Here is one for the books... unglazed porcelain fail

[Mikey P]

Interior designer picks an unglazed porcelain for a master bath floor and shower stall.

Homeowner decides she does not like the color of the grout so she applies a color seal.

During the removal of the excess color seal, a coating of sorts comes off the "unglazed" porcelain...

In the photo below, the dark irregular rings around each tile were created by just water when it dried. Up top you can see some remains of the coating.

The manufacture, designer and install all have been zero help.

The manufacture told here once you use chemical on their product, you're on your own....


She found me by doing extensive term searches and found our ongoing porcelain thread on Mikey's Board.


My advice was to tear out both floors and start over. Unglazed anything does not belong in a bathroom and color seal certainly does not belong on a master bath shower floor. We had a great conversation and she was thrilled to have my bad news confirming her nightmare.



She says the tile packaging had floors and showers listed as "great for"....


Just one more example of the flooring companies being complete unethical greedy idiots.

 

[FredC]

. Unglazed anything does not belong in a bathroom

 

[Mikey P]

is absorbent flooring big in Douglasville bathrooms?

 

[The carpet cleaning professor]

We all have to work together and find a way of cleaning these floors without hurting these floors.

 

[FredC]

is absorbent flooring big in Douglasville bathrooms?

proper porcelain shouldn't be absorbent even without a glass layer (glaze)

unglazed is frequently recommended for "wet" areas....mainly due to slip resistance but also due to the inherent properties of porcelain........like it's limited absorbency/porosity


...........

 

[Mikey P]

We all have to work together and find a way of cleaning these floors without hurting these floors.

Just imagine what this floor would look like in two years.



urine stains, efflorescence everywhere, lotion, make up, hair dye.....might as well put carpet back into bathrooms

 

[Mikey P]

unglazed is frequently recommended for "wet" areas....mainly due to slip resistance but also due to the inherent properties of porcelain........

.

yeah, back in the days when porcelain was PORCELAIN

 

[hogjowl]

We all have to work together and find a way of cleaning these floors without hurting these floors.

No we don’t.
Just let Saiger and Melon figure it out.

 

[Mikey P]

If she had never touched the floor and stated to live on it, all the acidic shower products out there would have lead to the same disaster.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Just one more example of the flooring companies being complete unethical greedy idiots

Hence why I stopped being a flooring inspector years ago. Playing the role of independent inspector, but knowing there would be no warranty coverage, then listening to people pleading with me to get their inferior, oversold product replaced made me feel like crap.

It’s also a big reason why I left the IICRC, as they seemed to lick the boots of the manufacturers for business leads that rarely materialized.

I see nothing has changed.

Give them hell Mike

 

[FredC]

and you sure that isn't epoxy grout haze/residue?

or a sealer they applied?




*I'd expect it to end darker.........and not be so even...but

 

[hogjowl]

oh here we go

 

[Mikey P]

and you sure that isn't epoxy grout haze/residue?

or a sealer they applied?




*I'd expect it to end darker.........and not be so even...but

yep, this lady is a pharm rep and on her game.


Water stains it now that the glaze on her unglazed porcelain got removed by an acid.


let that sink in.

 

[Mikey P]

Give them hell Mike

the S210 will be sure to get countless peer reviews that we'll be sure to reject.

 

[Mikey P]

The value of MB over FB is clearly demonstrated by this.

 

[FredC]

yep, this lady is a pharm rep and on her game.


Water stains it now that the glaze on her unglazed porcelain got removed by an acid.


let that sink in.

I'm having a hard time seeing the relevance of her being a pharm rep....

an acid like epoxy grout haze remover?

Does water stain it? Or does it just become trapped under whatever is left there?

 

[Mikey P]

I'm having a hard time seeing the relevance of her being a pharm rep....

She's not your average Lorna Lunchpail

 

[Mikey P]

I'm having a hard time seeing the relevance of her being a pharm rep....

an acid like epoxy grout haze remover?

Does water stain it? Or does it just become trapped under whatever is left there?

She used Grout Haze remover, not Epoxy Grout Haze remover.


most every consumer tub and tile cleaner and maintainer is on the acid side.

 

[FredC]

well....I'm no expert......but before I ripped up that floor I'd do a proper haze/coating strip

 

[Mikey P]

well....I'm no expert......but before I ripped up that floor I'd do a proper haze/coating strip

so it'll be even more absorbent?


and F up her colorseal.

 

[Mikey P]

 

[Mikey P]

 

[Jim Pemberton]

the S210 will be sure to get countless peer reviews that we'll be sure to reject.

It doesn’t appear that there is the same amount of close contact between the flooring manufacturers and the IICRC, but you would know that better.

15-20 years ago there was a lot of wining and dining and footsie under the table going on.

Back then, “they” could get the wording in the standards quashed with a raised eyebrow

 

[FredC]

so it'll be even more absorbent?


and F up her colorseal.

Surely it wouldn't F it up any more than tearing the tile out.

I also doubt it would be more absorbent.........I think there is more going on there.

 

[Mikey P]

Surely it wouldn't F it up any more than tearing the tile out.

I also doubt it would be more absorbent.........I think there is more going on there.

Fred she's going to tear this out and put in a glazed ceramic.


There's doesn't seem to be anything on any shelves these days with the word "porcelain" on it that's worth the cardboard box it's packaged in.

 

[PrimaDonna]

Keep it up Mike. Fred just may like me And my scaley feet again if you keep this going. I like seeing you two banter.

@Jim Pemberton I’ve know this side of you but am surprised to see your public acknowledgment. You with your panties in a bunch…..

good stuff here. Keep the conversation going. This is how real changes are born!

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Keep it up Mike. Fred just may like me And my scaley feet again if you keep this going. I like seeing you two banter.

@Jim Pemberton I’ve know this side of you but am surprised to see your public acknowledgment. You with your panties in a bunch…..

good stuff here. Keep the conversation going. This is how real changes are born!

I railed about the manufacturers back when MB was started in 2006 and they tried to push the SOA program with crappy science and unfair testing protocols. After that issue passed I found other outlets for my passions.

These new flooring issues are lighting old fires again. The surfaces may have changed, but the cynical conduct hasn’t.

 

[hogjowl]

You actually were somewhat pissy back then

 

[Jim Pemberton]

You actually were somewhat pissy back then

Which I take as a supreme compliment from you Marty

This issue with crappy porcelain tiles is bringing it all back to me.

 

[hogjowl]

I see it as a character asset