Glossy Floor Tile Problem

[DoubleJ 0]

My tiling was completed couple of months ago, had yet to move in and still tying up some loose ends for the reno. sigh..it seems the loose ends doesnt stop.recently after the final wash, i notice the floor wasnt as shiny as compared to the first 2 wash. scratches aside, there seem to small patches all over the tiles. so now the shine is very uneven and lacking alot,its like i have a matt and glossy hybrid tile.

It's hardly able to reflact anything evenly even with the downlight shining directly above it. it used to be have this clean mirror like reflection like all glossy tiles. Wondering if anyone has the same problems or can help enlighten me. as we all know. the fingers starts pointing when crap arise.

My id says it's the protective wax fading off. once it all fades off, the shine will be back. really sounded like his trying to smoke me as not all the tiles are affected. my cleaner says he can polish it up for me the get the shine back but my id says it's not needed and will render the tiles more prone to scratches when i start moving in all my furnitures and move in. my other concern is that the painter had washed my tile with chemical, as the whole flooring is actually splatter with tiny drops of paints so tiny i need to scrap them off with a penknife blade to remove them. is there a possibilty the paint seeked into the tile surface thus staining it?? as the portion most affect by the patches actually had the most paint splatter. sigh.

Edited April 20, 2009 by DoubleJ

[mister_molly 0]

have you checked with the ppl you got the tiles from? They should be the best ppl to advise you, not your ID.

What kind of chemical did the painter wash your tile with? Paint thinner is corrosive but not that harmful to tiles, but paint remover I heard is quite harmful, but I'm not sure coz thats what a paint guy told me. My contractor said to try wiping with alkaline, coz i got alot of paint splatters on my matt black tiles also. But I havn't tried the alkaline thingy tho. Avoid contact with skin coz it causes itchiness..!!

I understand your frustration lah....I was so mad when I saw the state of my tiles left by rogue painters!

Remember hor...check with the tile ppl!!!! Or drop by a friendly tile shop and ask someone.

[DoubleJ 0]

nope,not yet checked with the tile shop.not sure if anyone used anything not recommended on the tiles. my worst thought is the paint splatter seeped into the tiles.

but not point speculating unless concrete proof is available to cliam damage from the bugger.

now that you mentioned it, realised the tile shop will have my record as i remember their invoicing is done with owner's address & billed to contractors/id. i basically have paint splatters all over my house sia. window planes,laminated skirtings,aircon unit etc etc,anything under or beside something painted by them is splattered with paint spots.

Got lotsa splatter on my matt black tiles too. rough surface tile some more. cannot use the "blade" method. gotta use fingernail chip off 1 by 1...when i confronted the painter boss via the phone,he shouted at me sia..wah..wanna tell him nvm, i'll PAINT his house TOTALLY FREE back for making him angry. but he hang up before i can say anything else. haiz. LL make peace & walked it off.no point argue with scoundrel.

Edited April 20, 2009 by DoubleJ

[mister_molly 0]

aiyo!!! Paint company provided by your ID or did you source for them yourself? Did they protect your floor?! If they are form your ID, but hold him responsible.

My hubby got this guy to paint, they used one old curtain to "protect" the floors, but no use coz got splatters EVERYWHERE!! And I think they are illegal workers somemore.

Coz we didn't do skirting for our floors, they simply lifted up the cardboard protection(our contractor laid cardboard protection hall and study), and added special effects all over the edges of the floors!

Deduct a portion of money from the painting package, like $150-200 for cleaning up. My hubby deducted $100 off the final payment to the paint boss, but kuaikuai accept, but as i was cleaning, realized my effort was worth at least double!

i should have engaged real professionals like ICI or Nippon sia.

for removal of paint on windows, use spirit. Same for laminate floors and edging, unless you dun mind using your nails, like what i ended up doing.

is your paint type those wash&wear type? I'm not sure about paint seeping into tiles, especially the glossy kind of tiles.

Sigh....good luck.....

[hihihi 0]

can also use hard plastic like old credit cards...

[hamdan 0]

Hi,

u should seek hlp frm yr id, if yr id is in this trade for many yrs, am sure yr id will hv solution for yr glossy tiles.

[DoubleJ 0]

went to the tile shop last week & they came to view my tiles. suprisingly....the guy readily admit the tiles had some problems.

wow, he really got me concerned with his frankness & willingness to rectify the issue. arranged a buffing session or whatever.

hopefully it will turn out fine if not dont think i can live with it. wish i can take some pics but tried from various angles but the 'patches' just doesnt show up on cameras.

its like what happens to mirrors when you splash them with water,let them dry & look into it.haiz.

[Honeygal 1]

went to the tile shop last week & they came to view my tiles. suprisingly....the guy readily admit the tiles had some problems.

wow, he really got me concerned with his frankness & willingness to rectify the issue. arranged a buffing session or whatever.

hopefully it will turn out fine if not dont think i can live with it. wish i can take some pics but tried from various angles but the 'patches' just doesnt show up on cameras.

its like what happens to mirrors when you splash them with water,let them dry & look into it.haiz.

I have exactly the same problems - my black glossy tiles look sooooooo dull and faded to dark brown within 1 month. the tile shop Hafary told me to take pics but the pics don't quite show the flaws.

there are also countless paint spots on my window grills, window sills, and floor but simply can't get rid of them, despite using turpentine. any suggestions pleeeeease?

[DoubleJ 0]

I have exactly the same problems - my black glossy tiles look sooooooo dull and faded to dark brown within 1 month. the tile shop Hafary told me to take pics but the pics don't quite show the flaws.

there are also countless paint spots on my window grills, window sills, and floor but simply can't get rid of them, despite using turpentine. any suggestions pleeeeease?

Hi Honeygal, for your tiles, you should ask the shop to come up and have a look, mine was from liansenghin, i went personally to talk to their manager and he arranged someone to come and look into the problem. i am pretty sure they can point fingers at any of my contractors as i found out from someone that tiles usually doesnt comes with much warranty as you are suppose to check it before accepting but still they readily agree to "try" help me with it so thumbs up for them.

You know,by right the tilers are suppose to do the QA. really dunno why we are paying these ppl for nowdays. our money so easy to earn meh. Reach the point during my reno experience whereby i dont even find out who or why it happen. did that #*@&@ painter wash my place with chemical rendering the glossy layer null thus letting the paint seeped into the tile or was it a lousy batch from the factory. doesnt matters as such a big thing no one will admit anyway. only concern is whether it could be fixed.

i'll suggest you get someone from hafary to come have a look if your main contractor can't help you.

paint spots for window or anything metallic or rough, can use an old plastic card or your finger nails like some had suggested. for smooth floor i used a penknife blade and scrap it off. its taxing but i prefer to scarp it myself then let the cleaner's bangalas do. while doing the scraping, i usually curse and swear @ the painter. it makes the time easier to pass.

[Honeygal 1]

Hi Honeygal, for your tiles, you should ask the shop to come up and have a look, mine was from liansenghin, i went personally to talk to their manager and he arranged someone to come and look into the problem. i am pretty sure they can point fingers at any of my contractors as i found out from someone that tiles usually doesnt comes with much warranty as you are suppose to check it before accepting but still they readily agree to "try" help me with it so thumbs up for them.

You know,by right the tilers are suppose to do the QA. really dunno why we are paying these ppl for nowdays. our money so easy to earn meh. Reach the point during my reno experience whereby i dont even find out who or why it happen. did that #*@&@ painter wash my place with chemical rendering the glossy layer null thus letting the paint seeped into the tile or was it a lousy batch from the factory. doesnt matters as such a big thing no one will admit anyway. only concern is whether it could be fixed.

i'll suggest you get someone from hafary to come have a look if your main contractor can't help you.

paint spots for window or anything metallic or rough, can use an old plastic card or your finger nails like some had suggested. for smooth floor i used a penknife blade and scrap it off. its taxing but i prefer to scarp it myself then let the cleaner's bangalas do. while doing the scraping, i usually curse and swear @ the painter. it makes the time easier to pass.

can completely understand your sentiments!! am feeling very frustrated as i notice that the tiles get worse every time i wash/mop. and it's only been 1 month! i remember the tiles were black before the acid wash. but it has since become dark brown, even my visitors said 'oh you use brown tiles' and i said 'no, they are black!'. to add on to this problem, the floor seems perpetually dusty - i vacuum every day and mop/wash once a week. i was told this is normal after every reno.

would you know of any type of companies which provide services to 'rejuvenate' dull tiles?

am too lazy to scrape off all the paint spots on the floor and windows. will live with them. i am just shocked that the contracter's so-called 'cleaning' did not include removing paint spots.

SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DoubleJ 0]

i belive the process is call buffing for homo tiles. i was told by my cleaners that it usually cost around 200+ to 'buff' it up. but usually it sloves problems concerning the surface,like paint splatters or stubborn stains which are surface issues. the guy actually advised me to approach the shop i brought my tiles from as my problems is actually inside the tile itself. they are more professional in it & as my problems seems to be under the surface. might wanna hear what advice they can give too. so you really should approach the tile shop.

but for your case i belive can be sloved by buffing it. at least yours has a uniformed lost of color. mine was like ugly patchy stains in various sizes all inside the tile. so one look at it my guests will say...Wah your tiles shiny shiny ah,walk a few steps & theywill say...Eeeeeee,why your tiles all like that de.

[Honeygal 1]

i belive the process is call buffing for homo tiles. i was told by my cleaners that it usually cost around 200+ to 'buff' it up. but usually it sloves problems concerning the surface,like paint splatters or stubborn stains which are surface issues. the guy actually advised me to approach the shop i brought my tiles from as my problems is actually inside the tile itself. they are more professional in it & as my problems seems to be under the surface. might wanna hear what advice they can give too. so you really should approach the tile shop.

but for your case i belive can be sloved by buffing it. at least yours has a uniformed lost of color. mine was like ugly patchy stains in various sizes all inside the tile. so one look at it my guests will say...Wah your tiles shiny shiny ah,walk a few steps & theywill say...Eeeeeee,why your tiles all like that de.

my stains look embedded inside tile. these made-in-china tiles really low quality! will contact tile shop once i email the pics to them. but the pics fail to show much, so not too hopeful.

[DoubleJ 0]

haiz, i contacted my tile shop to arrange their buffing session. then this other guy out of no where hinted to me my current tile condition is "man-made" during my reno period. someone must had screwed up somewhere,somehow. i really give up on ppl in this line liao. everyone say different things. change story like fliping prata. collect $ all know how to collect. crap come only all taiji. told him i dont really wanna know what happen,just concerned if it could be helped. if really no hope then i'll see if i have other options in addressing the problem. next week they coming over. hopefully they can fix to a stage i can live with it.

But happen to speak to someone today whom is in this reno line for over 20yrs. he mentioned usually if tiles have issue. it can't be fixed much. it'll just get worse as years go by. wah... really made my heart sink. maybe live with it for 5yrs and pass over to next better player liao. he's gonna hack it anyway.

good luck with your tiles too. better pressure them to come look. best is get the tiler there too so let them fight over who fault & what happened. if not like me everyday each side change story really vexing.

Edited May 2, 2009 by DoubleJ

[Honeygal 1]

haiz, i contacted my tile shop to arrange their buffing session. then this other guy out of no where hinted to me my current tile condition is "man-made" during my reno period. someone must had screwed up somewhere,somehow. i really give up on ppl in this line liao. everyone say different things. change story like fliping prata. collect $ all know how to collect. crap come only all taiji. told him i dont really wanna know what happen,just concerned if it could be helped. if really no hope then i'll see if i have other options in addressing the problem. next week they coming over. hopefully they can fix to a stage i can live with it.

But happen to speak to someone today whom is in this reno line for over 20yrs. he mentioned usually if tiles have issue. it can't be fixed much. it'll just get worse as years go by. wah... really made my heart sink. maybe live with it for 5yrs and pass over to next better player liao. he's gonna hack it anyway.

good luck with your tiles too. better pressure them to come look. best is get the tiler there too so let them fight over who fault & what happened. if not like me everyday each side change story really vexing.

here are the pics, wonder if your tile condition is like mine:

let me know how your buffing went. this sure is causing me lots of grieve! so i understand how you feel!

my tile surface not only looks bad, it feels terrible too - very dusty sort of feeling. i don't know if it is due to post reno dust or it's the problem of the tiles. wish you luck with the buffing.

Tile model number is HF GC0301 black 300x300. To whoever is thinking of renovating, please refrain from ordering this particular model.

[DoubleJ 0]

my buffing didnt went so well.it remained the same.looks better a an angle when light is casted onto it but when it's under the shadow as you walk pass. my mum's 30yr old kitchen wall tile looked better then it.infact it got slightly worse as the process will strip away the top layer or the tile. end up. my grouting is currently all higher then all my tile.and suprisingly the paint splatter on the tiles still remained there when i asked if i should manually remove it first,they brushed me off saying it'll JUST COME OFF after they buff. yeahhh rite..

i seriously think the gungho buffer machine is for show only. its just a simple machine turning a pc of microfibre and they can tell me the chemical will drain out the stains etc blah blah blah. already told my id,i'll expect a things to get done fast or will consider action. after today it doesnt matter as my tiles are a goner.no amount of discount will make me live with it. i know its not their fault & it saddens me to if it turns ugly. but hey,i am not paying them just to call their sub-cons. i expected better.

after looking at your pics, think we have exactly the same issue there. white patches below the tile glossy surface. mine was white glossy tile so i really cant get it to show on pics. btw, you mean those were black glossy tiles??? its doesnt have the slightest color of 'black' at all. gosh.

thoughout the weeks, i had seek about 5 other views from various professional ID/contractors & even building companies. some say it's the wax seeping into the tile surface due to manufacturing defects, some say due to lousy cement used below the tile being absorbed into it,but that would mean the tile is lousy actually too. Some said it's due to improper cleaning,eg acid wash. frankly i suspect our tiles are due to manufacturing defects+acid wash. usually cleaners will still add small amount of acid to make their job easier.all the ppl i asked admited they do used a small amount for best effect eventhough they know they arent suppose to. and with that small amount + slight defects = relay tile. it will happen down the road too even if not now.

but one thing in common that everyone of them said was... you gotta settle it with the contractor/ID. the tile shop will never honour any responsibility unless your contractor has like thousands of orders with them.even still,all they will do is...give you a batch of similar tiles.they will not bear any damage done. the hacking & labour still needs to be done all over again,and this usually is bear by the contractors. home owners bear the incoveniece casued. and that was the best anyone will even do for us,IF they even cared about their reputation as name/location changing of company will cost less then that.. some will just ignore us & go earn more money to pay us later while we go through long legal means to get a few ks back.

what i can suggest to you is. do a test. i'll be doing that too tomorrow, if you have the same tile still. subject it to acid. it'll prove if its due to the acid or manufacturing.