How To Remove Grout Haze From A Limestone Floor?
By John Evans on Nov 28, 2008 in Grout, Problem Solving
Visitor’s Question: “I have a problem with a newly laid Limestone floor. The tiler left it with a very thick haze of grout on it.I have tried a Fila Residue Remover cleaner, and another Grime remover (which seemed to work only a little better). I have used non-scratch pads and an emulsifier pad - on my hands and knees and it is still there. Please help?”
Our Answer: I am not entirely sure what the Fila product is, whether it is an acid or not. If you have used an acid, then you may have done a little damage to the surface of the limestone.
The ironic part about this is that in order to effectively break down a cement based grout residue, you do, normally need to use an acid based cleaner. However, as I hinted above, using an acid on an acid sensitive stone is not to be recommended. So, you have the problem of not being able to use the most appropriate cleaner for the type of contaminant, so another approach will be needed.
Instead of trying to chemically remove the grout, we can try to mechanically remove it. The least aggressive way would be with Nanoscrub. As this is made from ground up limestone, it will not damage the stone, but may provide just enough abrasion to remove the cement residue - just like an exfoliation cream is used on skin.
If that fails, (due to too great a thickness of grout residue) then you may have to look at calling in a stone specialist to re-hone the floor- that is using a grinding machine to grind past the staining, and then hone the floor back to an acceptable finish. You would then need to re-seal.
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