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How to Repair Etched Glazed Tile?
QUESTION
How to Repair Etched Glazed Tile? - Last nite I decided to clean the light gray grout in between my kitchen floor tiles. The tiles are I believe a textured glazed ceramic tile, cloudy gray and white. The grout was real dirty. I used a brush and phos-brite, industrial cleaner safe for ceramic tile. Mostly full strenght, but cut with water too. Now all the grout lines are clean, but the slightly glossy finish is gone and at an angle I can see splotches all over. Touching it I think I etched or stained the ceramic tile? Is this possible? How can I restore or at least minimize the damage? Please help.ANSWER
ANSWER - You could have either etched the glossy glazed ceramic tile or abraded it with the brush. Some high gloss tiles have a glaze that is easy to scratch and are acid sensitive. Diluted phosphoric acid is normally safe if diluted correctly. If the acid is too corrosive then it will tend to give it a dull textured appearance. If it is scratched with a brush it can dull it and give it scratched look. Either way there isn't much you can do about it short of replacing those tiles with new tiles. Depending on the type of tile body and the condition of the glaze you might be able to highlight it with a sealer or something, but all you can do is carefully experiment. Good Luck.4 thoughts on “How to Repair Etched Glazed Tile?”
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Your answer to the above question stated, “you may be able to highlight it with sealer” please explain what a “sealer” is,,,,, What does “highlight mean?,” and “or something”
something means?”
Sealers are liquids normally applied to unglazed tiles and grout joints to make them more water resistant. Some sealers will tend to give a sheen to the tile. So the word highlight was in the context of using a sealer to enhance the etched portion of the tile that may or may not help it blend in with the tile.
we have had success on certain honed tiles using automotive polish to remove etch from tile. try it in an inconspicuous area
I haven’t heard of that, but it might be worth a try. It will depend on what type of glaze is on the tile you and the extent of the etching. Anyone who tries this must experiment first on a out of the way tile to make sure you will be satisfied with the results.