Polished porcelain ‘haze’

JackWheeler · Mar 15, 2019

Hi,

I have recently had my kitchen floor tiled using a dark grey polished porcelain tile. It looks great but when the light catches some of the tiles they look ‘hazed’ could anyone tell me a) what it is and b) how I can go about getting rid of it. Here’s a picture, it’s incredibly hard to photograph it but hopefully you can tell what I mean. I’m also unsure if the picture will even post!!

Tile haze

JackWheeler
Mar 15, 2019

Tile haze

Waluigi · Mar 15, 2019

Lithofin Cement Residue remover.

Start off by following the dilution rates specified.

Waluigi · Mar 15, 2019

Always test first on a spare tile or inconspicuous area.

One Day · Mar 15, 2019

Probably optical hazing, an inherent property.

This helps understand: Optical Hazing - https://www.stoneworld.com.au/optical-hazing/

Old Mod · Mar 15, 2019

Good shout Mark.

One Day · Mar 15, 2019

I've got a really good, very old article on this subject on an old hard drive. If I can, I'll dig it out later...

Old Mod · Mar 15, 2019

impish said:
I've got a really good, very old article on this subject on an old hard drive. If I can, I'll dig it out later...

That’d be kool mate.

One Day · Mar 15, 2019

You know, I can't find it anywhere. Maybe it was tagged onto the end of Swe's guide to tiling. Remember that?! I'll check again tomorrow...

Waluigi · Mar 16, 2019

impish said:
Probably optical hazing, an inherent property.

This helps understand: Optical Hazing - https://www.stoneworld.com.au/optical-hazing/

You learn something new every day

JackWheeler · Mar 16, 2019

Thank you all for your replies.

Thanks for sharing that article, that potentially explains it. The only thing I would say is the most obvious tile is that one in the picture right in the doorway.. the one behind it for instance doesn’t seem to have it at all. I can also see the haze from above, I’m not saying it’s not optical haze as it could well be, I just want to be certain that there is nothing I can do to sort it out.

Flintstone · Mar 16, 2019

Good info, I've seen it many tiles and was never sure what was going on. I did a large floor last year with polished porcelain and they were really bad for it, got me paranoid as hell that it was me causing it. it's strange how it's not usually consistent

Flintstone · Mar 16, 2019

C1CF92AE-D375-4169-8EE0-5FD5FC0BF485-1024x768 (1).jpeg

Not the best image but you can see it

One Day · Mar 16, 2019

I've only seen it once and it was with cheaper porcelain. Transit wax can look similar but obviously cleans up ok.
I'm not saying it is OP's problem here and Waluigi may well be on the money, but just throwing it in for consideration...

jobdone · Mar 16, 2019

Very interesting article on optical haze. Never new if was a thing. Wish I had known about it sooner might have saved my elbows and wrists from the excessive polishing.

NZ_Tiler · Mar 16, 2019

The facets mentioned in the optical hazing link, are they similar to pores?

I've laid some off white mechanical polished Porcelanosa from spain.

When grouting with a very light grey (mapei 111) it was immediately obviously the surface of the tile was holding mirco dots of grout.

When the supplier was questioned, he stated all polished porcelain should be sealed... Which is ********

One Day · Mar 16, 2019

Hmmm, Porcelanosa used to factory seal ALL of their porcelain. For years it was the only one I cold install without sealing and know it wouldn't stain.
I was told that all polishing opens up pores on porcelain (and stone too) but particularly cheap porcelain would be more prone to open pores than higher grade, denser porcelain.

JackWheeler · Mar 16, 2019

If I’m being honest Impish I think you are potentially right having looked into optical hazing. Had I of known about that I probably wouldn’t have gone polished! These tiles are from Crown Tiles. They were around £30m2 so not the cheapest but no where near the most expensive. It was a toss up between these and similar from Porcelnosa at £50m2. Based on the sample and our budget we decided to go for the cheaper. Perhaps that was the wrong descion!!

Time's Ran Out · Mar 16, 2019

We did 60+ sq mts of B&Q porcelain about 6 years ago which the client paid £11 a mt. Explained to the client they would need sealing and didn’t cost for it ‘I’ll do that’ he said. Out of all the cream tiles he purchased there was only 1 tile that we couldn’t use - it was on the face of a open window box type packaging and had ingrained dirt in the pores. He sealed 1 room didn’t like the smear it left or the work to polish it up so that was it!

Old Mod · Mar 16, 2019

NZ_Tiler said:
When the supplier was questioned, he stated all polished porcelain should be sealed... Which is ********

Errrrm it’s actually true.

Either at source or by the installer.
Polishing porcelain opens pores and needs to be re sealed.

The haze is caused during the polishing process.

Old Mod · Mar 16, 2019

NZ_Tiler said:
I've laid some off white mechanical polished Porcelanosa from spain.

Errrm a lot of their material is made in Asia, it’s not all made in Spain.
You have to be very vigilant now about the quality.
It’s made in other country’s and is shipped over, then stamped ‘made in where ever’ and then exported again. And is quite legal. Unfortunately.

Dumbo · Mar 16, 2019

3_fall said:
Errrm a lot of their material is made in Asia, it’s not all made in Spain.
You have to be very vigilant now about the quality.
It’s made in other country’s and is shipped over, then stamped ‘made in where ever’ and then exported again. And is quite legal. Unfortunately.

It like our lamb when it's slaughtered in France it magically becomes French , or am I a couple of decades out with that analogy

Old Mod · Mar 16, 2019

jcrtiling said:
It like our lamb when it's slaughtered in France it magically becomes French , or am I a couple of decades out with that analogy

No, spot on Jerry.
It’s one big con.
The chicken industry in this country is rife with that kind of practise, imported and prepped here, then magically become British chickens.
Can’t remember exact numbers, but millions of chickens are consumed here everyday, what, and you think we breed them all here!
Yeah, course we do.

Dumbo · Mar 16, 2019

Three chicken farms around here that my dad used to take the muck for his fields , all closed .

NZ_Tiler · Mar 17, 2019

impish said:
Hmmm, Porcelanosa used to factory seal ALL of their porcelain. For years it was the only one I cold install without sealing and know it wouldn't stain.
I was told that all polishing opens up pores on porcelain (and stone too) but particularly cheap porcelain would be more prone to open pores than higher grade, denser porcelain.

Have I got the correct brand?

One Day · Mar 17, 2019

NZ_Tiler said:
Have I got the correct brand?

View attachment 105346

Polished porcelain ‘haze’

JackWheeler

TF

Tile haze

Waluigi

Waluigi

One Day

Old Mod

One Day

Old Mod

One Day

Waluigi

JackWheeler

TF

Flintstone

Flintstone

One Day

jobdone

TF

NZ_Tiler

One Day

JackWheeler

TF

Time's Ran Out

Old Mod

Old Mod

Dumbo

Old Mod

Dumbo

NZ_Tiler

One Day

There are similar tiling threads here

Tile Restoration Trending Topics

Advertisement

Birthdays

Tilers Forums on FB