Hazy Porcelin Tile

[naoumoff]

Have you ever figured out how to remove the haze on your tile? I just had some 24 x 24 polished porcelain tile set and it has the same haze on every tile. I know it's not grout because actually the 1/2" edges of the tile are the only consistently polished part without haze. I'm not sure if the grout removed the haze, or whatever was put on the tile (transport wax my tile setter is claiming) did not quite make it to the edges. Anyways, I have tried vinegar, muratic acid, acidic tile cleaner, windex... none have removed the haze. They do seem to be slowly reducing the haze, but I've also etched the tile in small areas. Luckily it was a tester piece. Do I need some type of commercial buffing equipment to buff the "wax" off? The acid hit the tile and didn't react to the haze at all... spilled some on our concrete driveway and it bubbled like crazy immediately. So I'm not real hopeful that acid will remove this if it is wax.

Does anyone know how to remove this haze?

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[Davestone]

This is an old post,but,you say it's polished, but you didn't seal it?You should seal polished porcelain preferrably before grouting.It tends to suck up grout pigment if you don't and it may have done that and will be very tough to remove it.Typically you would use an acidic cleaner for this but apparently it isn't working.Was the grout sealed and they got some sealer around the tile picture framing them, this is typical?Although it sounds like it came out of the box like this?Have you tried an alkaline cleaner?Can you post a pic, and give us a rundown of exactly what was done to the tile?I'll start you a new thread of your own.

[naoumoff]

Thanks for the response. The polished porcelain tile has been set and grouted with unsanded grout. No sealers yet. The grout is the same color as the tile. I have an unused tile from the box with the same haze, so it's not grout. I don't think I could get the haze to show up in a photo, but I'll try tomorrow in daylight. The haze has no color itself. Imagine a greasy sponge used to clean the tile and that is pretty much how the tile now looks. Or it reminds me of my hairspray days when it would leave a fine misted coating on my bathroom counters. You can see the swirl motions of whatever was applied.

Tile dealer says it's a wax coating to protect... but the tile manufacturer recommends nothing more than vinegar to remove. I've tried that and stronger on my leftover piece and acid doesn't seem to be working. I tried scrubbing with a brush and acid, but that left scratch marks and only removed about half of the haze, so that is not an acceptable solution.

I just tried acetone and pure bleach on my uninstalled tile, and neither had any effect on the tile or the haze. The haze has no color itself.

[Davestone]

Now that sounds to me like the have wiping left by grouting.If they grouted with unsanded and didn't seal first it is bound to have been sucked into the pores of the tiles.On honed stone or polished porcelain it is almost impossible to fully remove,unless something is used like a black stripping pad or a nylon brush both used on a buffer,but even then sometimes it won't totally come out without mechanical means.Like repolshing same thing they do to repolish marble,with diamond pads.A nylon brush shouldn't have sratched the tile.If i were you i would get some sulfamic acid crystals and a stiff nylon acid brush from HD and work on one of the tiles that is set.For the one fresh outta the box i think a high alkaline tile cleaner would work, or a sealer stripper like this..http://www.aquamix.com/for_professionals/products/pg_detail.asp?pdid=2462&pgid=9833

[naoumoff]

Thanks - I'll look for those cleaners. Let me just say for the record, though, that the tile out of the box looks the exact same as the ones on the floor, so I'm quite certain the haze is not from grout. For sure it's something, and I'm bound and determined to get it off so my tiles can "shine" like they were meant to. :twitch: