What Color Grout To Use With Carrara Marble? (Find Out Now!)

Ossiana Tepfenhart
by Ossiana Tepfenhart

Carrara marble is one of the most iconic types of marble on the market today. Also known as “Millennial marble” because it was so popular with Millennials, this is a marble that looks like classic marble. It’s mostly white with an occasional streak of light grey. Most of us have seen it paired with gold, rose gold, dusty pink, and other #bossbabe shades. But, what about grout? What color grout works with Carrara marble?

Due to the elegant look of Carrara marble, the best type of grout to accessorize it will be either white or off-white. Both grout colors are considered to be timeless and will help create a seamless appearance with your marble. Besides, white grout will also help ensure that attention is drawn to the marble rather than the grout.

It’s no joke. Carrara marble is hyper-adored and crazily trendy. If you want to add it to your home, you need to make sure that the grout you chose won’t detract from that investment. This guide will help you out.

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What Grout Color Works Best For Carrara Marble?

Marble is a bit unusual when it comes to the way that it’s paired with things. When it comes to pairing paint with Carrara marble, virtually any paint color works. In fact, the brighter the color, the better it tends to look. Paint is easy. Grout? Well, that’s where most people tend to trip up. People wrongfully assume that the same rule applies, but it doesn’t.

The truth is that there is a good rule of thumb to follow. When you want to have marble be the focus of an area, choose white or an off-white to help it stand out. This rule applies perfectly when it comes to something along the lines of Carrara marble because it tends to be a more subtle type of marble…at least when it comes to coloration.

Knowing that, it’s time to look at the three colors that work best.

White

via Pexels/Karolina Grabowska

White is, by and large, the best possible choice for people who want to make sure that all focus is spent on the Carrara marble. Along with being the standard go-to color choice, white tends to work with all paint colors that you might have on your walls or cabinetry. As a result, it won’t make waves or stand out in an awkward way.

White is a good choice if you don’t know what you want to do with your grout. It’s never a bad choice, and it will ensure that your guests’ gaze will be squarely on the marble. (And honestly, isn’t that what you want? You paid a fortune for that ish!) White also can offer a thin, seamless flow, as noted in the photo above.

Off-White

Off-white is another great pick for people who want to have a seamless transition from marble tile to marble tile. As the name suggests, it’s white with just a drop of color added into it. Most of the time, the color in question is yellow. It’s usually almost cream. However, you can also see off-white in shades of blue, grey, pink, and greenish hues.

If you’re worried about white being harsh, then off-white is a better option. This is a good color for people who want to choose something unique but don’t want to overwhelm their home’s look with something that’s a bit too harsh. Like white, people tend to expect off-white as a grout color. Knowing that, you won’t cause potential buyers to get upset about having to re-grout their home to get a more acceptable appearance.

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Grey

Out of all the colors that you can choose for your grout, grey seems to be the most on-trend. As a darker neutral color, grey offers up a statement as far as grout goes and also gives your marble a light contrasting effect. Unlike off-white and white, people will notice grey grout. It’s a way to add dimension and a pop of geometry without making your marble look too visually jarring.

However, I’ll be the first to admit that grey isn’t always a good idea. If the grey is too dark, it can take attention away from the luxury of the marble. Moreover, trying to lighten dark grey grout isn’t easy. You can’t bleach it because it could become uneven. Worse still, if (or when) it falls out of style, your home will look crazily dated.

What Colors Should You Avoid When Adding Grout To Carrara Marble?

Just like with pairing marble with certain wood stains, there are certain looks that just don’t work out with marble. If you want to keep your home looking stylish and neat, we strongly suggest that you avoid these colors unless you’re working with a very eccentric professional designer:

  • Bright Colors. Yes, that bold fire engine red might be a brave concept that works perfectly with your color of the day. Unfortunately, this is a good way to do something you’ll regret later on. Bright color trends come and go fast. Getting rid of that grout, on the other hand, will take a while to do and may be costly to maintain.
  • Black. Dark grey is already pushing the envelope. Black is dramatic and often ends up being way too heavy-handed for the light look of this marble. While dark grey can offer a contrast, black just is too much. It takes away from the monochromatic appearance and just makes your home look busy.
  • Gold. Gold looks amazing with marble…as long as it’s the actual metal. When you have gold-tinted grout, it stops looking glamorous and starts looking gaudy. This is one of those things that looks like you took a trend and ran with it in hopes of making your home look Instagram-worthy. It’s just painful. Cringe-inducing, really.
  • Dusty Pink. Dusty pink is one of those colors that became a victim of its own popularity. At one point on social media, everything was dusty pink, gold, and Carrara marble. It was the look of the early 2010s. Unfortunately, that means this grout color will make your home look dated and cheugy. (Sorry, I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.)

Author’s Note: All of these colors also tend to be hard to lighten. So if you want to get a lighter color and choose any of these, you’re out of luck.

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Related Questions

Do you need to seal Carrara marble?

Like almost all other types of marble, Carrara marble is pretty delicate. Most marble is very prone to scratching or acid-based corrosion. This means that it will need to be sealed promptly after installation. Moreover, marble sealant doesn’t always stay put very well. In order to ensure that your marble will look good for years to come, you need to seal it on a fairly regular basis.This is one of those things that you need to do as a homeowner. Marble might look good, but it is a high-maintenance stone. As a result, you should prep yourself to maintain it more than most other stones if you want to install it.


What type of grout works best with marble tile?

Since marble is a fairly sensitive tile material, the best thing you can do is chose a gentle grout. This means that you should choose a non-sanded grout. The sand in sanded grout is fairly coarse, which means that you could end up grinding down the marble or scratching it. Epoxy non-sanded grout is your best option.


Should grout be lighter or darker than the tile?

This depends on the effect that you want to have. If you want to focus on the color of the tile, then you should go for a lighter grout color. On the other hand, if you want to highlight the geometry that the tiling makes, then you should try to go for a darker shade.

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Ossiana Tepfenhart
Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.

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