QUESTION

What caused my tile to stain? - My tile got stained. I want to know if the tile or the adhesive is defective. Can you test for that?

ANSWER

ANSWER - Depending on the type of tile in terms of whether it is a ceramic tile glazed or unglazed or some type of stone and its particular physical properties relative to what type of adhesive was used e.g. thin-set mortar, epoxy adhesive, mastic adhesive or urethane adhesive will make a difference on how it can be determined what caused the tile to stain.

Generally speaking adhesives can be cleaned off of tiles of all types with the correct cleaners, assuming that a tile adhesive of one type or the other was used. On certain types of tiles such as unglazed or natural stones, it is recommended that the installer apply a sealer over the tile prior to installing it in order to protect it from the adhesives and grouts during the installation. The problem may be that the installer did not take the proper steps to avoid the staining during the installation process.

We can certainly evaluate the tile and adhesive to determine if they are defective or incompatible in some way. It may or may not be practical for you to utilize our services depending on your circumstances. As experts we do charge for all of our time spent on your behalf during the investigation. Depending on the size and value of your project, and your recourses of being compensated for the problem, it may be more practical to replace the tile