How to restore balcony tiles?

[477bus]

These balcony tiles are around 25 years old and I have 2 areas that scrubbing with sugar soap won't fix.

The first is where I spilt some Acetone I was using. I mopped it up quickly but it has left large marks.

The second is oval shapes which appeared from nowhere over time in 3 or 4 tiles.

Nothing has covered the tiles at any time, the oval shapes get  a lot of direct sunlight.

Pressure washing, washing up liquid or sugar soap hasn't made an iota of difference.

I have occasionally used Davco Tile & Grout Cleaner from Bunnings to clean the tiles and have a bottle ready to go.

I thought I'd get some proper advice first as these problems aren't general cleaning issues.

What do you think?AcetoneWeird

[MitchellMc]

That's great to hear @477bus! Many thanks for the update.

Mitchell

[477bus]

Quick question: I initially spilt Acetone on the tiles causing a couple of nasty streaks and cloudy patches when washed with water.

Could I have simply recoated over the top with fresh sealer instead of using Acetone first to remove all the sealer on the affected tiles and then re-sealing?

[EricL]

Hi @477bus 

Ideally the sealer should be removed first before you put on a new sealer. Luckily the acetone you used is compatible with the sealer that was used on your tiles. It could have resulted in a much different scenario if the acetone melted the sealer into the tile, then it would have been impossible to remove.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[477bus]

Me again. The silver lining is that after each conversation I trot off to Bunnings to buy stuff.

Yesterday I noticed aerosol overspray on the sliding doors to the balcony being worked on as above.

Nitrocellulose guitar paint tiny spots which would only come off with Acetone.

Stupidly, I washed the doors down and swept very diluted Acetone all over the tiles causing white clouds.

After your (Eric's) last post, I stayed away from Acetone and bought Crommelin Sealer Remover.

I'd used the Davco Tile & Grout Cleaner to no effect.

You recommended Chemtech Concrete & Tile which made a difference.

Still a blackness to the tiles, a bit like aged brass but after the Crommelin Sealer it looked fine (see photo in previous post).

I anticipated 8-9 tiles to be redone but after the Crommelin Sealer remover the tiles were 'orange' in comparison.

So I'm having to do the whole balcony now but the results so far are so much better.

This is feedback really, to thank you for your invaluable help and to tell you how much better the Crommelin product is.

I already know the sealer is good but the remover works like Acetone but washes away with water. Brilliant!

[EricL]

Hello @477bus 

Thank you for your feedback. I'm sure the information you've shared will come in handy to our members who are in a similar situation.

If you need a hand with any other projects, please let us know.

Eric

[477bus]

Oh dear.

I was so pleased after sealing the balcony tiles with Crommelin Stone Sealer and all was fine for a week until last night when it rained.

I can't scratch the white patches off with my fingernails as it's rock solid.

I'm at a loss what to do.

The tiles were stripped with Crommelin sealer remover. washed with a pressure hose then re-sealed.

Help?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @477bus,

I'm really sorry to hear about the trouble you're having with your sealer, especially after the effort you put in. It must be so frustrating to see those white patches appear after everything seemed to be going well.

I’ve spoken with the Crommelin technical team, and there are a few possible reasons why this might have happened. The first could be related to the tiles' porosity. Did you perform a porosity test? If water is absorbed and the surface darkens, it's open to sealing. However, if water beads on the surface without being absorbed, the tiles may have a non-permeable coating or glaze, making them unsuitable for sealing.

Another possibility could be the amount of product used. If too much sealer is applied, you might see a milky film that can turn white when exposed to moisture.

It could also be moisture coming from beneath the tiles or entering at the edges, getting trapped under the sealer and causing the white patches.

At this stage, I’d recommend allowing the tiles to dry out fully and see if the issue resolves itself. If it doesn’t, Crommelin's 1L DiamondCoat Clean N Prep can help remove the sealer from the affected areas. From there, we can perform a porosity test to check the surface and then look at whether moisture is getting into the tiles before reapplying the sealer sparingly.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need further help.

Mitchell

[477bus]

Hi. Left the tiles for a week but no real change.

Diluted Sealer Remover cleaned up most but left staining. Diluted and spread the patches really.

I'm thinking I put extra sealer on the patchy tiles due to the fact the front tiles catch the rain and need more protection.

Hence, too thick and not properly cured perhaps before it rained.

I'll go slowly and use thin sealer coats well-spaced next time.

So . . . should I use Crommelin Sealer Remover to strip tiles bare as I did before sealing or Clean 'n' Prep as suggested above?

[MitchellMc]

I was advised by the Crommelin's technical team to use the Clean N Prep to remove the sealer in those areas, @477bus. You could likely use the sealer remover, but their advice was to use the clean n prep when I walked them through the issue.

Mitchell

[477bus]

Progress check . . . I tried the Clean n Prep today and now most of the front tiles are cloudy instead of half a dozen.

The CnP can says refer to the DiamondCoat Technical Sheet which I did.

It states that water-based sealers need to be removed and re-applied when cloudy.

The CnP seems to be a weak sealer remover so I'll use that up first and if no good I'll use proper sealer remover again, as I know that does work.

I'll let you know.