dark grout does.
Bright white grout. The tile and grout blend into one clean white surface, and the layout almost disappears. It’s also the most upkeep. A backsplash takes cooking splashes every day, and stains show first on white grout. Choose it if you love the look and will seal it or buy a grout that doesn’t need sealing (more on that below).
Light gray or off-white grout (our pick). You see a soft outline around each tile, but the wall still reads as white. Small stains blend in. It works with white, cream and wood cabinets, and with the classic brick layout. In an all-white kitchen with white cabinets, it gives the wall a little shape without breaking up the white.
Charcoal or black grout. Every tile gets a dark outline, so the layout becomes the main feature. It looks graphic and a bit industrial, and it pairs well with black hardware and a herringbone or stacked layout. CUSTOM says dark grout doesn’t show dirt as easily. The trade-off is that any wobble in your lines shows too, so it’s best for a careful tiler. See our subway tile backsplash ideas for layouts that suit it.
Dark grout on white tile: protect the tile first
Dark grout can stain the face of the tile while you’re spreading it. CUSTOM’s grout data sheet says to use a grout release or a sealer on the tile whenever the grout contrasts with the tile color. Charcoal on white tile is exactly that case, so plan on it.
A grout release is a coating you wipe on the tile face before grouting, so grout rinses off it easily. The same data sheet says tile with high absorption, porous, rough or textured surfaces, and some porcelain tile, may need sealing before grouting even with a matching grout.
Sanded or unsanded grout?
This depends on the gap between tiles, not the color. Subway tile is usually set with a very thin gap. Lowe’s backsplash guide uses 1/16 inch between 3-by-6 tiles.
- Unsanded grout is for narrow gaps. CUSTOM says its unsanded grout may suit joints up to 1/8 inch.
- Sanded grout is for wider gaps. CUSTOM’s bagged sanded grout is for joints from 1/8 to 1/2 inch, so it’s too coarse for a 1/16-inch gap.
- Premixed grout comes ready to use in a tub. CUSTOM’s Fusion Pro, for example, fills gaps from 1/16 to 1/2 inch, so it works for subway tile.
One warning: grout with sand in it can scratch. CUSTOM’s data sheets warn that the sand can scratch some ceramic, glass, metal, marble or stone tile, and Fusion Pro is a sanded grout too. Rub a little on a spare tile first, especially glossy or glass tile. Check the gap range printed on the bag or tub before you buy.
Keep it looking like the day you grouted
Most grout is cement-based. CUSTOM calls sealing it optional extra protection, but its color guide notes that light grout shows stains more when cement grout isn’t sealed and kept clean. So the lighter your grout, the more sealing helps. You have two ways to go:
- Seal cement grout. A sealer soaks in and helps it shed spills. The data sheet for Aqua Mix Sealer’s Choice Gold, a common grout sealer, says to let new grout dry at least 48 hours before you apply it. Follow the label on the sealer you buy, because wait times vary.
- Use a grout that doesn’t need sealing. CUSTOM says Fusion Pro “never needs sealing” and resists stains. That’s the maker’s claim. It’s used differently from bagged grout: it comes ready to use, you don’t stir it with a power mixer, and it cures by drying. Its data sheet says to pre-seal porous or textured tile first, and never to use a solvent-based sealer on it.
One more detail: don’t grout the joint where the tile meets the counter or the cabinets. Lowe’s fills that gap with caulk, and the grout maker says grout isn’t meant for those joints. Choose a caulk in a color close to your grout so the line looks the same all the way around.
Test before you commit
Grout looks different on the wall than on the chart. CUSTOM warns that the final shade can vary with the tile, the job conditions and how it’s finished, and its data sheet says to do a test sample first. Here’s a simple one:
- Stick four tiles to a scrap of board with a little of your tile adhesive, using your spacers.
- Wait for the adhesive to set. CUSTOM’s data sheet says 24 to 48 hours before cement grout, unless the adhesive is fast-setting.
- Grout them with the color you’re considering, using the grout release first if the grout contrasts with the tile.
- Wait a full day before you judge. Grout usually looks darker while it’s wet, so a color judged wet can dry lighter than you expect.
- Hold the board against your wall, next to your cabinets and counter, in daylight and at night. Check the tile faces too: if any grout color stayed on them, treat the whole wall the same way before grouting.
It costs one small bag of grout and saves you from living with the wrong color. If you’re still at the planning stage, here’s how much tile to buy.
Common questions
What grout color goes with dark cabinets or a busy granite counter?
Stay light. With dark cabinets, a light gray grout keeps the backsplash bright, so the kitchen doesn’t close in. With a busy counter, a grout close to the tile color keeps the wall calm, so it doesn’t fight the stone.
My tile is cream or off-white, not bright white. Does that change anything?
Yes. Match the grout to the tile’s warmth. A cool gray can look dingy next to cream tile, so pick a warm gray, a beige or an off-white grout instead. The test board above matters even more here.
Is there a way to get the look without grout at all?
Peel-and-stick tiles have the grout lines printed or molded in. Read whether peel-and-stick backsplash really works before you choose it, especially for the wall behind a stove.