How to Deal With Grout Haze

One of the most common complaints is also one of the easiest to resolve and like many complaints has actually got nothing to do with the tiles themselves. 

A typical customer complaint sounds like this:

"I had porcelain tiles laid but there is a cloudy appearance all over the tiles. I have tried several different cleaning products and residue removers but the floor still looks hazy. I got a tiling company try their cleaning and polishing solution but it didn’t help. I am now sure that it is a fault in the tiles. I am very disappointed with them."

Now this may sound like it could be optical haze which I discussed in a previous blog* but is probably not. The distinctive cloudy appearance is most likely grout haze. This is becoming a classic problem with imported modern porcelain from certain sources.

This type of porcelain tile can have many microscopic holes caused by tiny gas bubbles like the holes in a loaf of bread in the body. The polishing process removes a fine layer of the surface which can take the top off some of those holes, thus exposing them.

 

During grouting, the grout is smeared all over the surface and some of the liquid containing cement, water, polymers and pigments can be forced into these holes. Washing and removing the fine layer of grout over the entire surface of the tiled area is a long messy job which is often why it is not done properly or done too late after the excess grout has dried. So you end up with the tiny holes filled with the dirty residue. So, it remains there and is allowed to dry. There are so many tiny holes that when you look at the tile they all appear to merge into one like pixels on a screen giving an all-over cloudy or hazy appearance.

These tiles would have benefited from sealing prior to grouting but there are a number of things you can try. Given that you have tried several cleaners already, I can be fairly safe to assume you have tried a proprietary grout haze remover (acid based) so I would try one other thing, before moving on to a final combination approach.

Try Grout Haze Clean Up. This is actually designed to be used at the time of grouting but at full strength it can work a week or more later. If that fails, go for the combined approach:

First apply Sealer and Coating Remover neat and spread over the affected area and leave for half an hour, then, without removing the SCR, add some diluted Phosphoric Acid Cleaner, leave the two chemicals for another few minutes. The first product is attempting to break down any polymers present, this takes time. When it has done this there is more chance that an acid can now work on any cement present. Be very careful with the acid and grout haze remover. They are toxic. Wear eye protection and gloves.

Next try Nanoscrub. It is basically a cream abrasive cleaner but there are 3 components to the product: a slightly alkaline cleaning solution, a calcite (limestone) based grinding powder which won’t scratch marble, limestone or other soft stones and most importantly there’s the nano-technology. The nano particles reduce the surface tension of the cleaner so it can more easily penetrate the small pores and micro pores of the surface which makes it much more effective. As a mild cleaner in its own right, NanoScrub will breakdown mild surface soiling such as general grime and dirt, but, it is the calcite-derived abrasive that will do most of the hard work.  It will safely abrade the residue off with no ill effect on the marble’s surface. In the same way there are many surface contaminants that can be safely and effectively removed from most stone surfaces, for example, hard-water deposits or soap-scum in shower areas think of NanoScrub as an ‘exfoliating cream’ for tiles or stone.

There are some situations that cannot be saved; sometimes it is not so much the grout haze, but a very stubborn waxy coating can give this appearance. Finally, the appearance of haze could be a polishing fault in the tile, in that the tile has not been correctly finished at the factory. This cannot easily be rectified and would be a perfectly valid complaint.

View our tile products and brands