Tumbling marble: grout in grooves

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kittyjo

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I recently purchased tumbling marble tiles for the backsplash in the kitchen. The shop owner wet the tile and told me that was how it would look when it would be finished after the sealant went on. I got a tiler and he applied aquamix sealant (one coat only i think) and grouted them. The problem is that all the grout is in the grooves of the tile so it looks completely different to what I expected. The grout is white and the tiles are brown so it looks awful. When I rang the shop owner for advice he said that that was normal and if I applied more sealant the tile would come up like he said. Of course it hasn't:(
Is this the way these tiles should've been grouted or should I be mad with the shop owner? And is there anything to salvage in this sad operation??
 
Well HennyPenny, in hindsight that would have been the best option, but it was never suggested and I never thought to ask as I didn't think the grout was going to be all over the tiles - just in the joints. I haven't paid the tiler yet...
 
You can get a grout haze removing product from most DIY stores to try and get rid of this. We've just grouted our backsplash with a mixture of marble and glass mosaics. The glass has a rippled effect and of course the grout got into them. I found that some hard scrubbing with a sponge helped get it out, but the grout is the same colour as the tiles so isn't that noticeable in this case. I have heard vinegar is good for this, but it might not be great for marble tiles.
 
Hi kittyjo
I recently had porcelain tiles laid and they looked terrible when they were done. There was a mixture of grout and the wax seal on the tile so when I looked down the hall all I could see was grubby mess. The shop had assured me that when the tiler applied the grout it would remove the wax seal used for shipping. Anyway, it didn't and I could see boot marks etc. on my tiles. I went to a hardware and they have a huge range of sealers and removers. I think it was called HG and they have different products for different tiles including marble. Best of luck.
 
I have heard vinegar is good for this, but it might not be great for marble tiles.[/quote]
I read up on this and apparently marble is a porus tile and any acidic solution would be lethal! I did try scrubbing but it didn't really remove much - except my bingo wings!!
 
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