Friday, April 23, 2010

Botched grout cleaning - help!

    I have 18" tiles throughout my entry way, dining room and kitchen area. They have antique edges with sanded grout, the grout lines are about 1/2" wide. I have about 700 sq. ft of tile. I just had my white grout cleaned and in several areas the grout was so dirty, they had to use an aggressive cleaner called Viper Venom Tile & Grout Cleaner. I am pleased that the grout came very clean. My problem is that the chemical appears to have etched the surface of the tile and now looks very dull. The chemical was sprayed on the whole surface of the tile then brush agitated in the grout lines. The scrubbing caused soap bubbles that sat on the surface for several minutes until the rinsing vacuum cleaned off the surface. These bubbles seem to have etched circles of various diameters into the surface of the tiles. You can only see it if looking at the tile at an angle with the light reflection from across the room. I think the PH of the cleaner was PH12. The floor tiles always had a dull / matte surface and the surface sheen seems the same. I have chair leg protectors on the charil legs, but when you slide them around, they seem to leave shinny marks. Have you any experience like this? Is there a cure besides the expense of honing the surface?



I'd appreciate your reply.

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