Stone or travertine haze in shower

[Teriwebb]

installed a stone (maybe travertine) shower floor in august. it came in 12 inch squares ready to grout between stones. stone are gold colored and flat, differing sizes. the stones were sealed after 30 days and i was thinking that the sealing (used stone sealer) would take away the haze. (didn't know about your site at the time) it didn't take it away. I was ready to use muriatic acid when I found your site and tried vinegar 50/50 instead. it is actually more hazy now. did the vinegar take off the sealer? I am concerned bout using the shower if it not at all sealed. worse is the haze is worse. Not sure what to do except may use a shiny "wet look" sealer since the tiles look good when wet. not sure if that would work. when i put on the vinegar i waited about 2 minutes and then scrubbed wtih brush and rinsed. basically most of the tiles are hazy except maybe 10 scattered around. those look gold like they should. I also have trvetine trim on the wall that is a little hazy but i can :scratch: live with it. please advise. teri

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[Stonehenge]

Hi Terri,

Vinegar even diluted is still acidic, acidic liquids chemically etch calcium based stones such as Marble, Onyx and Limestone. Acidic liquids also remove sealants (impregnators) that may or may not have lent a false luster to your installation. When my company is called upon to perform a shower restoration of polished natural stone which has sustained a chemical accident I often encourage a lower luster floor so as to provide a higher slip resistance.

Right now you have two options;

1) Hire a stone restoration professional to bring back a genuine mineral luster.

2) Wash down your floor with your vinegar solution a couple more times to knock down your luster and thereby increasing your floors slip resistance.
If you go with option 2 make sure you thoroughly rinse your floor before you re-impregnate. You may also have to apply impregnators a couple of times in order to get the water beading results that you desire.

I recommend Option 1.

Michael of Stonehenge

[Davestone]

At this point i think the enhancing sealer..not a topical gloss sealer, would be your cheapest fix,other than that Michaels first option would be best.You didn't use 12 on the inside shower floor did you?If so this would be a pretty slippery floor, and would benefit from a no slip surface.

[doitright]

Hi Teri, Welcome! :)

Could you tell us exactly what sealer you used, and how you applied it? There should be no haze before applying a sealer. The sealer will need to be totally removed, before moving forward.

As Michael mentioned, you may need to get a stone restoration specialist involved.

Pictures would also help us identify and solve your problem.

[Davestone]

She acid washed the stone, John. :bow:

[doitright]

Hi Dave :)

I understand that. It was stated that there was a haze previous to sealing, then sealed, acid washed with vinegar, more hazy. More than likely a mechanical grinding is needed at this point. I still don't like jumping to conclusions without seeing the issue first hand, or at least a picture. ;)

[Teriwebb]

I used Nex-Gen stone sealer which was supposed to work for stone and grout. I put it on with a brush about a month after the grout was done. I guess I thought the sealerwould take up the haze. Didnt know a bout your site. I didn't dothe tile. It was done by a handyman who did a great job but had never worked with stone before. The floor (which is somewhat wet) is the big one. I am not really worried about slipping since it is small stone and lots of grout and wondered if it would look good if I just used a "wet look" sealer. Teri

[doitright]

Hi Teri :)

Photo's please? :shades:

I always suggest TESTing first. If you try an enhancer without knowing what you're doing, you risk applying a product to the stone that can not be removed. :eek:

[Teriwebb]

I am attempting again to send pics. Let me know if they come through (or not) (Sorry about the hair) :crazy: :cry: Teri

[Teriwebb]

trying to send pics :cry: Teri

[Teriwebb]

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: pics

[doitright]

Hi Teri :)

Don't give up! Have you gone into the liberry to learn how to post on our forum. If not, you could email them to me and I'll post them for you.

[Teriwebb]

a :cry: gain

[doitright]

Hi Teri :)

Thanks for forwarding the photos. It really helps show what is going on. The difficult part is to find a resolution now for your problem.

Here are your photos. I'll try to post later with some suggestions. This situation is going to take some work to correct (including thorough drying).

[Teriwebb]

Wondering if anyone has any ideas yet about the pics I had help uploading. Still wondering if a "wetlook" sealer would solve the problem since the shower looks good when wet. (Notice in the pic the darker grout and stones are still wet from my shower that morning. ) :think: Teri

[doitright]

Hi Terri :)

After careful consideration, I think the sealer needs to be totally removed first. What sealer did you use? Usually a acid or methelyne chloride product is needed. After the sealer is removed I suggest trying a sulfamic acid wash or phosphoric acid wash. Rinse & neutralize, and let dry thoroughly.

Personally I like the look of your floor natural. Depending on the look you are ultimately striving to achieve, we can steer you in the right direction.

[Teriwebb]

I just ordered this product. What do you think. It was recommended by a stone and tile dealer. It was $14.00. Here is the web-site.

http://www.baneclene.com/catalog/klenzall.html

If you think anothre brand i sbetter let me know. Should I just try this? Cheap enough fix. It may not work but maybe won't hurt??? What do you think? She said to scrub it in iwth a nylon brush. Teri

[doitright]

Hi Teri :)

That's just a alkaline cleaner. We have it available from our on-line store (above - top left) for $10.98. It's not the product I would recommend. I don't think the tile & stone dealer understand what you're dealing with.

If you want to use Stone Tech they have KlenzAll. I'm not sure what type of acid it contains though. Aqua Mix has Sulfamic Acid Crystals and Phosphoric Acid acid available. All of these products can etch your stone.

May I first suggest that you let the shower floor dry thoroughly, to allow the grout color to even out. If you utilize any product while the grout is still damp, you will not attain consistent results.

[Teriwebb]

Did you say if I let it dry out it would be okay to try klenz-all.? Then if that doesn't work try the sulfamic (sulphuric?) acid or phosporic acid. How long should I not use for. Shall I put a space heater etc in there? Teri :shrug:

[Teriwebb]

Hi Doitright :bow:

Sorry I think I misunderstood. ai think you said

1. use the methylene chloride or acid first. (Where do I get this? Is there a brand name)

2.Then use either the klenz-all (already paid but maybe could get $ back) or the sulfamic (sulphuric) acid or phosphoric acid but they will etch stone. Where do I get those?

If the methyylene chloride take out the haze then can I stop there?

4. You said you like the natural but that doesn't mean not to seal - you probably mean not the wet look. I agree but I do like the look of it when it is wet. I guess those are two different things. I don't want shine. :blah: Thanks for your patience. Teri

[Teriwebb]

I went on the website for the sealer I used http://www.bdstoneworks.com/products/nexgen.html

and here is the "active" component

COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS

COMPONENTS CAS NUMBER % TLV


Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether 111-76-2 1-5%

Hope that helps :twitch: :yipee: Teri

[doitright]

Hi Teri :)

Now I think I'm confused! :lol2:

Items 1 & 2 go together. After the floor is dry and even in color, you can either try any of the acids mentioned, or methelyne chloride. Jasco is one name brand stripper that contains Methelyne Chloride. It's found at HD. It can also be found at a local paint store (different brand). It's also known as a epoxy and varnish stripper.

After this process, rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Check results. If the haze is removed, you're good to go with using an enhancer. Aqua Mix Enrich n Seal is one of the most potent on the market. Stone Tech Enhancer Pro is also very good, but the results aren't as dramatic. If you want lighter, go Stone Tech. If you want darker, go AquaMix.

What was the question? :scratch: :D

[Teriwebb]

:dunce: Since I already bought the klenzall I will try it first. Then I will try to others.

How long (days etc) should I let it dry? Before I put on acid. Then how many before I put on enha ncer.

New question. I put a white bocelli?? marble top on my vanity in the path. It is real marble and has some pits in it. Looks like some have been filled. It was a remnant. Do I need to seal it? What with?

ALSO I had marble bowls installed as sinks. they are very smooth - no pits. they are swirled with yellow, gold and a few orange specks. Do they need to be sealed. Thanks again. :nod:

Teri

[doitright]

Hi Teri :)

The main thing that we're trying to achieve with the drying is evenness of color prior to any procedure. If the shower looks the the picture you posted, I wouldn't attempt to anything (until the grout color evens out after drying). After the grout color evens out, is an indicator that you can go to the next step.

As far as the marble, first I would attempt to fill the pits (maybe with a matching unsanded grout with acrylic additive.

Are these tops and bowl polished or honed?

Even after you seal them, they will be susceptable to acid etching.

[Teriwebb]

The bowls are really honed and polished. Very beautiful. The top is polished but when you run your hand along it you can feel small pit areas. Then there is one it tha tmay have hapened when they drilled for the bowls but no-ones talkin' :shake: Anyway, it is probably the onnly on ethat need to be filled. very small and black. What is a good cleaner for thes to avoid etching. Teri

[doitright]

Hi Teri :)

Have you sealed the tops yet? Stone Tech's Revitalizer is a cleaner that also has a small amount of sealer built into the formula. There isn't a cleaner available that will prevent acid etching. Some newer products are becoming available for professional only that are allowing more time to get the acidic product removed before damage occurs.