Try Dupont haze remover but before that try Mr. Clean Magic eraser. I had spots on my tile floor and I used Mr. Clean magic eraser and they came off. I use magic eraser on so many things that I keep it in the house all the time.

Go to the tile store that provided the tile and ask for a grout haze remover that is consistent with the grout that was used. Then TEST an area that is less conspicuous and see what happens. From the photos, this does not look like a tile that needs to be sealed at all. Is it a natural stone?

If you have a ceramic or porcelain tile that was fire glazed, there is no need to seal the tile!! There is a local floor cleaning company that buys all of our Stone Tech Klenz All cleaner. Excellent product, recommend highly for your problem. Will remove your spots and any haze left over from the grouting process.

Try cleaning it with a diluted acetone.

HI -- I think even finding a cleaner for the tiles your still going to have this problem ... so this makes me think ... this is the wrong tile or there is something wrong with this tile . What is it going to look like if you spill olive oil or drop an egg etc. Try a spot by putting some this stuff on ,like some mustard or ketchup and see if you can clean that up . Maybe this tile should be re-moved and put down another choice of tile because this might be just an ongoing problem .

I have a few ideas. test your floor with a little water, teaspoon or so on the unsealed tile that was replaced and the same on a sealed tile, Does it stay on surface or soak in?

The tile being a dark color and matt finish will show all marks even Clean. Go to your local tile store with a sample and tell them you want to change the sheen to a semi gloss finish they will point you in the right direction with a etching solution and sealer.

The Klenz All product I am recommending needs to be diluted. The back of the product will tell you how much water/product to mix to make it weaker or stronger. This product when less diluted will strip sealer from the tile and grout. By the way, it is DuPont Stone Tech #Klenz All (Entire name of product)
I would wait a full 24 hrs after using cleaner prior to resealing grout. Do not seal the tile if it is a fire glazed product, the sealer will leave a haze. A fire glazed product can not be penetrated by any sealer or moisture via topical application.

That tile is manufactured by Northstar and Dal Tile distributed it. Unfortunately Northstar closed 20 minutes ago and will reopen Monday. Dal Tile calls it Lodge Sabi Sabi and I am being told it is a fire glazed tile - NO SEALING. Dal Tile has discontinued this product and no longer sells it.

Some companies private label their products so that customers have a harder time cross referencing with other stores.

I just had the same experience that you had with that exact floor

Yes I just used that same tile and same thing happened

Hello Liz and others - rbklein's photos look exactly like the new flooring I installed throughout my foyer and kitchen! So disappointing. I reported it to the store and they sent an inspector who concluded that the floor needs to be cleaned of grout haze - but I am not so sure. I did go ahead and order the product he said to use (OceanCare Grout Haze Remover https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZZZJSDL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) I am not that confident it will do the trick but will try it. My flooring is manufactured by MSI and is called Dimension Graphite Matte. I appreciate all the product info and advice here and may try the other products as well. Thank you.

I poured a mop bucket filled with diluted pinesol, and now have the same issue...

its like its baked in ... can anyone help?

(excuse my gross feet)

Use a steam cleaner!

Any suggestions on which one i should purchase?

I have a Shark one that I bought from Target. If you drop food or any type of liquid is spilled it will look like the photos. Or something sticky, will look the same. Using a steamer should help, but it is something you will have to do regularly, probably every night, if you like seeing clean floors!

Acid cleaning for tile! Try star clean , you can by it at

I too would greatly appreciate input from everyone. I made a HUGE mistake and purchased a tile that looks exactly like the photos I've seen in this blog. This tile is in my master bedroom and bath and haunts me each day. I get out of the shower and within a few minutes, I have more dried water smears on my tile. My plan, if you can call it that, is to have it professionally cleaned, and then, if possible, have the tile/grout sealed with a semi-gloss sealer. Question #1) What sealant would be recommended? #2) Will this lessen the smears? Thank you!

To BGaines: is it manufactured by MSI and called Dimension Graphite Matte? Interested as I will follow comments to your post. The “Ocean Care Grout Haze Remover” that was recommended by manufacturer (discussed in my post above) did not work nor did washing and rinsing 5 times.

To Pat: As things develop, I will post in this blog. The professional tile cleaner that I hired shortly after the flooring was installed (hired due to a lingering dusty feel) told me that he had read numerous articles in his trade journals regarding this tile and how mystifying it was to clean due to the porosity. Wow, was that comforting! Now, I'm not only dealing with the smearing/spotting on the tile, I've noticed that the tile seems to have a "sticky" feel to it. I too have had more luck with using steam to clean the flooring.

Wow! I’m having the same issue also. We had the hexagon Matt black tile installed in both bathrooms and I can’t get rid of the marks on the floor and some smears. It’s driving me crazy.