Grout

Description

A thin, mortar used to seal thin cracks and joints. Grout is composed of Cement, Plaster, or Lime, diluted with Water and occasionally Sand. Because of its thin consistency, grout can be forced into small confined spaces. In large scale projects, grout is used to seal geological faults and cracks in dams. It is also used to set the footings of steel columns in building construction. On a smaller scale, grout is used to consolidate crevices in masonry, to fill joints between floor tiles, and to finish walls and ceilings.

Synonyms and Related Terms

coulis (Fr.); calda de injecção (Port.); slurry

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Anne Grimmer, Glossary of Building Stone Terms, A Glossary of Historic Masonry Deterioration Problems and Preservation Treatments, National Park Service, Washington DC, 1984

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000