Hi all,
We recently had our bathroom done. The installer has finished up and gone back to Holland (dont ask!).
We have been left with a couple of unresolved issues regarding the wall tiles.
The tiles we chose are a rough surfaced slate effect porcelain tile (see here: http://www.toppstiles.co.uk/tprod41742/section1180/pizarra-black-30x60cm.html ) which have been left with some nasty grout haze marks which so far I have been unsuccessful cleaning (I have just tried warm soapy water and a hard brush so far).
The rough surface makes them very difficult to get the grout residue off. Are there any tips or tricks for this? I have read about using a 50/50 mix of water and white distilled vinegar so think I will buy a pack of toothbrushes and give this a try. However, I am slightly concerned about the acidic effect on the tiles.
My second question is about sealing the tiles. I keep reading conflicting things about this. My father in law (who used to run a bathroom installation company) has told us that the tiles should be sealed, but the installer insisted that it didn't need to be done.
This split opinion seems to be reflected when reading peoples opinions online, some say they should be sealed, others say the done. Some people say that only the grout needs to be sealed, some people say that most modern grouts contain sealer so don't need anything else. I have also read about people using the wrong sealer and ending up causing marking on the tiles! Argh, its so confusing.
There are no details on the Topps Tiles link above which says that these should or should not be sealed, so I am none the wiser. We no longer have any of the tile boxes so I am struggling to find out who the actual manufacturer is.
Any tips regarding the cleaning and the selaing would be much appreciated.
We recently had our bathroom done. The installer has finished up and gone back to Holland (dont ask!).
We have been left with a couple of unresolved issues regarding the wall tiles.
The tiles we chose are a rough surfaced slate effect porcelain tile (see here: http://www.toppstiles.co.uk/tprod41742/section1180/pizarra-black-30x60cm.html ) which have been left with some nasty grout haze marks which so far I have been unsuccessful cleaning (I have just tried warm soapy water and a hard brush so far).
The rough surface makes them very difficult to get the grout residue off. Are there any tips or tricks for this? I have read about using a 50/50 mix of water and white distilled vinegar so think I will buy a pack of toothbrushes and give this a try. However, I am slightly concerned about the acidic effect on the tiles.
My second question is about sealing the tiles. I keep reading conflicting things about this. My father in law (who used to run a bathroom installation company) has told us that the tiles should be sealed, but the installer insisted that it didn't need to be done.
This split opinion seems to be reflected when reading peoples opinions online, some say they should be sealed, others say the done. Some people say that only the grout needs to be sealed, some people say that most modern grouts contain sealer so don't need anything else. I have also read about people using the wrong sealer and ending up causing marking on the tiles! Argh, its so confusing.
There are no details on the Topps Tiles link above which says that these should or should not be sealed, so I am none the wiser. We no longer have any of the tile boxes so I am struggling to find out who the actual manufacturer is.
Any tips regarding the cleaning and the selaing would be much appreciated.
