big problem with grout haze and residue

[roberto1490]

finished grouting my wetroom with mapei ultracolour plus white grout. i've got 30x30cm ceramic tiles with a textured, stone effect finish (should be a picture attached to this thread). i grouted to procedure and wiped tiles down several times, using 2 buckets of water and changing the water regularly. trouble is no matter how much i wipe there is still grout haze on the tile and even some patches of grout in the dips of the tile's surface. what are my options for removing this:

i was thinking either

1. buffing the tile using a drill and buffing/sanding drill bit?

2. using a grout residue remover?

3. 50:50 vinegar and water mix (read this on a site not sure if this even works?

also because these tiles aren't glazed (they are a textured matt finish) would they need sealing?

 

[charlie1]

Hi Roberto,

I assume once you have grouted then wiped with sponge, you have then left it to dry for about an hour before using a dry rag/towel to remove the grout haze!

1 - Using a dry rag should really be enough, going by the sound of it you may not have whipped down with sponge enough, how large an area did you grout before you wiped off with sponge?, this type of grout sets very quickly!!

Using a grout res remover will be your best bet!

Sealing these tiles is not necessary are the are not porous

Do you have any pics of the actual tiles??

 

[david campbell]

as above all the grout should come off after wiping with a dry towel/rag

 

[nybor62]

as above, but also if you used a wash boy and do 1 wipe ,rinse sponge and same again untill you wiped it all off , there should be little grout haze left,dont try and wipe a large area in 1 go

 

[wetdec]

Although the temptation is great it is important that you do not sponge off grout too soon.
We wipe off when the joints are finger dry that is it doesnt stick to your finger Mapei is good for this as it starts to cure pretty quick.
Wet a sponge wring it out and sponge across the joints diagonally the same way you put your grout on. By doing it this way you are not dragging soft grout out of joints and accross your tiles.
After first wipe leave for a little while before sponging again then polish off with a dry cloth later

 

[roberto1490]

i mixed up only 1kg loads and grouted small areas at a time. having read the replies i might have wiped off excess slightly too early. i like mapei products, having used their ultracolour plus and keraquick, but it sets too early and not being a professional i have to work to a speed i'm not comfortable with.

every batch was weighed out and mixed like the one before it, i tried to wait about 30 mins before wiping but sometimes i got a bit scared it might have set and wiped down too soon. also i wiped over the joints several times to get a nice finish and this is probably the cause of the grout all over the tiles....i will get some grout residue remover. i am still happy with the finish, but it will look even better once the haze has gone.

 

[charlie1]

Note - when you are grouting , you wipe iagonally , or some people do large swirls with there sponge to profile te grout line, then with aother clean sponge you give the area 1 pass only to pick up the residue, you dont go back near it untill you are ready to dust off!, is this how you are doing it?

 

[roberto1490]

not really. i'm wiping diagonally with a well wrung out sponge each time but i go over it more than once, rinsing the sponge out regularly to get most of the excess off then i might go back to it with clean water after 20-30 mins and wipe again til i think most of the grout is off the tiles...i'm convinced this is where i'm going wrong. although it would be alot easier if the tiles where glossed and not textured matt finish.