Dull grout haze, pitted into dark Porcelian tile - TilersForums.com

[pete23m]

Made a big mistake last week, grouted 25m2 of porcelain (matt finish i think) with Bal superflex grey grout without sealing it first. Cleaned it down well but the grout has grabbed into the texture of the tile and will not come out however hard i scrub. There is almost a dull effect to the tiles now! ive been reading the forums and decided that either lithofin cement away or lithofin residue remover is the way to go most say cement away. Will these affect the grout in the joints? Also have people had any problems with these products or do you know of any other 'remover' that will be suited to the job. many thanks.

Ps: The tiles were Gemini Youngstone 600x300 grey.

 

[pete23m]

Apologies, having checked these are infact a glazed tile!!!

 

[jay]

hi if they are glazed the residue should come off what procedure did you do the grouting:8:

 

[pete23m]

Tiles were laid on flexible adhesive and left to cure as per manufacturers instructions. Tiles were then grouted using Bal superflex and excess grout sponged off the surface. Tiles have dried with a dull grout haze over the entire surface. Have cleaned twice to date but still cannot remove all residue. Localised areas have very stubborn pitting that i am struggling to remove. The cleaner of the tiles appear to have lost their factory appearance and look extremely dull / matt???

Any suggestions pls

 

[jay]

you could try lithofin residue remover not sure how thick the residue is when grouting wash of exes grout when firm then let dry until a dry haze appears ( norm about 20 mins) then buff of with dry rag or dry sponge you may need a stronger cleaner depends on amount left on surface i doubt that you have damaged tile surface:8:

 

[pete23m]

As you say, i left grout to firm and then sponged and have rubbed with a dry cloth but the fine 'hessian like texture' of the tile seems to be holding the haze and thus giving a dull effect. No matter how many times you clean the tile, annoyingly it always dries to a matt finish.

 

[jay]

are you sure they are meant to be glossy check with left over tiles:8:

 

[pete23m]

I have already made the comparison and they do appear to be much duller due to the haze on the tile. I think i will try the lithofin residue remover and see what the outcoem is.
Is this product quite gentle, any problems applying, removing etc...

 

[jay]

just follow the instructions you could also try (not sure if you have them over there )white scouring pad like a pot scrubbing pad but its made out of plastic try a tile out of main view use a detergent mixed in water rub scoure over one tile then wash off it all depends on how much residue you have make sure the scoure is plastic hope this helps :8:

 

[doug boardley]

I have already made the comparison and they do appear to be much duller due to the haze on the tile. I think i will try the lithofin residue remover and see what the outcoem is.
Is this product quite gentle, any problems applying, removing etc...

you can dilute it to differing strengths depending on the severity of the haze