Stained Tiles

[ThaiPauly]

We tiled or swimming pool terrace 3 years ago. Since then the colour distortaition has been alarmingly rapid. Instead of being beige they seem to have an ingrained blackness within them. I have tried steam cleaning and every type of cleaning fluid that I can find.

I am now seriously contemplating ripping the whole lot up, but that is not gonna be cheap, but before I do that I wnated to post this question.

I read the thread about the sandwash style patios and Jai Dee suggested acid works, would it work on tiles?

Thanks in advance

TP

[dr_Pat_Pong]

We tiled or swimming pool terrace 3 years ago. Since then the colour distortaition has been alarmingly rapid. Instead of being beige they seem to have an ingrained blackness within them. I have tried steam cleaning and every type of cleaning fluid that I can find.

I am now seriously contemplating ripping the whole lot up, but that is not gonna be cheap, but before I do that I wnated to post this question.

I read the thread about the sandwash style patios and Jai Dee suggested acid works, would it work on tiles?

Thanks in advance

TP

It is worthwhile trying the acid on some TP.

[Chang_paarp]

TP

I have used a number of things to remove stains. A solution of dilute hydrochloric acid works well, as can liquid chlorine. A warning for these products, they are dangerous, handle with care, when diluting the HCl fill a bucket with water then add the acid doing it in the wrong order can be very unpleasant, similar with liquid chlorine. Another thing rinse the containers afterwards, accidental mixing of these chemicals is also very unpleasant.

Another option is organic acids, they are not so aggressive to handle and are good at removing stains.

Citric acid, a common food additive is very good, you may have some in the kitchen as a powder, test by using a small amount on a patch, just mix with water and put on a bit of the stained area and leave it for a while.

Phosphoric acid is also a very good stain remover, it is one of the ingredients of Coke, my brother uses Coke to remove oil stains from his driveway. His father-in-law did not believe him until he demonstrated, it is cheaper then many commercial degreasers . Again just pour on leave for a while and wash off before the ants go into a sugar frenzy.

Oxalic acid is a very good stain remover, but be warned it is VERY toxic, gloves and mask needed here. Again mix with water and apply. For the Aussies it was the active ingredient of CLR when it first came out.

One product I have used around my shop to remove stains is Duck pro bathroom, available most places in Thailand. It has a HCl base and will disinfect as well . It is the one with a purple bottle and a red lid. The 900ml bottle is available on special at Tescos for 39B. If it works there are 5l bottles and probably larger. I use it straight out of the bottle, I get some bad stains from the water here , just keep it off the paint as it can double as a paint remover.

If the area to clean is large you can use a pool broom as they are usually wide and have stiff bristles. Clean afterwards especially if you use Coke.

Remember safe handling of chemicals and have some fun experimenting. If any of the chemicals washes in to the pool you may have to adjust the pool chemistry to fix this, test a few hours after you have done the job.

[ThaiPauly]

Thanks CP, I will start with Coke and move up from there.

I will report back the results for anyone that has similar problems

Cheers

TP

[ThaiPauly]

I worked all the way up to acid...no joy, it just stained the cement that the builders had failed to remove from the tiles in the shower area white......oh well new terrace I think

[meandwi]

Try adding water above the tiles, use a squirt bottle (like a mustard or catsup bottle) filled with muratic acid, under the water spraying directly on the surface while at the same time rubbing the tiles with steel wool or better a lava stone. This will work but does damage to the tiles.

After a few years of suntan oil and pool chemicals, many types of tiles especially marble, will stain permenetly. Especially the sand based grout that holds them in as well.

Lower the water level at least a foot. Remove the tiles by using a grinder with a thin wheel one continuous line on the top and bottom. doing your best not to disturb the morsite or other tiles. then careully chisel out the row of tiles and cement bond.

Purchase glass tiles or ceramic tiles that are well glazed. I used a bonding called "Mastic". After installation, seal them, with a waterproof sealant.

There are many salt water systems on the market to reduce the chemicles needed to keep the pool clean. This helped me and our pool.

good luck.

Meandwi