Browse Forums Bathrooms and Laundry 1 Nov 24, 2010 12:04 pm Hi folks We recently moved into a renovated house. The bathroom tiles are black and the grout is black. Within the first week of using the shower, and mostly wherever water spills on the tiles, we notice the grouting with a white film of some description. At first I thought it was the usual bathroom scum, but after cleaning it with the usual bathroom products, it did not come off. Then, friends suggested it might be lime build up. So I applied some CLR - this helped some parts (outside the shower, but not inside the shower). Has anyone heard of this or know what it could be and how to remove it? Secondly, the tiles are a matt finish and we are wondering if we should seal them? We don't have any details of what kind of tiles they are. They do seem to attract marks easily (ie toothpaste etc) and I am worried some things might soak in and stain over time. So, any help on the grout and whether we should seal the tiles (AND grout) to protect the grout from whatever is making it go white. Thanks in advance. Ceebs Re: Black grout going white - and sealing tiles question.... 2Nov 28, 2010 6:55 pm Sounds like the grout is effluorescing . IE,the salts are rising to the surface of the grout. This can be caused by the use of too much water during the washing up of grouting or residual moisture in the substrate making it's way to the surface. Darker colours are always more susceptible to this happening. I would seal the grout using a penetrating sealer . Re: Black grout going white - and sealing tiles question.... 3Nov 28, 2010 7:16 pm Hi Ceebs, Yes it sounds like efflorescence in the grout. Before sealing you need to clean the grout with an lite acid wash (diluted phosphoric acid). Test it in an obscure area to make sure the tiles are OK to get this on them. If they're a ceramic tile no problems but if they're a polished natural stone like marble or sandstone then don't use the acid. Once the "white powder" has been recmoved then apply a penetrating sealer. Hope this helps. Regards Tony L Re: Black grout going white - and sealing tiles question.... 4Nov 30, 2010 9:09 am +1 to what has been written above. It definatley sounds like efflorescence. Be sure as mentioned you use a phosphoric acid and not a hydrochloric acid. Hydro is nasty and can burn the tiles. You can clean sandstone no problem, marble as well just BE CAREFUL thats all. Depending on where you are based we can help supply sealer and cleaner for you. We manufacture in Melb. so let me know. Sealing is a must imho, i sealed my grout to allow cleaning the grout eaiser. We had ceramic tiles so i didn't seal them because they are very dense. The penetration would be minimal and i would have had to buff sealer residue off the surface. Test before you seal, easiest way. Jarrod Re: Black grout going white - and sealing tiles question.... 5Dec 01, 2010 7:13 am Hi guys THANK YOU SO MUCH for your replies. It has been bugging me what it is and how to fix it so I really appreciate you imparting your knowledge. I tried CLR, I take it that is not anything along the lines of what I need to be using? Can I get phosphoric acid from Bunnings - or where?? When you each recommend sealing - I take it you mean the tiles AND the grout? Yes, not sure if the tiles are ceramic or what? All I know is they seem to be hard to keep clean, even water seems to leave marks, so as much as I do love the matt finish, I think sealing them will help prevent them getting marked/stained and continuously needing wiping over to remove water marks. Miteq/Jarrod - we are in Melbourne too. Thank you so much for the offer to supply, I will be in touch. Thanks again, Ceebs Re: Black grout going white - and sealing tiles question.... 6Dec 01, 2010 8:57 am Sorry for the late reply but sealing (penertrating sealer) will not help much here. As mentioned your problem maybe water not draining out under the tiles into the secondary weep holes if installed therefore water will find its way up thru the grout once the water dries out it leaves a white residue some are in powder form this is good but others a hard as rock this is called leaching. Are you sure the shower is water proofed correctly under the tiles? and sloped to the drain hole and above the tiles is there silicon or just grout if the grout is there a hair line crack can be the cause? Photos would really help here if you can. The only way to solve this issue is to purchase a topical sealer such as grout perfects charcoal this can help but if your shower has not been water proofed correctly than nothing will help except a rebuild you may have to contact your builder. The white stains on the tiles is normal depending on what area you live in due to hard water and the colour of your tile, sealing will not help here as you may have non porous tiles you need phos acid strong mix dwell time is important and scrub with white scour pad than rinse should do the trick, if anything I would recommend enduro shields sealer for tiles this may help. Remember builders are builders not shower installation experts we are seeing to many showers being ripped up due to inexperience operators not understanding sloping in showers and waterproofing membranes. Craig Re: Black grout going white - and sealing tiles question.... 8Dec 01, 2010 12:11 pm Craig, thanks again for your input... but I must say, I'm a bit worried now that the problem might be way worse than anticipated . So folks, should we clean the grout and see if it re-appears?? I'm just trying to figure out how we can tell if it is a problem with the water-proofing without actually pulling the tiles up to see. I might clean it anyway just to make sure it is the effloresence at least. And see if it comes back. Thinking about it, it is mostly in our shower base, but also a little bit just outside the shower - so maybe it is a problem coming from underneath ....eeek. Ceebs Thankyou for your advice. We do have Caesar coming out and hopefully resolve the issue for us. 4 18733 Hi, planning on using the attached stone pieces in my bathroom. I want to remove stains and gloss seal. Can I get some advice on best way to remove stains and best… 0 6700 thanks. the above one is white Mat tiles and have gripness so going for this Mat tiles for both indoor and outdoor. Beaumont told it can be used in both indoor and… 2 1619 |