Letter 40049

Remove cement from ceramic tile [Florida] 

March 26, 2006

Post-hurricane Wilma I finally found a contractor to replace my painted shadow box fence. Not only has he disappeared without finishing the job, but a fine layer of cement dust was spilled on my tiled patio, it rained and now it has set. Is there any way to remove a thin coating of cement from glazed outdoor ceramic tile? Will pressure cleaning possibly get it off? Or acid? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Mary Henderson
hobbyist - Boca Raton, FL, USA

Cement is nowhere near as hard as ceramic tile. Pick a small area and scrub it with a tampico brush, or a sponge with scotchbrite on one side, and come up with a practical scrubbing protocol for the whole patio. The sooner the better; cement takes at least a couple to a few days to fully cure.

 
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

You can do a couple of things. First, you can purchase a Phosphoric Acid Cleaner [link is to product info at Amazon] for masonry/mortar clean up, or second, make a mix of 10% hydrochloric acid with water and spray or sponge over affected surface. Clean with fresh water. This will dissolve the film. Good luck.

Barry Feinman Restore It Yourself, Inc Carlsbad, CA, USA

Hi use surclean or vinegar, and a lot of elbow grease!!! go easy on the stronger acids, they will also take off tile glazings, patterns ect. have fun.

Chris Foltz
- Middle River, MD, USA

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