Polished porcelain ‘haze’

[JackWheeler]

Hi,

I have recently had my kitchen floor tiled using a dark grey polished porcelain tile. It looks great but when the light catches some of the tiles they look ‘hazed’ could anyone tell me a) what it is and b) how I can go about getting rid of it. Here’s a picture, it’s incredibly hard to photograph it but hopefully you can tell what I mean. I’m also unsure if the picture will even post!!

Tile haze

• JackWheeler
• Mar 15, 2019

Tile haze

 

[Waluigi]

Lithofin Cement Residue remover.

Start off by following the dilution rates specified.

 

[Waluigi]

Always test first on a spare tile or inconspicuous area.

 

[One Day]

Probably optical hazing, an inherent property.

This helps understand: Optical Hazing - https://www.stoneworld.com.au/optical-hazing/

 

[Old Mod]

Good shout Mark. 🙂

 

[One Day]

I've got a really good, very old article on this subject on an old hard drive. If I can, I'll dig it out later...

 

[Old Mod]

I've got a really good, very old article on this subject on an old hard drive. If I can, I'll dig it out later...

That’d be kool mate.

 

[One Day]

You know, I can't find it anywhere. Maybe it was tagged onto the end of Swe's guide to tiling. Remember that?! I'll check again tomorrow...

 

[Waluigi]

Probably optical hazing, an inherent property.

This helps understand: Optical Hazing - https://www.stoneworld.com.au/optical-hazing/

You learn something new every day

 

[JackWheeler]

Thank you all for your replies.

Thanks for sharing that article, that potentially explains it. The only thing I would say is the most obvious tile is that one in the picture right in the doorway.. the one behind it for instance doesn’t seem to have it at all. I can also see the haze from above, I’m not saying it’s not optical haze as it could well be, I just want to be certain that there is nothing I can do to sort it out.

 

[Flintstone]

Good info, I've seen it many tiles and was never sure what was going on. I did a large floor last year with polished porcelain and they were really bad for it, got me paranoid as hell that it was me causing it. it's strange how it's not usually consistent

 

[Flintstone]

Not the best image but you can see it

 

[One Day]

I've only seen it once and it was with cheaper porcelain. Transit wax can look similar but obviously cleans up ok.
I'm not saying it is OP's problem here and Waluigi may well be on the money, but just throwing it in for consideration...

 

[jobdone]

Very interesting article on optical haze. Never new if was a thing. Wish I had known about it sooner might have saved my elbows and wrists from the excessive polishing.

 

[NZ_Tiler]

The facets mentioned in the optical hazing link, are they similar to pores?

I've laid some off white mechanical polished Porcelanosa from spain.

When grouting with a very light grey (mapei 111) it was immediately obviously the surface of the tile was holding mirco dots of grout.

When the supplier was questioned, he stated all polished porcelain should be sealed... Which is ********

 

[One Day]

Hmmm, Porcelanosa used to factory seal ALL of their porcelain. For years it was the only one I cold install without sealing and know it wouldn't stain.
I was told that all polishing opens up pores on porcelain (and stone too) but particularly cheap porcelain would be more prone to open pores than higher grade, denser porcelain.

 

[JackWheeler]

If I’m being honest Impish I think you are potentially right having looked into optical hazing. Had I of known about that I probably wouldn’t have gone polished! These tiles are from Crown Tiles. They were around £30m2 so not the cheapest but no where near the most expensive. It was a toss up between these and similar from Porcelnosa at £50m2. Based on the sample and our budget we decided to go for the cheaper. Perhaps that was the wrong descion!!

 

[Time's Ran Out]

We did 60+ sq mts of B&Q porcelain about 6 years ago which the client paid £11 a mt. Explained to the client they would need sealing and didn’t cost for it ‘I’ll do that’ he said. Out of all the cream tiles he purchased there was only 1 tile that we couldn’t use - it was on the face of a open window box type packaging and had ingrained dirt in the pores. He sealed 1 room didn’t like the smear it left or the work to polish it up so that was it!

 

[Old Mod]

When the supplier was questioned, he stated all polished porcelain should be sealed... Which is ********

Errrrm it’s actually true. 🙂
Either at source or by the installer.
Polishing porcelain opens pores and needs to be re sealed.

The haze is caused during the polishing process.

 

[Old Mod]

I've laid some off white mechanical polished Porcelanosa from spain.

Errrm a lot of their material is made in Asia, it’s not all made in Spain.
You have to be very vigilant now about the quality.
It’s made in other country’s and is shipped over, then stamped ‘made in where ever’ and then exported again. And is quite legal. Unfortunately.

 

[Dumbo]

Errrm a lot of their material is made in Asia, it’s not all made in Spain.
You have to be very vigilant now about the quality.
It’s made in other country’s and is shipped over, then stamped ‘made in where ever’ and then exported again. And is quite legal. Unfortunately.

It like our lamb when it's slaughtered in France it magically becomes French , or am I a couple of decades out with that analogy

 

[Old Mod]

It like our lamb when it's slaughtered in France it magically becomes French , or am I a couple of decades out with that analogy

No, spot on Jerry.
It’s one big con.
The chicken industry in this country is rife with that kind of practise, imported and prepped here, then magically become British chickens.
Can’t remember exact numbers, but millions of chickens are consumed here everyday, what, and you think we breed them all here!
Yeah, course we do. 😀

 

[Dumbo]

Three chicken farms around here that my dad used to take the muck for his fields , all closed .

 

[NZ_Tiler]

Hmmm, Porcelanosa used to factory seal ALL of their porcelain. For years it was the only one I cold install without sealing and know it wouldn't stain.
I was told that all polishing opens up pores on porcelain (and stone too) but particularly cheap porcelain would be more prone to open pores than higher grade, denser porcelain.

Have I got the correct brand?

 

[One Day]

Have I got the correct brand?

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