Hi all, we just installed ceramic tile in our bathroom and we're having this same issue. Thanks to this thread we just ordered Lemi Shine and we have hope that the haze will come off. My question is what tool did you have the best results scrubbing with? Thanks

I just ran into the same situation today I applied poorest +511 impregnator sealer three coats of this went onto the tile prior to grouting. Still staining occurred. Has anyone had success with removing stained tile?

Interested in knowing as well. My mother has the painted cement tiles and has terrible stain on it now.

If the above treatments don't work, you can always grind off the top layer to expose new finish. Grinding takes a skilled hand though

Ours was a disaster. Our installers did it improperly and we could not remove the stains no matter what we tried. We had to rip it out and put in something different.

Thank you just tried the lemishine on the most stained tile and it looks 99 % better. Will I need to reseal the tile after I have scrubbed them all ? Thanks again, I was so disappointed with the staining and the contractor said what stsin, idiot

@ Patty. Yes, cement tiles need to be resealed once they have had aggressive treatment to remove stains. You have essentially cleaned OFF the sealant to get to the surface of the tile. That means the sealant is gone.

Please find out the best sealant possible for your situation (or find out what the tile installer used so you can purchase more....or strip it off completely if it isn't what is best for cement). You will seal it multiple times. To figure out if you have enough sealer applied, you will put drops of what onto the tile. If it beads like a new car finish, then you are done sealing it (for this month). If it soaks in then you need to keep adding sealant.

You will do this type of 'test' every few months. As soon as you see the water soaking into the tile, you will need to get down on hands and knees, scrub the tiles clean and then seal it again.

Repeat every 3-6 months for the rest of your life with these tiles (either you rip them out, sell the house, or you depart from this world). Which ever comes first.

Thank you!

I thought one wasn't supposed to use acid on cement tile. Lemi Shine is basically a citric aside based product. Someone please explain.

I had to use Lemi shine as well. Tried a bunch of things and nothing worked. It's a long drawn out process if sealing is not done before grouting. We had to use Lemi Shine to clean, then there was efflorescence which we had to remove with phosphoric acid followed bytile cleaner to remove the acid residue. This is then followed by sealer and matte color enhancer.

about to install cement tile - having second thoughts. Would you do it all over again?

I would just make sure your tile person REALLY knows what they are doing. Ours was ruined while installed and we ended up having to pull it all up and put in something different.

I second that and happy to give you tips. Biggest thing is seal BEFORE AND AFTER GROUT. Fila products work slightly better than miracle sealants for color enhancing. Though 511 Miracle sealants Porous Plus has been fine for the sealing

thank you. Sealing before and after sounds very time consuming and expensive! We are doing 4 walls of a bathroom (about 150 sq ft). I'm scared.

The sealing is quite fast we did 700 sq feet. My tiles weren't sealed before grouting or after and the contractor was working on them without protection. They got stained and dirty so we had a lot of work to do. Most people will avoid this by sealing before and after grouting. Sealing before will prevent the grout from staining your tile and sealing again after will protect it from dirt.

Thanks PK! You might be hearing more from me. ;)

Np. The Fila USA rep was very helpful with my situation (unsealed and dirty tile) and of course I thank the person who posted about the Lemi Shine (that saved us). Also the people from Avente tile were very kind. Miracle sealants helped us with the acid cleaner. We had to go through a process. But you should be totally fine and it should go quick if you seal right before grout and once after.

Hi PK -- I'm going through this process now after having cement tiles installed in my bathroom . Quite frustrating. Seems like you had a pretty good solution. Did you use the Lemi Shine on your tile when it was installed with grout, then reseal the tile or what was your process and products used? Thanks for your advice in advance.

Hi read the thread and you’ll see what I used and the process. if you are installing for the first time, you only need sealer before and after grout. My problem was from sealer not being applied at the time of installation.

Just thought I'd post a before and after of the work today (tile I'm holding is one I had the tile guy replace). Thanks PK and everyone above for the suggestions and advice. How the tile layer thought the before was acceptable is beyond me. Just for future reference here's what I did: Apply Aqua Mix Cement Grout Haze Remover (with acid treatment). Let it sit for a few minutes then sand over top with pretty gritty sand paper (100 grit). Then rinsed with clean water, a sponge and wipe with a dry paper towel. Once that was done, I did a couple of rinses with half water/half dawn in a spray bottle, rinsed again with clean water, and let it completely dry. I then applied Miracle 511 Impregnator Sealer over top. With a bunch of elbow grease, it's possible to get the tiles looking almost new. It's not perfect, but it looks pretty darn good to me. Hope this is helpful to anyone in this spot in the future.

I am planning to use the above cement tile for my fireplace wall. Do you recommend I use a white grout to avoid the staining issues?

I would not use white grout unless you like that look. Once the tiles are adhered with thin set you apply sealer BEFORE grouting. The sealer will prevent the grout from staining the tile. After you grout., you seal AGAIN with sealer

PK, thanks. The reason I asked about white grout was because everywhere they recommend using a lighter shade for cement tile. I plan to seal before grouting for sure but wanted to make sure the dark color grout doesnt stain the tiles.

Any recommendation for a sealer for cement tiles?

I'll repeat again if you seal before your grout it is not going to stain. 511 porous plus sealer. Most installers in the US don't know how to install and they should read the directions (available online - search)

I've used these cement tiles and had the same problem. I've tried them in three different applications - different installers. I've given up all together on the cement tile - way too much upkeep. I now use ceramic tiles made to look like the cement tiles. The ceramic look exactly the same with one big difference they always look clean!

Add another vote for 511 as a sealer. Always check with the tile manufacturer though.

Hi, I was considering cement tile, but I just read that they have to be repeatedly re-sealed to avoid staining. Where can I find a porcelain tile that looks like the cement tiles?

Your'e smart to avoid the cement tile. I bought the tile at one of the big box stores, and it was a great price. I choose the creamy white background with the gray star pattern. You'll love it, without having to continuously re-seal!

do not use the booster lemon shide. It is an acid and ruined my tiles. Thanks for the bad recommendation.

Any sealant/cleaner should be used with caution with an understanding of what the underlying issue is. Acid cleaners are not typically recommended. For the most part people should avoid them. There are certain situations like mine where the Lemi Shine was the ONLY option other than ripping out my tile. I read up on this quite a bit before I made my decision. We also spot tested and it was successful. I wouldn't call it bad but it's not for every situation and one must use it only if understands when you resort to something. Cement tile can also be sanded if you mess up but again people should use someone who is familiar with the process.

I tried the Lemi Shine recommendation and now my tile is cloudy. It did get white parts of tile whiter, but now black is ruined. I plan to get the wet/dry sand paper to try to fix this! Before in first pic, after in the following two pics.

Yeah, you're gonna have to grind off the top layer. A right angle grinder at slow speed and some dry pads. I'd start at 200 grit and see how that goes before dropping down to 180

We had the same issue. It's part of the process I outline above. The Lemi shine will dull the non white area but partially it's stuff coming out of the cement. We had to use several different things to restore it. SEE MY POST ABOVE: 1. Lemi Shine to clean 2. then there was efflorescence (the white stuff) which we had to remove with phosphoric acid 3. followed by tile cleaner to remove the acid residue. 4. This is then followed by sealer and 5. matte color enhancer.

Thanks, PK. I did not see that post about sanding but am now in the process of sanding the top layer. Do you know if, along with sealing, the 511 Porous sealer will give the tile a little vibrancy/sharper color also? Thanks. I'm enjoying this project ;). I see the 5 steps, so maybe the color enhancer is what does the trick in the end...

No it won't see #5 - you need matte color enhancer

Is this what I need for step 5?

Encaustic/Concrete tile is a big pain in the ass. It's like marble, but worse. It etches. It stains absurdly easily. You have the love the patina, ie-dirty look, or it will drive you nuts. Nearly every manufacturer, if you read their instructions, specifies using a white unsanded grout. Any pigmented grout will stain it. DO NOT USE THAT LEMON SHINE STUFF RECOMMENDED ABOVE. As demonstrated, it will etch the concrete. That white stuff isn't eflouresence, it's etching. Also, DO NOT USE PHOSPHORIC ACID. ETCHING. Ph-neutral cleanser. only. Again. Pretend it's marble. Only considerably more delicate.

Don't get that one - it did nothing. Get the Fila Color Enhancer. arch13 Agreed one should not use all of above but a desperate situation like mine called for desperate measures. I was left with no choice as the tile was left unsealed during construction and also got ruined with standing water.

Grout haze despite asking my installer about sealing before installation...he assured me it didn’t need to be. Wrong. I wanted to try a chemical free option first...and was pleased with the outcome. I used a bucket of warm water with a tiny bit of Dawn dish soap, drywall sanding blocks, Magic Erasers, and tons of paper towels. Sanding must be done wet...it lifted the grout haze and I immediately wiped clean with paper towel. Then another pass with the Magic Eraser. Repeat until clean. Not perfect but much better.

Why isn't the installer doing this work? S/he said sealing didn't need to be done and was found to be wrong. It is his/her issue/responsibility to be corrected - why aren't they doing it for you?

Great question and agree. However some installers are jerks and don't listen. I had to fire my contractor as he wasn't cooperative.

Applied three coats of 511 impregnate sealer before grouting. Have white flakes all over the black of the tile. I don't think it matters how many times you seal these tiles they are going to stain unless you apply your grout with a caulking gun and immediately wipe every excess bit off immediately. I used soft scrub cleanser on a few test pieces under where the vanity goes and it seemed to help remove some of the white staining. Going to try wet sanding all the tiles down to a fresh surface. I know I will never install cement tiles in one of my homes again. Or recommend them to a customer. As beautiful as they may be.

Yep! It stain.

What type of green pad and lemon shine did you use?

I am a high-end contractor and have unfortunately installed cement tiles on a number of projects this past year. My installers followed supplier recommendations and on later projects (when we started noticing staining on earlier projects), applied several more coats than recommended. All the floors are covered with stains and my clients feel like they can't relax, as any drop of water needs to be dried immediately or a new stain will be left. I've spent many hours now on my hands and knees sanding out stains, trying new sealers, etc. I'm honestly now exploring options for pouring epoxy over the floors to allow my clients to live on them. I will NEVER AGAIN install cement tiles on a floor (or anywhere that could get exposure to water or any other liquid).

I just experienced similiar situation with grout staining the cement tile ( even after sealed with impregnator ) and I used mr clean sponge with water and alot of elbow grease. The sand paper method works as well.

What about waxing the floors. If you wax every month will

that work?

What about topical sealer on top of the penetrating sealer? Such as Stone Glamour?