Sanded Grout, tiles wont clean up?

[danmasey]

hi all, im new to this forum. iv just finished a bathroom off and iv used Sanded grout. Its the first time iv used it but its been a nightmare. Iv had to clean them up for the past 3 days and still they are powdery and cant seem to be buffed up. I cant keep returning to the property as i have to draw the line somewhere with the job. The resident isnt very happy but i have to draw the line somewhere?

The tiles are dark as well as the grout colour.any help would be great.

Dan

[Bri]

Hello Dan. What tiles are they and what brand of grout did you use?

[Rich]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Little more info would help us give better advice. I dont suppose you have any pics?

[danmasey]

photo.jpgphoto2.jpgphoto3.jpgtiles and grout were from porcelanosa and are ceramic. hope this helps.

[Mike]

what have you been cleaning them with? have you tried buffing them with a rough hand towel?

[jay]

photo2.jpgphoto3 (1).jpgphoto (1).jpg

try that

brand of grout and are you talking about the mosaics or smaller tiles

[timeless john]

Looks like a porcelain tile to me.
The method I would use but not recommend to anyone who has not done a test area first is - to keep the room very well ventilated and use a week solution of brick cleaner (15 % acid) and plenty of water to wash it off.
The problem you have in the photos is all the CHROME fittings - if any solution gets on these it will eat the metal and also the fumes in the air can do the same. So remove as many as possible and masking tape the rest or it will cost you more than you'll get for the tiling.
You may find a safer product in HG lime and mortar remover or similar.

The only time to draw the line is when it's completed to the customers satisfaction. They want the job done correctly and leaving grout all over the face of the tiles isn't an option if you want paying.

If you'd not started a full tile down the left side of the window and moved it across to the right you could have centred the 'panel' behind the wc.

Do take great care and good luck.

[bobbynz]

Hi there and welcome.............
...........Agree Timeless, the mosaic feature should have been the starting point of setup and centred with the loo wall. It looks like the sponge cleanup when grouted was lacking. You really need to make sure the grout is not too wet. This was more than likely your problem you will never get a good finish if the grout is too wet especially on mosaics. When firm enough make sure you get most if not all grout residue off the tiles especially the mosaics.
Even if you do get all the grout haze off the tiles I doubt the joints will be in good nick.You might need to regrout in places.
There are some haze removers available , just make sure that what you use wont damage the finish of the tiles.
As was mentioned, any fittings should be removed or at least protected from any acidic cleaners.

[jay]

Its a bit of a mess

[Rich]

Good advice above. You really do need to sort it if you are hoping to be paid for the work.

[jay]

as advised but a word of caution test the acid on a sample first

[danmasey]

thanks for all the advice, really appreciated. I know its not the best tiling, its my 3rd bathroom so far (plumber by trade). Customer insisted that the toilet be moved to the right 3 inches as the towel rail would of burnt her arm when on the toilet. The mosaics were my starting point and dead center of the soil pipe. It was her decision to move it.

Thanks again

[timeless john]

You see what happens when you don't know the whole story.
It's just those little things that make the difference and if we didn't have customers being allowed in the room we could all do a decent job.