TEC Grout Calculator — Power Grout & AccuColor Coverage

Box-level answers for the TEC line: Power Grout by the 10 lb box, AccuColor by the 25 lb bag, AccuColor EFX epoxy by the kit — with consumption in sq ft per package, lb/ft² and kg/m². Below the tool: a diagnosis matrix for the days when the coverage refuses to match.

TEC Package Calculator

Inches and fractions accepted in every field

Polymer-modified, stain-proof cement grout — the flagship

Buy this much TEC Power Grout

1 × 10 lb box

Consumption

0.052 lb/ft²
0.254 kg/m²

With 10% waste

8.60 lb

Joint volume

2.29 L

Margin

1.41 lb

Diagnosis Matrix

When TEC grout coverage or finish won't match: symptom → root cause

Six symptoms cover essentially every “the numbers don't add up” call on a TEC job. Find your symptom, read the probable cause with its field frequency, and work the fix — ranked by trigger probability, not by hunch.

Field frequency of each root cause (%)

Joint depth deeper than assumed
34%
Sanded AccuColor pressed into joints under 1/8 in
22%
Over-wet cleanup or late first wash
15%
Uneven substrate moisture
12%
Pot life expired
9%
Unsanded grout used beyond 1/8 in
8%
Symptom on siteRoot causeFixTrigger ratePriority
Coverage lands 15–20% short of the bag mathJoint depth deeper than assumed — 9.5 mm porcelain floor tile vs the 8 mm a quick chart assumesRe-measure the tile stack with calipers and multiply consumption by the depth ratio (9.5 ÷ 8 = +19%)34%High Severity
Gritty surface or pinholes in tight jointsSanded AccuColor pressed into joints under 1/8 in — sand particles bridge the gapSwitch to unsanded AccuColor below 1/8 in; Pack joints fully with a float held at 45°22%Common Issue
White haze on the tile face days laterOver-wet cleanup or late first wash — polymer and cement fines migrate to the surfaceFirst wash 10–15 minutes in with a damp (not dripping) sponge; use haze remover only after full cure15%Common Issue
Blotchy or streaked color across one fieldUneven substrate moisture — dry patches pull water out of the joint at different ratesSlake highly absorbent substrates, keep mixing water identical per batch, and bond with a test patch12%Common Issue
Half the epoxy kit hardened in the bucketPot life expired — AccuColor EFX above 77 °F (25 °C) sets in about 30 minutesMix partial kits, stage two installers, and cool material to 70 °F before mixing in warm rooms9%High Severity
Hairline cracks in wide joints after weeksUnsanded grout used beyond 1/8 in — the mix shrinks as it cures at that widthRake out the joint and re-grout with sanded AccuColor above 1/8 in8%High Severity

Tap any row to highlight it — useful when you're showing a supplier exactly which failure you're chasing.

Key feature

Symptom 1 is behind a third of all coverage disputes — and it is fixed with calipers, not with more grout.

Misjudgment alert

Don't treat haze (symptom 3) as a color defect and re-grout. It washes off after full cure with the right remover.

Don't

Don't “fix” cracked wide joints (symptom 6) with more unsanded grout — same shrink, same crack, two weeks later.

Brand mix-up, resolved

Prism is Custom Building Products — not TEC

If you searched for a tec prism grout calculator, the confusion is understandable: both brands sit on the same big-box shelf, both sell a premium stain-proof cement grout in a 10 lb box, and both use fine-aggregate “one-box” formulations. But Prism SureColor belongs to Custom Building Products — a different company with different colors and warranty terms. The coverage math barely differs (Prism at 1.50 kg/L vs Power Grout at 1.55 kg/L is a 3% spread), so pick by color chip and availability, then run the box through the matching brand page:

PropertyTEC Power GroutPrism SureColor (Custom BP)
ManufacturerTEC (H.B. Fuller)Custom Building Products
Joint range1/16 – 1/2 in1/16 – 1/2 in
Apparent density1.55 kg/L1.50 kg/L
12×12 @ 1/8 in0.052 lb/ft²0.050 lb/ft²
Package10 lb box10 lb box
Submerged useNot ratedNot rated (use CEG epoxy)

TEC grout coverage: Power Grout, AccuColor & EFX by layout

Consumption per square meter for the three lines people actually buy, in lb/ft² and kg/m² — the numbers the package calculator above divides by.

Tile & jointTEC Power GroutAccuColor (sanded / unsanded)AccuColor EFX (epoxy)
2 × 2 in mosaic1/16 in joints · 6 mm depth0.114 lb/ft²0.555 kg/m²0.119 lb/ft²0.580 kg/m²0.128 lb/ft²0.627 kg/m²
4 × 4 in1/16 in joints · 8 mm depth0.077 lb/ft²0.378 kg/m²0.081 lb/ft²0.395 kg/m²0.087 lb/ft²0.427 kg/m²
12 × 12 in1/8 in joints · 8 mm depth0.052 lb/ft²0.254 kg/m²0.054 lb/ft²0.266 kg/m²0.059 lb/ft²0.287 kg/m²
12 × 24 in1/8 in joints · 9 mm depth0.044 lb/ft²0.217 kg/m²0.046 lb/ft²0.227 kg/m²0.050 lb/ft²0.245 kg/m²
24 × 24 in3/16 in joints · 10 mm depth0.049 lb/ft²0.239 kg/m²0.051 lb/ft²0.249 kg/m²0.055 lb/ft²0.270 kg/m²

TEC Skill Set: a thin-set line, not a grout

Searches for tec skill set grout usually meet the same wall: Skill Set is TEC's professional thin-set mortar line — the adhesive under the tile, not the joint filler. Its coverage answers a different question (square feet per 50 lb bag at a given notched trowel: roughly 55–70 ft² with a 1/4 in × 1/4 in notch) and has nothing to do with joint volume. If your project needs both, compute the mortar from trowel size and the grout from joint volume — the two never share a formula, and no calculator should pretend otherwise.

Worked example: 200 ft² of 12 × 24 in wall tile in Power Grout

01

Joint share

12 × 24 in @ 1/8 in: 1 − (12 × 24) ÷ (12.125 × 24.125) = 1.55% of the surface is joint.

02

Volume → weight

1.55% × 9 mm depth = 0.140 L/m². 18.58 m² × 0.140 = 2.60 L × 1.55 kg/L = 4.03 kg = 8.9 lb.

03

Boxes

+10% waste = 9.8 lb → one 10 lb box covers it exactly; two boxes if the niche and curb add a third surface.

Orange-backed tiles being grouted with even joints on a wallOne box formats: TEC's fine-aggregate grouts collapse the sanded/unsanded decision into one purchasePhoto: Unsplash

TEC coverage FAQ

How much area does a 10 lb box of TEC Power Grout cover?

About 192 ft² of 12 × 12 in tile with 1/8 in joints at 8 mm depth (10 lb ÷ 0.052 lb/ft², where 0.052 lb/ft² = 0.164 L/m² × 1.55 kg/L × 0.2048). A 2 × 2 in mosaic at 1/16 in joints drops that to 88 ft² (0.114 lb/ft²), while 24 × 24 in tile at 3/16 in stretches the box to 204 ft². Apply your waste percentage to the computed need before counting boxes.

Is Prism a TEC product? (I searched for a TEC Prism grout calculator)

No — Prism SureColor is Custom Building Products' flagship grout, sold beside TEC on the same big-box shelves, which is exactly why the two brands blur together. Both are premium stain-proof cement grouts sold in 10 lb boxes with near-identical coverage (Prism's 1.50 kg/L density makes it ~3% thriftier per pound than Power Grout's 1.55 kg/L). The correct pick is decided by color matching and availability, not coverage math — the comparison table below spells out the differences.

What is the difference between AccuColor and Power Grout?

AccuColor is TEC's classic cement line: sanded for 1/8 in and wider joints, unsanded below, sold in 25 lb bags at 1.62 kg/L (0.054 lb/ft² on 12 × 12 at 1/8 in). Power Grout is the upgraded single-product answer — one fine-aggregate formulation covers 1/16 in to 1/2 in joints, with stain resistance built in and a 10 lb box format. Coverage differs by 4% (0.054 vs 0.052 lb/ft²); price per pound and joint-range convenience are the real decision.

How much area does one AccuColor EFX epoxy kit cover?

One 9 lb kit (4.08 kg at 1.75 kg/L mixed) yields ≈ 2.33 L. At the reference 12 × 12 in / 1/8 in / 8 mm layout that fills 0.164 L/m², so one kit covers ≈ 153 ft²; a 2 × 2 in mosaic at 1/16 in cuts it to ≈ 70 ft². EFX's specialty fillers (recycled glass and shimmer effects) do not change the volume math — you buy liters of joint volume, always.

Can TEC Power Grout be used in a pool or submerged area?

No — Power Grout is rated for intermittently wet areas, not continuous immersion. Submerged joints need a 100% solids epoxy: TEC's AccuColor EFX or a Spectralock-class competitor. The failure mode is chemistry, not application skill — cementitious grout leaches and stains under permanent water load regardless of how well it was installed.

Why does my Power Grout usage differ from the TEC coverage chart?

The published chart carries a roughly 12% job-site allowance and assumes an 8 mm joint depth for its reference rows, so a 10 lb box prints lower coverage than raw joint math (192 ft² computed vs about 170 ft² on the chart). Depth explains most site gaps: moving from 8 mm to 9.5 mm real tile thickness raises consumption 19%. Align your depth input first, then compare — the remaining difference is the chart's allowance, not an error.

Sanded or unsanded TEC grout — which does my joint need?

Joint width decides: under 1/8 in (3 mm) take unsanded, from 1/8 in upward take sanded, and Power Grout's fine aggregate covers the entire 1/16–1/2 in range in one box. Density shifts slightly with sand content (unsanded ≈ 1.58 kg/L, sanded ≈ 1.65 kg/L), which moves coverage under 5% — the bag count almost never changes between the two for the same layout.

Is this TEC grout calculator official?

No. This page is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by TEC/H.B. Fuller Construction Products. Densities and packaging follow TEC's published data; consumption figures are computed from joint geometry and clearly labeled as estimates. Verify final quantities against the official TEC coverage chart and the label on the box you buy.

Independent tool — not affiliated with or endorsed by TEC or H.B. Fuller Construction Products. Product names are trademarks of their owners. Consumption figures are computed estimates from joint geometry and published densities; confirm final quantities against the official TEC coverage chart and package label.

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