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keffie68

I may have ruined my stone tiles - help!

9 years ago

Let me start by saying that I am a moron. I wanted to clean the grout between my bathroom tiles and I thought it would be a great idea to use vinegar. I didn't realize that the drops of vinegar would actually etch into the stone. So now I'm hoping there's a way to buff these marks out? I don't know exactly what kind of stone the tiles are, we bought the house already reno'd, but I think they are marble. They are white with grey veining. If anyone has any advice for a product or service (available in Toronto) that can help I'd be so grateful!

Comments (13)

  • PRO
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    if Youve etched your stone it will require Honing and then polishing. You need a Stone restoration expert or a master tile contractor. And thats if its real stone and flat in plane surfaces that are polishable.-best

  • 9 years ago

    DId you do the whole floor or just a few tiles?

  • 9 years ago

    About 8 tiles around the grout line. They are big tiles, maybe 8 x 8 or 10 x 10.

  • 9 years ago

    Try using a little oil--maybe coconut oil--on a tiny area of the stone that's etched. Put a drop on a small plate and use a Q-tip to rub it in. Let it sit about 30 minutes and rub it off with a clean dry soft cloth.

    Let me know what your results are. I'm thinking that this stone needs its moisture put back in where it was stripped out by the vinegar. It's worth a try.

    That might help how it looks but it could also make the floor slick so be careful if you extend this treatment to the larger area.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Marble Polisher

    Here is a product that is supposed to help to polish your marble. I have never used it so I cannot vouch for it. However, I can vouch for the person who developed it, Maurizio Bertolli. He was the guru of marble and actually used to post on Gardenweb in the good old days. His products are supposed to be very good.

    Also, you haven't ruined your tiles. You just have to figure out a way to fix them.

  • 9 years ago

    Thank you all!

  • 9 years ago

    are your tiles honed or polished? if polished, it will take more work. you can do it yourself, but it takes the right tools. it's not a big deal. call in a marble restoration guy. I've had it done with mine. few hundred bucks. good as new.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Simple fix which you have a few options.
    (1) If you're wanting a good workout, jerzeegirl has posted a valid product.
    (2) A simple DIY would be to use a wet look sealer over the entire floor. This method would need to be reapplied every few years.
    (3) Have a professional tile contractor come out and hone and re-polish the entire floor. -- Personally I would go this route to ensure everything is perfect when finished. This person should also be able to clean and reseal the stone.

    Once this has all been taken care of, the only cleaning products you will need for your floor is: 1 cap full of Dawn dish soap and a bucket of water. The dawn dish soap helps break down dirt and grease on the floors, water washes it away. As you have learned here, never use vinegar on natural stone.
    If you have stubborn grout that doesn't want to come clean, post on this thread so that we may lead you in the right direction.

  • 9 years ago
    maybe you just etched the sealer not the stone itself. When we added tumbled marble accent tiles in a bath redo, I painted on several layers of a stone sealer. you can get it at tile shops and try it. definitely seal it after any repair.
  • PRO
    9 years ago

    jerzeegirl is on the right track. If the 11 doesn't work, put the 12 on a white pad on a Mikita grinder. Goodbye etch.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Get a professional stone restoration company that specializes in restoring natural stone (before you mess it up further with DIY remedies, and hence more expense if you try to do it yourself). We have too many of these examples of "tried, didn't work, and now need to hire a pro to actually do it". Best of luck. Oh, by the way, we don't even do this type of restoration work. We have one local partner who we trust and will refer to. Hope you find a solution. Here is an example of a company that can do this (just for reference, as they are local to us, and the best)/

    :http://www.nsmarble.com/

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Might also be a good idea to buy a few similar tiles to the ones in your bath-- give them the vinegar treatment and then try a few things to see if anything helps.