Etches on Tiles in Bathroom Restoration
The bathroom’s only a few weeks old and we have been very careful not to clean it with anything other than soap and water.
We’re concerned that if we don’t know what caused this that getting it fixed will only be a short-term resolution and we’ll soon be back to where we are now.
Thanks for any insights
The etches most likely happened by liquids that is not Hp = 7 (neutral), it could be alkaline or acidic liquids as well.
Of course the list of liquids on the picture is not limited, it can be shampoo, soapy water, shaving gel and so on.
So rule is simple, keep it dry and free of any sorts of liquids.
Depending of liquid, the marble can be etched in 5 minutes or in 24 hours if not wiped. So for example it’s OK if you leave soapy water for 30 minutes, but if you leave for a day, it may etch the marble.
We did a test of the few chemicals we have in the house using an extra square of marble and couldn’t get anything to stain it…so it’s a bit worrying that we don’t know what did it…
There are no known ways to make etches other than chemical reaction on surface. Even shapes of etches on picture are like drops, as something was spilled on it.
Yes, polishing will remove those etches. It is possible to fix just 4-5 affected tiles only, to do whole floor is not required. If you’d like the entire floor to be polished, sealed or re-grouted I’ll need to visit you for on-site review.
We definitely only would need the work on the affected tiles. (the bathroom is brand new!).
I just want to be sure we know what did it so we don’t have to do this again!