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Posted by michelle on October 3, 2006, 12:17 pm
I installed ceramic tile on my basement floor. I installed a light
colored textured tile and a light colored sanded grout. I thought all
the grout was cleaned from the tile so I sealed it. After the sealant
dried there were patches all over the tile of dried grout. It was a
mess! I searched on the internet for a way to remove the grout and the
sealant. All I kept seeing was to use muratic acid. Then I saw a post
from someone saying to use a cup of sugar dissolved in a gallon of warm
water. As weird as it sounded, I tried it. Everything came off the
tile and my floor looks like it was just installed when actually the
floor stayed looking terrible for over a year until I used the sugar
and the water. I poured the solution on the floor and let it sit for
about an hour then, using a nylon scrub pad, I scrubbed the floor. I
just want to say Thank You! to whoever posted this alternative to the
acid.
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Posted by EXT on October 3, 2006, 12:35 pm
Actually, the best item you used was the nylon scrub pad. I find these are
great for safely cleaning grout film off new tiles as well as soap scum and
other films that coat tiles.
>I installed ceramic tile on my basement floor. I installed a light
> colored textured tile and a light colored sanded grout. I thought all
> the grout was cleaned from the tile so I sealed it. After the sealant
> dried there were patches all over the tile of dried grout. It was a
> mess! I searched on the internet for a way to remove the grout and the
> sealant. All I kept seeing was to use muratic acid. Then I saw a post
> from someone saying to use a cup of sugar dissolved in a gallon of warm
> water. As weird as it sounded, I tried it. Everything came off the
> tile and my floor looks like it was just installed when actually the
> floor stayed looking terrible for over a year until I used the sugar
> and the water. I poured the solution on the floor and let it sit for
> about an hour then, using a nylon scrub pad, I scrubbed the floor. I
> just want to say Thank You! to whoever posted this alternative to the
> acid.
>
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Posted by Keith Williams on October 3, 2006, 12:43 pm
In article <45229175$0$81766
$892e0abb@auth.newsreader.octanews.com>,
noemail@reply.in.this.group says...
> Actually, the best item you used was the nylon scrub pad. I find these are
> great for safely cleaning grout film off new tiles as well as soap scum and
> other films that coat tiles.
Yup! The sugar, as usual, was a placebo. ;-) The surface of most
tile is nonporous so mortar doesn't stick very well. I've left
small globs of thiset on the surface (quite by accident) and just
flicked it off with a fingernail. A few times I also left specs of
grout and a few times didn't get all the haze off at first[*]. The
blue-green ScotchBrite pads are wonders at cleaning tile.
[*] don't do this with the epoxy grouts!
--
Keith
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Posted by Norminn on October 3, 2006, 2:56 pm
michelle wrote:
> I installed ceramic tile on my basement floor. I installed a light
> colored textured tile and a light colored sanded grout. I thought all
> the grout was cleaned from the tile so I sealed it. After the sealant
> dried there were patches all over the tile of dried grout. It was a
> mess! I searched on the internet for a way to remove the grout and the
> sealant. All I kept seeing was to use muratic acid. Then I saw a post
> from someone saying to use a cup of sugar dissolved in a gallon of warm
> water. As weird as it sounded, I tried it. Everything came off the
> tile and my floor looks like it was just installed when actually the
> floor stayed looking terrible for over a year until I used the sugar
> and the water. I poured the solution on the floor and let it sit for
> about an hour then, using a nylon scrub pad, I scrubbed the floor. I
> just want to say Thank You! to whoever posted this alternative to the
> acid.
>
When hubby and I were shopping for tile, we overheard a woman asking
about how to repair three rooms of newly installed tile she and her
husband had just ruined with muriatic acid. Muriatic eats concrete and
metal; it is not a "cleaner".
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Posted by EXT on October 3, 2006, 3:11 pm
The idea behind acid is that it won't harm the glass glazed surface of tiles
but will eat away at the mortar or grout to remove it from the surface. It
will eat some of the grout between the tiles, but you shouldn't use much
acid and it must be diluted with water to ensure that it is not too strong
and does damage to other things and surfaces.
ALWAYS add acid to water NEVER the other way round. The way it was explained
to me is: when adding acid to water, the first drop of acid to hit the water
will be immediately diluted along with the rest of the pour; if you do it
the other way round, the first drop of water that hits the concentrated acid
will immediately explode in steam, along with some of the rest of the pour
and this can hit your eyes, face, skin and other items nearby doing some
serious damage.
> michelle wrote:
>> I installed ceramic tile on my basement floor. I installed a light
>> colored textured tile and a light colored sanded grout. I thought all
>> the grout was cleaned from the tile so I sealed it. After the sealant
>> dried there were patches all over the tile of dried grout. It was a
>> mess! I searched on the internet for a way to remove the grout and the
>> sealant. All I kept seeing was to use muratic acid. Then I saw a post
>> from someone saying to use a cup of sugar dissolved in a gallon of warm
>> water. As weird as it sounded, I tried it. Everything came off the
>> tile and my floor looks like it was just installed when actually the
>> floor stayed looking terrible for over a year until I used the sugar
>> and the water. I poured the solution on the floor and let it sit for
>> about an hour then, using a nylon scrub pad, I scrubbed the floor. I
>> just want to say Thank You! to whoever posted this alternative to the
>> acid.
> When hubby and I were shopping for tile, we overheard a woman asking about
> how to repair three rooms of newly installed tile she and her husband had
> just ruined with muriatic acid. Muriatic eats concrete and metal; it is
> not a "cleaner".
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> colored textured tile and a light colored sanded grout. I thought all
> the grout was cleaned from the tile so I sealed it. After the sealant
> dried there were patches all over the tile of dried grout. It was a
> mess! I searched on the internet for a way to remove the grout and the
> sealant. All I kept seeing was to use muratic acid. Then I saw a post
> from someone saying to use a cup of sugar dissolved in a gallon of warm
> water. As weird as it sounded, I tried it. Everything came off the
> tile and my floor looks like it was just installed when actually the
> floor stayed looking terrible for over a year until I used the sugar
> and the water. I poured the solution on the floor and let it sit for
> about an hour then, using a nylon scrub pad, I scrubbed the floor. I
> just want to say Thank You! to whoever posted this alternative to the
> acid.
>