Onyx tiles damaged by vinegar?

[Lou Noble]

all you need to do is re-polish with diamonds... that is an "easy" fix( for a guy that does restoration for a living) What area do you live in, i might know some people in your area that are fair priced and do quality work.

[joh]

Lou, it may even be less work than that.
Onyx is a very funny stone when it comes to re-polishing with diamonds. I know a few easy ways that the damage that this home owner has describe, but I need to see what is going on with the stone before I

[StoneBuddy]

This should be a routine job for a restoration contractor, which the NSRA has members in Central Florida. Unfortunately, like everyone else has said, is that your stone is etched. HOPEFULLY, it is not too bad and diamond work and a powder polish will rectify the situation.

Whereabouts in Central Florida?

As far as the sanded grout....may or may not pose a problem. Is the grout flush with the tiles, or is it recessed a slight bit? Most restoration pros will shy away from sanded grout, but it is not that big of a deal as long as it is not flush with the stone.

How long ago was it grouted? With plenty of set time for the grout, one should not worry too much about it interfering with the resto process.

Pictures pictures pictures......PLEASE?

[sgrandjean]

Pssst...Buddy, if you had asked for pichers, we might have some by now. If you haven't figured out yet, everyone here likes pichers.

Cheers.

[Lou Noble]

Joh... Isnt the NSRA in Florida? While this is not a "hard" job to take care of it still should be a job that an experianced Resto Head should take care of.

[Stonehenge]

Around nine years ago I had the pleasure of polishing Green Onyx inserts as part of a 150 year old Marble Church altar. In as far as a correct repair goes it was all diamonds and no powder, the real answer is finding the correct diamond abrasives, after all diamond abrasives are not created equal much like the person that wields them.

Michael of Stonehenge

[StoneBuddy]

If you haven't figured out yet, everyone here likes pichers.

I've been wanting to use this smilie for so long.

[jamonil]

Here are a few pictures of the onyx shower wall. Also, I'm holding up a left over tile next to one of the "damaged" ones.

[GraniteGirl]

Hi Jamon

That is a very beautiful shower and you have obviously spent a lot of time and money on it so far.

The fact is that you are setting yourself up for a maintenance nightmare having the polished onyx in the shower. No matter how careful you are with daily maintenance (rinsing after every shower, squeegee drying after every shower, cleaning the entire area with stone-specific cleaners, etc. etc.), you will still have your stone etch through just contact with slightly acidic water and any personal hygiene products (most all of which contain an acid of some kind). The shine is going to wear off. There is nothing that you could put on your stone that will prevent this from happening.

As Jo and the other resto guys have stated, it would not be impossible to have it polished back to its' original luster, but are you prepared to spend that amount of money on a regular basis? And as another consideration - will you be able to find a restoration pro with the required skills in your area? Not every guy able to swing a polisher will be able to do what you need done.

My humble opinion would be to get a good restorer in there, hone the onyx and treat it with an enhancing sealer. It will make any future chemical damage a lot less obvious.

[doitright]

Hi Jamonil

I agree with Adriana.

The spectralock grout won't necessarily cause any problems. It all depends on how clean the restoration pro keeps the area between grits. I suggest a good rinse and wet vac between grits.

Before you commit to anyone doing any work, I suggest you try to duplicate the damage on one of you spare tiles, and have them finish it the way you want it (if they can).

[jamonil]

Thank you guys and Adriana for all your comments and suggestions. However, I'm a bit confused. Adriana suggests (and some agree) that I hone the tiles, which should be easier maintenance and cleaning in the future.

However, Lou and others suggest re-polishing the tiles. Even thought the tiles look pretty spectacular either honed or polished, I would like them somewhat lustrous and shiny. Maybe they weren't the best choice for a shower, but they were so incredibly beautiful when I bought them, I was really captivated by their mirror-like finish.

If anyone has any suggestions for a professional here in Orlando or anywhere in Central Florida, I would appreciate it VERY MUCH!!! Before I continue making mistakes I would at least like to seal the tiles so they can "breathe" and maybe shine a little more.

Thanks again everyone for all your comments! I have printed them all out for referencing in the future.

Jamonil

[GraniteGirl]

Jamonil

You need to have realistic expectations of your stone. The onyx you have on the shower walls will etch if exposed to acid. Nothing you do to the stone or put on it will prevent this.

Jo and his friends will be able to polish it. This does not mean it will not etch again. It merely means that it will be shiny until you have exposed it to enough acids to etch again. Then you will need to repolish it. This will happen over and over and over again. You polish the stone, take a few showers and etch it again.

If you expect this of the stone and can live with the cost and inconvenience only to have a shiny shower, good on you. If not, consider an alternative finish (honed and enhanced). It will not be brilliantly shiny, but it will be easier to maintain and look better than a spotty, runny etch pattern on a polished tile.

[jamonil]

Thanks Adriana. Can you give me more information on the honed look that you are suggesting? It's not worth the cost and effort to keep repolishing the shower all the time. I guess I should have done more research when selecting a stone for my shower and wall, though I still love this green onyx.

Can you advise me what is involved in honing the tile, and how I go about selecting a professional to work on it?

Thanks again to all the great people in this forum for all your suggestions and comments. I am so glad I found this website!

[StoneBuddy]

Jamon, a honed finish is easiest described when compared to paint finishes. A polished stone is like say a high gloss paint. A honed finish is anywhere from an eg-shel to a satin, depending on the grit the stone is left at.

Finding a contractor to do the work is the hard part. The NSRA has members in FL and would be glad to help. Also, maintenance in the future on a honed stone is MUCH cheaper than the maintenance or restoration work on a polished stone because of the amount of work involved in the polishing process.

IF(it's a really big word) the etch marks on the stone can be polished out with a simple powder polish, this would affect cost dramatically

Locate local restoration pro, have him come out and hone a tile for you, so you can see the sheen.

[doitright]

Hi Buddy

Originally Posted by jamonil

If anyone has any suggestions for a professional here in Orlando or anywhere in Central Florida, I would appreciate it VERY MUCH!!!
Jamonil

Originally Posted by StoneBuddy

The NSRA has members in FL and would be glad to help.

Can you forward these members names to jamonil?