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Advice on cleaning mosaic marble tiles

9 years ago

Hi, I used these calacatta mosaic tiles with white grout on my bathroom walls. They look amazing. The contractor did 1 coat of sealer but then I found out that the grout turns a bit green in the corners behind the sink. So I cleaned them with steamer and they came out pretty good. Not back to the original white but good enough. I then recoated with a seal around 4 coats.

My questions are:

1. What should I use to do daily/weekly cleaning of the grout?

2. I'm thinking of using a mix of baking soda/hydrogen peroxide to remove the yellow/greening of the grout that is starting to build up again. But will this remove the sealant? So I have to re-seal each time after cleaning? Seems like a lot of work.

The grout is laticrete 1600 unsanded grout which says will not yellow, but I don't know why it did for me.

Please let me know some advice!

Comments (15)

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    We'e recommend the following:

    1. For weekly cleaning: STONETECH®Revitalizer® Cleaner and Protector to clean weekly, STONETECH® Soap Scum Remover and STONETECH® Mold & Mildew Stain Remover as needed.


    2. Regarding using baking soda/hydrogen peroxide to clean yellowing grout: Seems like a lot of work. This
    mix could break down sealers depending on what sealer was used. If the
    green/yellow is showing in certain areas we would be more inclined to think it could be some type of mold/mildew/algae that grows, which the STONETECH Mold and Mildew Remover will help strip.


    3. Regarding yellowing of the grout: Without better pictures it is
    difficult to say. The grout will not pick and choose where it will
    yellow. If the 1500/1600 was going to yellow in an installation it would
    do so throughout. Typically when there are problem areas it is due to
    something else causing an issue such as mold/mildew etc… Also Marble has
    iron and sometimes can rust and leach the color into the grout as well. We would not discount this from being part of the issue. We would recommend first trying the STONETECH®Revitalizer® Cleaner and Protector to see if this works.


    If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to our Technical Services team at 1.800.243.4788 or via chat our on website: www.laticrete.com.

  • 9 years ago

    Thanks so much! I'll follow your instructions. Confirming that these cleaning solutions are safe for marble and I don't need to re-seal after each time right??

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    I wonder what's causing the discoloration. Do you know what setting material was used during installation of the product? Was it mastic? I have seen where mastic has caused white grout to discolor a yellowish green color behind glass tiles.

  • 9 years ago

    I have no idea but it doesn't happen to all the grout, just the one behind the sink, which makes me think it's actually molds/soap scum. We are very careful when using the sink to avoid splashes though, so I'm surprised for the yellowing to build up so quickly.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Does it flower out in a crystal form?

  • 9 years ago

    no. Literally it's just a bit of green/yellow color. and they come up with scrubbing and steamer. i'm guessing those are the spots from splashes when we use the sink?!

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    No telling, very baffling to me. This is just within the grout or also in the stone?

  • 9 years ago

    Here is a picture of very little greenish that has started to develop in the last few weeks. It's still very slight and shows very little in pictures but you can see the yellowing/greening in the grout corners next to the dark stone mosaic.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Interesting. Stone does carry iron and other mineral deposits and you might be seeing where moisture from the setting material has seeped into the stone affecting these deposits. This happens a lot with white stone counter tops and there are remedies that can be done to help remove them.
    Read [THIS[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/my-granite-is-turning-green-dsvw-vd~945605) thread. There may be something here that can help you remove the green.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Am I seeing the green spreading into the tiles themselves? I can see a roundish green bloom - the center of which is the darker tile. If I'm seeing this correctly, I would say this ISN'T the grout. I would say there is something else causing the green.

    Things like COPPER will turn green as they oxidize. Iron turns "rust" red. I would bet there is a mineral either in the stone or behind the stone that is causing this. And yes....if this is leeching to the surface it is possible to clean away the green sitting on the surface. That may be why it goes away when you steam clean it.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Copper... for the life of me, I couldn't think last night.

  • 9 years ago

    It's hard to say because the 'green bloom' is very slight right now, sometimes i think it's just a reflection of the green in the grout...in the picture, the round bloom shows more, but in real life, the green in the grout bothers me more and I don't see the green blooms as much.

    FYI, I used this sealer already, coated 4 times:https://www.amazon.com/Trewax-Indoor-Outdoor-Sealer-32-Ounce/dp/B000BYE9XY

    Looks like I will use the stonetech products first and see what happens. Then I'll try the EZ off (but guessing I should use the lemon scented one because that would damage the marble)? Then I'll try the mangia macchia ....the tenax is not available right now.

    The question is will all these products remove the sealer? Do I need to reseal again after I clean each time?

    Nothing is ever easy...i am shocked to find out about the green bloom problem with granite. I had a white caesarstone installed recently and regretted it with all the scratches and problems, which I had gone with a light granite instead. But now it looks like white granite has problems too! Nothing is perfect I guess.

  • 9 years ago

    Also, as I mentioned, there are 3 spots like this behind the sink but no where else! This cover my entire wall floor to ceiling but the green spots only came up behind the sink. I wish it's elsewhere, where your eyes don't immediately go to it.

  • PRO
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes they more than likely they will remove the sealer. And yes I would reseal the area once you have finished removing the green.

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