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How do I remove the grout haze or stains on my new bathroom tiles?
QUESTION
My tiler installed black tiles along with black grout sometime s in late Mar / early Apr. Due to all the delays in my renovation, I finally had a handover done.I was scrubbing my floor tiles and noticed that it's very dark along the grout lines in the shower area. I don't know if that's grout haze or grout stain on the black ceramic tiles. I've scrubbed the tiles 2-3x now and I still can't seem to get rid of the black patches around the tiles.
Can someone advise me?
I'm hesitant to acid wash since all my bathroom accessories have been installed.
ANSWER
ANSWER - There are many variables to consider. First you have to know what type of tile was installed. Whether it is a glazed tile (impervious glass-like surface) or unglazed tile (same clay material form top to bottom). If it is an unglazed tile is it porous?It is possible it can be a grout haze. Cementitious black grout is very difficult to clean up because it is so heavily pigmented. It can stain porous tiles or glazed tiles with micro cracking in its surface called crazing.
If it is a cement haze, then a mild acid can be used to remove it such as sulphamic acid or a diluted phosphoric acid. You can use diluted vinegar since it is acidic to see if it does any good. Yes, you do need to protect adjacent materials.
Some latex modified grouts can leave a latex haze, which acid will not remove. You need to go to a tile store and get a latex haze remover.
If the pigment has embedded into the surface of the tile, you might have to use a poultice to dry to draw it out.
You have to go through a trial and error process to determine what will work the best. Always test your method in a small out of the way spot to see if it works. There are cleaners available for cleaning tile that you can visit those manufacturers' website. You can find some of them listed on our website on the resource page. Go to www.CTaSC.com to find that resource page for tile cleaners.
46 thoughts on “How do I remove the grout haze or stains on my new bathroom tiles?”
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Thank you sooooooo much!!!! The vinegar cleared up the dark haze immediately!!!
We dyed our grout after 20 years. Now bathroom looks like a truck stop- will try these 3 methods!!!
Thanks, vinegar worked brilliant, removing dark grey grout stain from white porcelain tiles
Vinegar worked perfectly! Thank you!
God bless you and this post!!! Vinegar worked like a charm on matte white tile with charcoal grout haze. My tile looks amazing. Thank you SO much.
Did you use white vinegar or regular apple cider vinegar? And did you mix it with water? My new matte white tile floors with grey grout is driving me crazy! ???? Thanks in advance
white vinegar is best to use and it should be diluted. It only removes efflorescence and cement film and should not be used excessively as some tiles are acid sensitive.
How did you you use the vinegar I try is not getting removed .
If vinegar doesn’t remove the stain then it likely isn’t efflorescence or a light cementitious film. If it is a latex haze then you need to use a latex haze remover.
My contractor just grouted my bathroom yesterday with black grout on a black and white matte tile. The black grout stained every tile. If I take a qtip and use diluted vinegar on the white areas of all the tiles, will there be long term effects from the vinegar?
When grouting with a contracting grout to the color of the tile a grout release should be used. A grout release is normally a temporary sealer that is applied before grouting and is removed during the grout cleaning process. Often more permanent sealers are used for the same purpose.
When glazed tiles stain from a contrasting tile it is normally due to micro fracturing in the glaze of the tile referred to as crazing. Since the stain is imbedded into the fracture it may be difficult to remove if at all.
Diluted vinegar is acidic and attacks cement to remove it, but it might not attack the pigment within the cement. You will have to experiment. Whether the acidic vinegar will etch the glazed tile or not depends on how chemical resistant is the glaze. The only to know for sure is to experiment. Sulphamic acid is considered the safest acid to use to remove cement film, but it doesn’t work as fast as other acids. Some will use diluted phosphoric acids that often are in the tile cleaning products. You just need to experiment and hope you find an acceptable solution.
Hi I’ve just had a bathroom tiled in white porcelain tiles and tiler used black grout. The black grout has covered and stained all the tiles.
I’ve tried vinegar- that hasn’t moved it.
Is there anything else to try?
This is turning out to be a very expensive mistake.
Many types of ceramic tile surfaces have micro pores. Some unglazed porcelain tiles have off-gassing during firing in the kiln that can trap stains. Some glazed tile surfaces have a micro fracturing called crazing. Often this is not an obvious condition and that is why it is always recommended to use a grout release or sealer over the tile surface before grouting with a contrasting color grout. The grout releases come off during the cleanup after the grout is applied. Sealers are lasting.
In the porcelain tiles the micro voids tend to be in the shape of a candy kiss where the bottom of the void is larger than the surface void so it is difficult to remove the stain. First you need to determine what the stain material is made of so you can determine what will degrade it. If it is cement then the acid solution will work, but acid can cause more damage in some cases. Or maybe it is a pigment made of something else. You should contact the grout manufacturer to determine how best to try to remove the stain.
I have a different problem. The Grout is not new. The floor is tile. All of a sudden the tile floor feels sticky. And the black grout must be coming off. Especially if i mop. I did use a floor cleaner Libmans for a year with no problems. The black grout is getting on the clean tiles when we walk or there is any water spilled. I thought about using just water for a while to mop. Any ideas.
Having the grout bleed is not common these days. Years ago some grouts would bleed due to the type of pigment in the grout.
Maybe you have a premixed grout that is degrading? You say the floor is sticky and the grout color is bleeding. If that is the case you might need to replace the grout.
If it is a cementitious grout that is bleeding, then possibly you can seal the grout that might stabilize it. You would want the grout to be clean and dry and then apply a penetrating grout sealer over it following the sealer manufacturer’s directions.
We are installing natural stone slate tiles, we put down the tiles and sealed with a water based natural sealer but only a single coat, my husband put the grout down on a section and we cannot get the haze off. It is a cement grout and we got a commercial grade haze remover that we tried today. We have heard not to use vinegar on natural stone?
Also for the remainder of the floor should we do another coat of sealer and will this help with the grout haze?
Many grouts today have polymers in them which is a form of latex. So sometimes the haze left on the tile, if not cleaned up timely and properly, can be difficult to remove.
You can test with diluted vinegar, which is acidic, to see if it removes the haze. Or buy a grout haze remover that is typically diluted phosphoric acid that can remove cement film. If it is a latex film then you have to buy a latex haze remover at the tile store. There are more aggressive cleaning processes, if necessary, that would require a stone restoration company to employ.
There are what is called “grout releases” that is like a temporary sealer that can be applied to the tile prior to installing or prior to grouting. It washes off with the grout haze. Often stone sealers are used to seal the slate that can act as a grout release. But not all sealers are made equal. You should use a quality sealer.
More important is how you apply and clean up the tile. If the tile grout joints are wide enough you can use a grout bag, which is a much cleaner method. Like in baking you can bag the grout into the joint so it doesn’t spread out over the tile surface. You let the grout set for awhile until it gets “finger print hard” which means the grout doesn’t stick to your finger when you touch it. You then took the excess grout off and sweep it up.
If you do get grout and thinset residue on the tile change your water frequently to clean off the excess. Then it is important that just after it dries you can use cheese cloth to buff off the haze that will come off relatively easy. Don’t use too much water in the clean up or you can cause excessive grout shading.
I had black matte porcelain tiles installed in my shower 2 months ago. I have a white milky haze on it. I have been using vinegar with water to try to get rid of it but it keeps reappearing.
I did put car wax on the tile a few weeks after the install to protect .
How can I get rid of the milky white haze?
A porcelain tile is impervious as it can’t have more than 0.5% absorption to be classified as a porcelain tile. Plus you have a wax coating over the tile. So the haze has to either be on top of the wax surface, and if so you can strip it off.
It is also possible that moisture has gotten under the wax coating and that is known to cause a milky white haze. Here again to remove it, you need to strip the wax off. If you wax it again, make sure it is very dry or maybe moisture is migrating up through the grout joints causing it to seep under the tile wax coating.
Or after stripping off the wax you can seal the tile with a breathable penetrating sealer.
I applied black grout to my marble backsplash not knowing that it was porous. Now the black grout had left stain in different spot and even change the color of the tile to a little bit darker. What can I use to fix this problem ?
True marble is very dense. ASTM C503 shows the maximum allowable absorption for a true marble is 0.02%. So that suggests that if you do have a true marble that it is only surface pores. Fortunately you have a natural stone, so depending on how absorbing the marble is you can possibly grind and re-polish the stone and it might remove the staining.
You don’t want to use an acid to attack the cementitious grout as it could etch the marble and could burn in the stain. Otherwise you have to experiment on small areas to see what will work.
We just had our contractor lay black Nero Marquina honed tile in a renovation of a master bath and when we pulled up the paper the tile guy laid, it has white spots in many tiles that don’t come up with water. Trying to figure out the best method to remove or maybe we just hire a professional to get proper before plumbing is put in? Is there a way to post pictures? I’d love some specific input. Thank you.
Hard to say what it is. It is not unusual for Nero Marquina to have white veining and I have seen where it might have some other white inclusions.
If it is a stain or possibly it was etched by some acidic substance, then you have to re-polish it.
It would be best to have a professional stone restoration company come in and evaluate it and if possible remediate it based on what it is.
Hi can you help please, had a new bathroom fitted and used ceramic tiles with a Ivory grout. I’ve noticed that some marks have shown up on the cut edges of the tiles and on the grout against a chrome bead which looks like a lead pencil make but definitely isn’t.
Can’t seem to get them to remove have you got any ideas ??
Chances are those marks are metal marks from cutting the tiles. After a tile is cut the installer should be stoning the edge of the tile smooth so it is a nice clean cut edge. I have seen where a pencil eraser will remove metal marks. You can try that and see if it works.
Help I have black matte hexagon tile in my bathroom about two months old. A contractor got caulking all over the tile. I was able to remove all the caulking but now it left a dark spot on the tile. Looks like a grease spot.
You probably have a unglazed porcelain tile. Some caulkings contain an oil that can migrate into the tile. Porcelain tiles are low absorbing so you might be able to remove it. There are products like goof-off or goo-gone that break down oils. You can try that but test it out first to make sure it works. After you apply a small about over the stain, let it set a minute. Then scrub with a small scrub brush. You then can consider getting some detergent cleaner with water and scrubbing it and rinsing it to see if that will remove the spots. Again test it out first before proceeding to make sure it is working to your satisfaction.
Hi, I just had hexagonal matte tiles installed with black grout. The grout stained all the tiles, and we have been trying to clean them by scrubbing them with diluted vinegar. Not only this doesn’t help, but the water comes out super gray, we think that the grout may be coming off and continuing to stain the floor. What can we do? Thank you
This was installed a couple months ago, not just now. **
The tiles you installed either has a crazed glazed finish if it is a glazed tile, or if it us an unglazed mosaic tile it might have enough absorption or texture to cause it to trap in the pigment from the grout.
It is always recommended to either use a blending color grout to go with the the color of the tile, or if you use a contrasting color that you apply a grout release or sealer over the tile surface before you grout in order to avoid this problem.
If you have an unglazed tile that will not be damaged from abrasion, you could try using a liquid detergent in your water and sprinkle 60 grit silica sand on the wet floor and then use a 3m pad or stiff brush and scrub the floor. Then use a we vacuum to pick up the dirty water. This doesn’t always work so test it out on a small spot first and do not proceed until you are satisfied with the results.
HI there, need some help. Have tiled 6 house before and never had this issue. I installed an unglazed ceramic tile, and then used the Mapei Flexcolor CG premixed grout on the tile. After the grout install, we noticed marks on many of the tile in the four corners (almost look like tile spacing marks from factory packaging, that weren’t obvious prior to the grout install), also the tile looks dirty all the time, and have hard grout deposit residue in many places. It was the most difficult tile grouting I’ve ever done. Any remedies for this situation?
Hard to say what are the marks on the corners of the tile, but if they are consistently present on all tiles it would suggest it is a tile condition. But I don’t know why they would not have been noticeable before grouting.
Prepmix grouts have different formulas and are not cementitious per se. So cleaning the grout haze from them might require a latex grout haze remover.
Since you have an unglazed tile that doesn’t scratch easy, I have seen where hard to remove resin haze has been removed by using a floor cleaning solution in water and wetting the floor. Then adding some silica sand broadcasted out and then using a commercial floor scrubbing machine to abrade the haze off of the tile. Test this out first in a small spot to make sure it works to your satisfaction before doing the entire floor.
After the floor is cleaned to your satisfaction then apply a penetrating sealer to the tile, which should help keep it from looking dirty and will make it easier to clean the tile.
I had black porcelain tile installed with black grout , my installer did the sponge cleaning throughout the installation. However, the cloudy haze on the tiles remained and within 24 hours the grout turned grey. I have scrubbed with water and floor cleaner, but the haze on the tile and the grout remains gray. Any ideas?
It is possible it can be a grout haze. Cementitious black grout is very difficult to clean up because it is so heavily pigmented. It can stain porous tiles or glazed tiles with micro cracking in its surface called crazing.
If it is a cement haze, then a mild acid can be used to remove it such as sulphamic acid or a diluted phosphoric acid. You can use diluted vinegar since it is acidic to see if it does any good. Yes, you do need to protect adjacent materials.
Some latex modified grouts can leave a latex haze, which acid will not remove. You need to go to a tile store and get a latex haze remover.
The grout is gray either because it was over washed with too much water and some of the pigment was pulled away or you have an efflorescence problem which is the white calcium from cementitious materials is leaching out. If it is efflorescence it should be cleanable. Go buy a tile grout efflorescence cleaner to test it. If the pigment has been diminished then you need to try a couple of other options.
One is that you can see if an enhancing sealer that normally gives a porous tile or grout more of a wet look might even the color out.
If all else fails then there are grout colorants which basically is an epoxy paint that allows you to paint over the grout to give it a uniform look and seals the grout. This is a tedious process to do it well, so keep that in mind. Whatever you do test out the procedure first to make sure it will work to your satisfaction.
Thank you, the haze remover worked, it took a lot of scrubbing, but at least it is mostly gone. The grout is now white instead of the original black, can it be scraped out and have premixed black added to it before sealing or will this cause more problems?
It is possible to cut out at least 1/8″ in depth of grout and regrout over it. The grout has to be properly prepared for this in terms of being clean and having no contaminates. You try cleaning the grout with a diluted liquid detergent and scrub brush. Or you can get an epoxy grout colorant and paint the existing grout joint black after the grout has been properly cleaned per the grout colorant directions. It is a tedious process, but if done well it gives you a consistent color grout joint and it seals the grout.
Help please, my tiler has grouted my black porcelain bathroom floor tiles and hasnt noticed they should have been sealed first, now i cant get rid of the grout haze, i have tried 2 different products of grout haze remover followed by a sealer all of which initially look great, then within a day or so of traffic i end up with footprint marks, water mark stains and eventually back to the full grout haze. Anything to try would be appreciated or is there a product out there guaranteed to work
Sounds like when they sealed the tile after it was cleaned then maybe it was an enhancing sealer that gives it a wet look and maybe disguised the grout haze if it was still on the tile. Sealers don’t last that long. Some last longer than others and it depends on what they are subjected to which can cause them not to last as long. If a small drop of water beads up on the tile then the sealer is working in terms of sealing. Although the enhancing affect may wear off.
There are no guarantees of what will solve a problem unless you know exactly what the problem is or what caused it. Assuming there is still some sealer on the tile you should consider stripping the sealer off. That might also remove any residual haze. Once it is clean and dry to your satisfaction then you can seal it again. You might try to find a professional company who specializes in sealing tiles.
Please help.
White porcelain tiles stained by charcoal grey grout.
Read the questions and answers above and it discusses this situation.
Many types of ceramic porcelain tile surfaces have micro pores. Some unglazed porcelain tiles have off-gassing during firing in the kiln that can trap stains. Some glazed tile surfaces have a micro fracturing called crazing. Often this is not an obvious condition and that is why it is always recommended to use a grout release or sealer over the tile surface before grouting with a contrasting color grout. The grout releases come off during the cleanup after the grout is applied. Sealers are lasting.
In the porcelain tiles the micro voids tend to be in the shape of a candy kiss where the bottom of the void is larger than the surface void so it is difficult to remove the stain. First you need to determine what the stain material is made of so you can determine what will degrade it. If it is cement then a diluted acid solution might work, but acid can cause more damage in some cases so . Or maybe it is a pigment made of something else. You should contact the grout manufacturer to determine how best to try to remove the stain.
Hi there, i am struggling to grout my cement tile. It is a white tile, porous and we are trying to use a dark grout. We’ve applied a sealer but it is still smearing and staining. Do we need more coats or any suggestions, heard about a quartz grout which is less or not pigmented, any thoughts on this?
Liquid sealers can work for some tiles, but if the tile is extremely porous or textured then it might not work well enough.
There are grout releases sold that are temporary coatings to apply over a tile installation. It is suppose to wash off after grouting, but protects against staining. In extreme cases where certain furan grouts are used a paraffin wax coating is applied. Then afterwards they steam clean it off.
There are epoxy grouts that don’t have pigments, but have a quartz type micro bead to give the color. You can take a black grout and put it into clean water and the water stays clean because there is no pigment to disperse.
If it is a larger tile with at least a 3/16″ wide grout joint or wider, then you should use a grout bag for grouting rather than smearing the grout over the entire tile. Like baking frosting bags you squeeze the grout into the joint so it slightly raised above the tile surface. You let the grout set up for awhile like 15 minutes may a lot more depending on the temperatures and humidity. You want it to be finger print dry, meaning if you put your finger on the grout that the grout won’t stick to your finger, but will have a slight imprint of your finger in the grout. At this point you can easily tool the grout joint to remove the excessive grout and smooth it out with a slight recess. This way it avoids a messy clean up and can go fairly quick with nice results.
Hello, Can you suggest some strategies for fixing the following issue: I regrouted an existing shower floor and the new grout is staining gray here and there. Seems like a curing problem. Should I remove the new stuff and regrout again, or what? I removed the old sanded grout using a hand tool (carbide / diamond grit rasp like scraper). The seam is 1/8″ and I tried to go down about 1/8+”. The new sanded grout is an egg shell color and the existing tile is a ceramic glazed product. I swept and vacuumed out the seams prior to applying the new grout, which I mixed according to product instructions. I was able to apply and scrape with float trowel about 12 sqft in about 30 minutes. I waited about 30 more minutes before sponging. I tried to keep water to a minimum. I did a final sponging about 45 mins after that. The owner reported using bleach to clean the old tile and was not satisfied, hence hiring me to regrout. The old grout was badly eroded here and there. For example, I think I could see some plastic connectors used to make the sheets of small tiles.
There are a lot of variables in why you might get variation in color of the cementitious grout. If the thickness of the grout varies from different areas that can cause a change. This is because grout will vary in color if it dries at different rates. Thicker grout will take longer to dry.
If the ceramic tile is porous and some areas have overglaze that absorbs at a different rate will cause the grout to dry at different rates.
If there is sun shining in through a window causing some of the grout to dry faster than other areas that could cause shade color variations. Also if doors are open and wind is coming in at different areas that will cause some grout to vary in drying.
If there are plastic spacers left in the grout joints those spots will not dry as fast since the plastic doesn’t absorb and that could cause color variation.
If you use too much water in mixing the grout or too much water cleaning right after grouting that can cause shade variation.
Most polymer modified cementitious grouts meeting ANSI A118.7 are fairly resistant to color variation if mixed per the manufacturer’s directions.
I would have removed all of the grout out of the grout joint and cleaned the grout joints thoroughly, and then grouted per the grout manufacturer’s directions.
Thanks Don. Do you have any strategies for correcting the stained grout I recently installed? I understand the problem happened due to inconsistent cure rates. Will I need to remove it and start over, or is there a better solution?
Each major grout manufacturer normally has available grout colorants, which is basically an epoxy paint that can be applied over all of the grout to more or less match the intended grout color. The grout has to be prepared properly to make sure any remaining sealer doesn’t interfere with the application. It is a tedious process and you need to tape the sides of the grout joint to get a uniform application.