Can I remove/dimished the look of stone enhancer?

[lisadmn]

My guys used Black Diamond solvent based enhancer. I did indeed do test tiles, but still do not like the look now that its done. Is there anything I can do? Can I try vinegar? Or is there something else that will work?

Please help! and thanks so much for all who post....I feel confident my new bathroom was tiled properly thanks to all of you.

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[lisadmn]

Sorry for the repost from the sealer board, but hoping to get more traffic here. I used Black Diamond stone enhancer and am not thrilled with the waxy look. I did test before using, but that's life. Id gives a different look over a large area.

Is there anything I can use to rough it up/fade it a bit? I had a couple test pieces I put white vinegar on for 10 minutes, and the result is exactly what Im looking for. Can I use this safely on my tumbled onyx if I rince well after? Do i have to seal again? Is there a better way?

Thanks so much. Otherwise, I could not be happier with my new tile!

[Shaughnn]

Hi Lisa,
Please keep your posts together or you may find that you get conflicting advice from people with different spheres of expertise. I've combined your threads back here in the "Restoration" forum as it really is the best place for you to recieve your answers. If you aren't getting a response in the middle of the day, it's only because those of us who aren't working today don't have the answers you need. The stone gurus will be around eventually and they will have the best advice for you. In the meantime, you can contact the manufacturer and ask them for their recommendations.
Sorry for the confussion,
Shaughnn

[lisadmn]

Great suggestion re calling the company. They said it will still lighten significantly over the next day or so and continue to lighten over time. I would still like to know if there is a remedy if after a couple days it is still too dark? He told me I could also use a degreaser on the surface to remove any residual as the substance will continue to soak into the tile and the surface will lighten.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[Shaughnn]

No worries about the protocol thing, Lisa. We're not very formal around here but we do like to be organized. :)
Thanks for sharing the manufacturer's recommendations with us also. Did he mention what sort of "degreaser" to use? I wonder if something as simple as a TSP solution would work, or if you might need something solvent-based?
Shaughnn

[lisadmn]

409 or something of than sort. He said any decreaser would be fine. I decided to go ahead and use Fantastic, since it's what I had around. I think TSP would be acceptable, I considered that as well.

[B. Yager]

What type of floor is it? Most likely a degreaser is not going to remove the sealer, if its stone you don't want to use 409 or Fantastic.

[lisadmn]

Its tumbled onyx. The 409 seemed to remove the surface excess, which is what he was suggesting, not to remove it all. He said it will take a couple more days to lighten up more. He also said it generally lightens over time anyway.

I dont want to lighten it a lot, just some. I would still love to hear if anyone has any ideas on how to minimize the darkeness as it cures. Thanks a bunch!

[doitright]

Hi Lisa :)

Most impregnating sealers are usually not reversable. The onyx is a very sensitive stone, so I don't recommend using vinegar or any other acid based product. Give the product time to dry out and cure. Many enhancers will lighten after the carriers dry out.

[B. Yager]

With a tumbled stone the most you can hope for is what it looks like after the sealer cures. If it's polished you may get some off, but if it's honed the enhancer went in deeper and is there untill it fades. After 4-5 days i wouldn't think it would fade a whole lot more, most of the carrier would be gone.

[claycarson]

Lisa -

If in 4-5 days you really can't live with it. AND if the technical rep says it's OK.

You might want to try the next level of strength, still on the alkaline side of the pH scale, but stronger than typical degreasers. Wax stripper used to remove vinyl floor wax. It does work very well for removing most sealers. But it's a bit tricky if you never used it.

Tape up any sensitive areas. Flood floor with recommended solution. Allow it the recommended dwell time, which may be up to 15 minutes. Then agitate it with a mild abrasive (if honed stone, can use rougher, if polished, must use bare minimum roughness pad) and wet vacuum to immediately remove whatever you dislodge. It will be ucky, I can promise. Rinse immediately and let it dry. May not work, but it's the next logical step.