Grout on Porcelain

[ChrisShort]

I grouted my glazed porcelain tile floor on Sunday. I still haven't been able to remove all of the haze or leftover grout. It is textured tile, much like slate. There are spots that won't come clean even after using a 50/50 water/vinegar solution as well as a stripper from Tile Lab. My first question is can I damage the tile if I use a wet sanding sponge or something like that to help me get the cured grout up? Also, will all of the "liquids" I am using to do this project damage the grout in any way? I have scrubbed the floor three times already trying to get the haze up. Thanks for any advice.

Chris Short
Lebanon OH

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[Davestone]

I would use the vinegar full strength in a small area with a heavy scrubbing pad and let dry to see if this works,it should, the scrubbing pad is the trick.Then you need to plain water rinse everything to remove the acid :)

[ChrisShort]

I tried the vinegar full strength in an area that would be under a refrigerator, but I used a towel. I will try it with a scrubbing pad and let you know how it work. Thanks.

[John Bridge]

Hi Chris, :)

You might end up digging the worst spots out with a sharpened hardwood dowel. Tedious? You bet. Get a dowel you can fit into a pencil sharpener.

In most cases, you'll never get all of the grout out of the pits and crags.

[ChrisShort]

I've been using a very small flat-head screwdriver to clean the pits and cracks. Whoever said porcelain tile was nearly indestructible wasn't kidding. The screwdriver is now rounded.

By the way, full strength white vinegar and a scrubbing brush is working great. Not an easy task, but at least I don't feel like I am :bang: like I did before.

[Unregistered]

Would a light pressure washing (~1500 psi) be effective?

[Unregistered]

muriatic acid works wonders for removing grout haze, or excess grout ont he surface of tile/porcelain. just test in small area to make sure it wont damage the surface fo the tile........ start out 4-1 acid tow ater and increase from there until it works. it is the same as washing brick works.

[claycarson]

Don't worry about water on the floor. We flood them all the time - ceramic can handle it, grout too.

If you wanna speed up the cleaning process, try an acid based cleaner made for tile at Bridgepoint. Link is www.bridgepoint.com It's called Viper Renew, has a ready to use pH of about 1 on a scale of 0-14 (lower the number is stronger acid). You WILL remove the haze. You MAY remove more...so test first. Also, remember to rinse with alkaline when done, or this stuff will keep munching your grout while you sleep...No real problem with odor like muriatic acid, though. You can still breathe and use this stuff. Good product, and in your situation you may need it.

[ChrisShort]

Thanks for the reply. I haven't checked back here in a while. The scrub brush and 100% white vinegar did the trick. I was worried about the water for a while, but as I got into it, I was wet mopping with lots of water. As far as the tile, it looks great now. I haven't sealed the grout yet. It still has some appearances of different shades of gray. John suggested ammonia and water, but I haven't tried anything yet. After causing my knuckles to bleed with all of the scrubbing, I have been relaxing for a while. I'll get to the grout soon.