Haze on unglazed hex

[PaulHG]

Very similar questions have been asked and answered here but I didn't want to piggyback. Also not sure how much difference the specifics of the situation make.

I have unglazed 1"hex from DalTile white (actually cream) and black.
There is no texture to speak of just a hard smooth but matte finish.
Have used Delorean Gray unsanded Polyblend 1/8" space.

Spread it - let it set 20 minutes - wiped it - let it set 2 hours - buffed it
all per label directions.

Looking at grouted vs ungrouted areas though - there is clearly a difference - a dullness in color in the grouted areas. Have gone back with a plastic 'scrubby' and water but there doesnt appear to be anything there that will scrub off.

Cautiously considered the acid cleaners - but labels say wait TEN days
Hesitate to let this grout sit unsealed for that long (it's been 3 days so far)
PLUS this is my only bathroom and I really need to get sink back in.

Any suggestions as to restoring the fresh look to these tiles would be welcome. Is the 50/50 vinegar solution I have heard mentioned a good answer? Do I need to grit my teeth and try the acid?
In either case do I really need to wait 10 days or is this one of those rare occassions its ok to fudge on label directions?

Help

THANKS in advance

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[Davestone]

Well, i'm not sure exactly what kind of tile you have, but there is a chance it absorbed some of the pigment from the grout.Gray against white is a big contrast.The reason for the wait in an acid cleaner is so you don't strip the color out of the grout.Now i don't know if it will or won't, but i, myself would try a small area and see what effect it has.72 hours is pretty patient in my book. :clap1:

[Trask]

Paul,

I do lots of these little buggers..in fact just grouted a floor of white hex's today :D . the haze on the unglazed porcelien tiles is very common and not that easily removed. Nor is scuff marks from black soled shoes for that matter. I would wait a bit and try a grout haze remover. Stone Tech makes a good one I've used. They should have a link in the store on this site.
Although it is porcelien there is a micro pore.(get the 'por' in porcelien)structure on the surface of this and many other porcelien tile.
I seal this before I grout it as it aides greatly in clean-up.I would try white tapioca pads, colored scrub pads can be bad, and use a grout release, As always follow the manf. recomendations.

Someone else may have more/better ideas so give this thread a bit of time to see what others come up with. :tup2:

[tmrep]

I have had great results with BarKeeper's Friend cleaner in your grocery store. on these types of grout issues. If the floor is grouted, saturate the existing grout with water then apply the Barkeepers Friend and scrub with nylon pad.... rinse. Acids will chemically "set" the stain or pigment if you use the wrong stuff. Sulfamic is the only trusted acid to use in this circumstance. Good Luck... :tup2:

[bobturner]

I had the same problem a few months back with the same tile and TEC charcoal grout. I tried everything I could. Mine was a bit different as there were tiny scratches in the tile that the grout stayed in. The customer was convinced that I drug her toilet across the floor scratching it. There was the same haze as well. I cut out the "scratched tiles" and remembered a already opened box that came from the supplier, and that the sheets were laid in face to face. I found some scraps and found that there were already scratches in the tile. I waited and mixed up some sulfamic acid to take care of the haze. It worked great. Moral of the story: Always check your tile before you install it.