QUESTION

Hi I've just layed galaxy granite floor tiles and grouted them in black ..thay have now gone dull ...what do I need to do to get them to shine again ...? Thay were not sealed

ANSWER

ANSWER - Normally a true polished granite is very resistant to abrasion.  So even if you used sanded grout, I don’t think it is likely that you scratch or abraded the granite surface.    There is a chance that you have cement film residue on the granite surface from not cleaning the grout correctly.   Some cementitious grouts have a lot of polymers in the grout and you might then have a latex or polymer haze on the grout.

There are special products for cleaning cement haze or latex haze from tiles that you can find by visiting our Resources Cleaners and Sealers page - click here.    If were just a cement haze you can normally clean it off with a dry cheese cloth or use a 3m pad with a detergent.  If it is a true granite you could use some diluted vinegar to remove the cement haze, but you have to be carefully to wet the stone surface first and rinse it off afterwards.   Regardless of what you do, test a small out of the way area first to make sure you get the results that you want.

If in fact you did wear off the polish surface in some way, a professional stone restoration company could come in and repolish it.

If you had sealed the granite tiles first before grouting it would make cleaning the tiles a lot easier, and it provides some protection against staining.