Polished Jerusalem Stone - Fine Scratches After Grouting

[Wee_Rabbit]

Hi, All.

Great forum, first of all.

I have just installed polished grey Jerusalem stone in my bathroom, which looked mint until I grouted it. I cleaned the grout off as per the instructions, but it has left fine scratching on the surface of the tile. A quick search has revealed that I was mis-sold the correct grout, which was sand based.

As you can imagine, I'm really annoyed (partly at myself for not doing a little more research before starting the grouting process; although I went to a reputable local tile supplier, with tile in hand, so I would have hoped to come away with the correct grout).

Anyway, you live and learn I guess. My question is, is there anything I can do to remove the scratching? I'm in Leeds if anyone can recommend a local professional who may be able to help, as I don't want to make things worse!

Thanks,
Carl

 

[Ian]

Welcome along, can you stick a couple of pictures up so we can all see what we're dealing with Thanks

 

[Wee_Rabbit]

Thanks, Brian. The scratches are so fine that it's hard to get a decent picture of them, but in the one attached you can just about see what I'm dealing with in the glare of the spotlight (in fact you can only really see the scratches in the places where the spots hit the ground, but I know they're everywhere. The bathroom is fairly small, only 3-4 sqm of tiles, so I could refinish by hand if that is an option?)

 

[DHTiling]

You could try Aquamix renue cream..

 

[Spud]

nice stone ,where did you source it from?

 

[Scott]

Tis one of my all time faves jerusalem stone

 

[Wee_Rabbit]

Thanks, all.

The tiles were sourced from Stonehouse Tiles (Floor and Wall Tiles from Stonehouse - Natural Stone Tiles Specialist). I ordered everything from them but the grout

 

[Wee_Rabbit]

You could try Aquamix renue cream..

Thanks - looks like it'll do the job if the product description is accurate. Have you used this? Any specialist tools required or just plenty of good old elbow grease?

 

[The D]

METHOD OF APPLICATION: SHAKE WELL

Read entire label before using TEST A SMALL AREA according to application instructions to determine desired results

Remove dirt, waxes and other surface coatings with Aqua Mix Stone Deep Clean. Apply a small amount (tablespoon or less) of Renue directly onto etched or worn area. Use spray bottle to apply 1-2 squirts of water directly on Renue. Using a soft cotton or terry towel, buff into worn or etched area until slurry becomes clear and nearly dry Re-wet with water and polish dry completely with absorbent towel. Repeat process if necessary until desired results are achieved. A hand-held buffer with soft bonnet may be used for quicker results for larger areas. May also be used for larger floor areas using floor buffing machine (175-350 RPM) with a red or natural hair or synthetic fiber tan pad. Working area should be no larger than 10 sq. ft. (1 m2) at a time, followed by rinsing and polishing dry.

 

[Wee_Rabbit]

Because I felt that I had been mis-sold the correct grout for my polished Jerusalem stone floor tiles (if you read above, I was sold sanded grout; specifically 'BAL Superflex Wide Joint'), I thought that I would approach the supplier, to see if they would be prepared to resolve the problem. I seemed to be getting somewhere at first, but have just received this reply from them:

"Upon having a little time to think about this situation I have concerns that if the tiles use have been marked in the grouting process then these tiles may not be fit for purpose. If you can appreciate that as a company we sell thousands of units of this grout per year and have not had any situations at all where the grout has scratched/marked the tiles and if this is the case then I would have great concerns about the suitability of the tiles for the area you are using them in. Once the area starts to receive foot traffic then if the sand in the grout has marked them then once the floor receives general every day use then I expect the floor will get marked and damaged to a much greater extent. Also if the surface is this soft then almost certainly some marking will have been made in the process of fitting and transporting the tiles from their source. We sell different marbles and stone ourselves and in some cases these can mark on the surface, this however is not a fault but a characteristic of some stones especially marble where if you ever do see a marble floor from any source and take a closer look it will have scratches in some way.

Just another avenue to review is with these types of polymer modified grouts it is more difficult to remove any residues from the surface. I have recently tiled my hallway at home and have had to go over the grout residue a number of times to remove it and even then I have noticed tiny marks where it has not all been removed and I have missed small sections.These could be mistaken for scratches as my wife will testify. If this is the case we do have cleaners that will help remove these fine residues."

It seems like they are trying to fob me off, which I half expected. As such, could I ask you professional stone installers a couple of questions, please?

1. Are polished Jerusalem stone tiles suitable for a bathroom floor? Would you describe them as a soft tile? (I wouldn't, and I can absolutely guarantee that the tiles were 99% mark free before the grouting process)
2. Would you expect BAL Superflex Wide Joint grout to mark a tile of this type due to the sand content?
3. What grout would you have used\recommended to someone asking for advice?
4. Would you expect grout residue to take the form of hundreds of very fine scratches?

Thanks again,
Carl

 

[DHTiling]

Hi Carl.. Wide joint grout contains a heavier grade of sand and when using a polished stone it is wise to use a finer grade of sanded grout, something like Mapei SF grouts.. or similar..

That reply above is not the best and only an opinion from who..?

 

[Scott]

Its a bit like saying a natural wood floor will mark eventually so the chippy dragging his tools out and marking it wont matter

 

[Wee_Rabbit]

Hi Carl.. Wide joint grout contains a heavier grade of sand and when using a polished stone it is wise to use a finer grade of sanded grout, something like Mapei SF grouts.. or similar..

That reply above is not the best and only an opinion from who..?

Thanks, Dave.

The reply is from the manager of the company that supplied me the grout, specifically the Yorkshire Tile Company in Leeds (and as I said, I actually took a tile with me, so there should have been no doubt).

I really would like to go back to this person with a comprehensive, indisputable response, so if you or anyone else would care to elaborate further, I would be very grateful.

 

[DHTiling]

This from the grout pdf that you used..

NOTE:
When grouting soft glazed wall tiles or tiles with a metal decor or lustre,
care should be taken to ensure they are not damaged/scratched. If there
is any doubt, a test area should first be grouted in an inconspicuous area.

You should use a finer grade of grout.. this is what would have been better.. BAL Adhesives - Products - superflex it is a finer grade grout..

You will notice in that grouts pdf it does not say the same, hence this grout can scratch certain tiles.. like yours.. IMO sold the wrong grout,, that is all i can offer..

 

[Dan]

And that's all you need. You could even get the shop to call BAL themselves or checkout the PDF's. BAL will say you shouldn't have used it if you tested on an area and found scratches. The shop could say although they recommended it you didn't test it. And they hadn't tested as it wasn't their tile used. And perhaps with their Jerusalem stone it doesn't scratch it? Is there a difference or is it pretty uniform stuff?