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Expert Answers
How Do I Restore The Glaze on My Tiles?
QUESTION
Cleaner Removed Glaze - I recently had a glazed porcelain tile installed in my home. In the process of cleaning the grout I used a product called Zep Shower Tub and Tile Cleaner. The cleaner has removed the glaze for the tiles. What can I do to restore the glaze or at least give the areas a "shiny" look?ANSWER
ANSWER - Regarding your glazed porcelain tile the first thing I would do is make sure it is a glazed porcelain tile. The body of the tile should look different from the surface and you might be able to see a separation of the glaze from the tile when you look at its side. Some glazed porcelains don't have a complete glazed layer but it is somewhat impregnated within the surface.
A glaze is a glass like substance and normally would not be affected by tile cleaner. Some very acidic substances like muriatic acid might etch the glaze surface but it wouldn't remove it unless it was in contact with it for a great deal of time.
I wonder if the tile has a resin surface which could be affected by chemicals or maybe the porcelain tile was an unglazed tile that was sealed?
The glaze on the tile is applied at about 2000 degrees F so you can't re-glaze it. If it is a sealer on it then find out what sealer was used and reapply it in that spot to make it shiny again. Talk to your tile supplier and installer to find out exactly what type of product you do have. Good Luck!
6 thoughts on “How Do I Restore The Glaze on My Tiles?”
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This exact same product did the same thing to my tile. It left spots where the cleaner set longer. I was also wondering how to repair the tile. Brand new and it happened the first time I cleaned them with Zepp. So I wonder if it is the sealer.
Zep has many different types of cleaners. Some are acidic and if you have a chemical sensitive glaze it can etch the surface that isn’t repairable. Most retail cleaners for tile don’t have enough acid concentration to etch a glazed porcelain tile. So I wouldn’t expect their product do etch the tile. You test a left over tile or a tile out of the way and put a dime size drop on the tile and come back the next day and see if it did etch the tile. If it did then I would contact both the tile supplier to get a copy of the data sheet for the tile and see if they say whether it is suppose to be chemical resistant. Also check Zep and ask them why their product would etch their tile.
Chances are it isn’t etching, but research and test it to find out.
I had a similar experience. Did you find a solution?
Thank you so much. This guide is very precious to me.
I cleaned my kitchen tile floor with a hot steamer and some vinegar and baking soda. It appears I took the finish off of the floor and now it has a matt appearance and feels different. Too late. I realized my tile is called glazed tile. Is there any thing I can do to restore the glaze?
Chances are you don’t have a glazed ceramic tile floor. If it was porcelain glazed or polished tile or a polished granite tile, I would not expect your cleaning process to affect it. If you have a polished marble it might be affected by it. Or if you have a sealer on an unglazed tile that gives it a sheen, then that cleaning process could affect it. There are some high polished glazed wall tiles that have weaker glazed surfaces that could be affected.
If it is a sealer on the tile they depending on the type of sealing might might be able to apply over it or you may need to strip it off and reseal.
If you do have a true glazed tile that has a glass-like coating on its surface that is fired on in a kiln, and it was affected, then there isn’t anything you can do to restore it.