yet another grout question

[seattle-ron]

I was putting in grout this morning on glazed porcelain tile. I was interrupted and had to take the dog to the vet before I got the tiles wiped off. :-( Now I've got a big dried grout mess. I've picked up some acid cleaner but it says to let the grout cure for 10 days first. Why is this necessary? If I accidentally remove any grout from my grout lines so what, I'll do them over.

Is this the right way to clean up this predicament I've gotten myself into??

Thanks for any help with this!!

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[tileguytodd]

I wish I had an easy answer for you, However, I don't.
What type of Acid cleaner for 1,What type of subfloor was the tile set on?Large porcelain tiles or small?
How Heavy is the coating of Grout?

An Acid cleaner may cause problems not only with your grout lines,but also with your Bond. It may be the only option you have depending on how heavy your coating is. An alternative if the grout is not too heavy is to rent a floor buffing machine with 3M scotchbrite Pads,Buy a 100# bag of silica sand.Throw the sand on the floor and use the floor buffer to sand the grout off.This works particularly well with commercial 2x2 tiles and although i have never done it with larger porcelains,I dont see why it wouldnt work just fine. You will also have some handwork to do around edges etc with scotchbrite pads perhaps in combination with a good cleaner sold at masonry supply houses.(i use surekleen 600 detergent)

Good Luck Todd

[John Bridge]

Ron,

You have screwed up, buddy. The best you can do is scrape the grout off the surface with a razor scraper and then try cleaning up. Do it now, not in ten days.

[seattle-ron]

The tiles are 12x12, porcelain glazed. I got MOST of the grout off except nearest the edges, so maybe 15-20% left on the face. The acid cleaner I got is called Heavy Duty Acidic Cleaner, by Miracle Sealants Company. Says it contains hydrochloric acid and is good for cleaning joint cement, mortar, sanded grout residue, etc. The tiles are set in Versabond thinset over Hardibacker.

Won't the sand treatment take the glaze off the tile as well as the grout? Or scratch the hell out of the tile surface?

I guess another option is to pull up the very worst tiles and replace them.

[John Bridge]

Ron,

The tiles are rugged and probably won't show scratching. Try it. You've nothing to lose. Before using the acid, saturate the joints with water. This will inhibit the acid from penetrating too deeply and screwing up your bed. You want the acid to stay pretty much on the surface. When you've finished, rinse the floor with clean water and sponge it up. Don't want to leave the acid laying there.

[Jason_Butler]

Ron,

I had a similar case on some soft bodied Dal Tile. Except, I just got lazy and arrogant. I can't blame the dog for my fiasco.

Anyway, I started with Aquamix Grout/Haze remover full strength. This product contains no acid so grout degradation is low risk. I then moved up to the phosphoric acid at about 4:1 mix with water. I used this with a rough sponge to remove the excess. As John mentioned, saturate the grout joints with water as a first step. Have someone follow with a good mop and clean water. Don't let the acidic solution set more than a couple of minutes before rinsing. Reapply as necessary

I called Aquamix about the 10day window. They advised me that the acid may degrade the grout and/or discolor it. I gambled and won. Nonetheless, It's a scary situation when you're putting acid on anything...

Good Luck
Jason

[TNrealtallshorty]

HOW IS THE DOG????????????????????

[francesDOJ]

Dear John and Company, We have the same problem. Porcelain 12 x 12 floor tiles (as well as the 2x2 shower floor but heck you can't see them very well. We had the tiles installed. They left us Friday eve everything supposedly okay. Then the haze and grout left behind became apparent. Down in the texture of the slate look tiles. Hubby and I have been on our knees now for 2 1/2 days scrubbing with straight vinegar, a scraper and a Scotch brite pad (gone through so many packs I can't remember). We bought something called sulfamic acid? but are afraid to use it. Scrubbing for about two hours per tile seems to remove grout from texture, but leaves behind another haze which looks like scrape marks. HELP Tile guys won't call us back. I thought porcelain tile was suppose to be the same color all the way through? Where is the white haze coming from? Can we stain the tile with anything? Frances

[francesDOJ]

Reading other threads about grout removal disasters. Tileguytodd mentioned something called "stone enhancer". Would this stuff cover scrape marks on the porcelain tile? Where would you get it? Frances

[John Bridge]

Hi Frances, Todd will probably be around. In the meantime,

sulfamic acid is in crystal form (yes?). You add crystals to clean water and watch them dissolve. Excess crystals will settle in the bottom of the bucket -- you can't over-concentrate the stuff.

Follow the instructions. Wear rubber gloves and don't inhale the stuff.

I'm hoping your scrape marks aren't really scrape marks. Some porcelain tiles are glazed on the surface.

There won't be any stain that will work on porcelain.