Is it a stupid choice

[Bryce C]

to put slate tiles in a shower? What do you guys think? Acid, dwell and scrub, dry it fast, and use a super sealer? Or just tell her the efflorescence is likely a permanent/recurring problem?

 

[Dwain Ray]

to put slate tiles in a shower? What do you guys think? Acid, dwell and scrub, dry it fast, and use a super sealer? Or just tell her the efflorescence is likely a permanent/recurring problem?

View attachment 134162

I can't tell ya what to do to clean/ correct this problem/situation because im new at this also. But i can recommend this, whatever you decide to do, before you do it, pre-qualified the f#@k outa it

 

[Mikey P]

Bryce, that's not Slate

Limestone or marble on the walls, hard to say for sure from that small photo but the pebble mosaic floor can take what ever you need to scrub the mineral build up off them.

Floor looks ultra matt so acids splashing ( probably ) wont hurt

Can you get better and bigger photos?

 

[Bryce C]

Bryce, that's not Slate

Limestone or marble on the walls, hard to say for sure from that small photo but the pebble mosaic floor can take what ever you need to scrub the mineral build up off them.

Floor looks ultra matt so acids splashing ( probably ) wont hurt

Can you get better and bigger photos?

Oh snap, shows what I know. All I can do is zoom in and crop for now. I'll get more pics later today. Thanks for the tips so far.

How quickly will acids dwelling and being scrubbed begin to remove grout when I am doing this? Does that depend on the cleaning agent and abrasion of what I am scrubbing with? What should I scrub it with? I have an acidic tile cleaner called Fizzle from a local supplier, I read some folks uses muriatic acid.

Is the weird shape to the efflorescence just the way water pools in the shower pan?

 

[Bryce C]

I'm scheduled to do this job later this morning. I can postpone the shower though if need be. I already told her the efflorescence is difficult to remove and likely to reappear.

If I am successful at removing it, should I apply an impregnating sealer?

 

[Bryce C]

m

 

[Mikey P]

Call me in 30 minutes


775-552-5529

 

[hogjowl]

The number I have for you is one digit off from that.

 

[Mikey P]

Woops

5429


I called Bryce on my to the airport.

 

[hogjowl]

I thought maybe I had a preferred customer number.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Free!

 

[Bryce C]

Thanks for the ace advice Mike! The rest of the shower cleaned up nicely, even the glass, but that floor was tough. At first I used a high alkaline cleaner with a nylon brush on the walls, and a brass brush on the floor. Then I used an acidic cleaner around 2 pH or a little less on the floor with more scrubbing and rinsing, and I repeated everything on the floor several times, lots of dwelling, scrubbing, and rinsing. And this is what I ended up with

It looked better immediately after I finished, but the minerals wicked up to the surface in just a few minutes. I set the customers expectations well beforehand so they were happy with it all. I was in that shower for way too long. I'm going up on my shower prices. They didn't opt for an enhancing sealer to temporarily hide the whitish remains in the grout. This is what it looked like before I worked on it.

 

[Bryce C]

I don't know if it is just efflorescence, or if it is also soap scum, but the whitish remains in the grout seem to be spread throughout the grout as if it is woven through it. Whats up with that? Is it just the soluble minerals following the path of the water as it is moving through the grout?

 

[BIG WOOD]

Thanks for the ace advice Mike! The rest of the shower cleaned up nicely, even the glass, but that floor was tough. At first I used a high alkaline cleaner with a nylon brush on the walls, and a brass brush on the floor. Then I used an acidic cleaner around 2 pH or a little less on the floor with more scrubbing and rinsing, and I repeated everything on the floor several times, lots of dwelling, scrubbing, and rinsing. And this is what I ended up with

View attachment 134177

It looked better immediately after I finished, but the minerals wicked up to the surface in just a few minutes. I set the customers expectations well beforehand so they were happy with it all. I was in that shower for way too long. I'm going up on my shower prices. They didn't opt for an enhancing sealer to temporarily hide the whitish remains in the grout. This is what it looked like before I worked on it.

View attachment 134178View attachment 134179

With the amount of wasted time on a shower it takes to make it look a little better, I came to the conclusion that showers are most of the time already ruined before we can clean them. So if 2 different methods of cleaning can do anything (normally about a 30min interval) then it’s time to move on because my customers here won’t spend 300-400 just for a deep detailed cleaning of one shower

 

[hogjowl]

There’s a Mexican dude on UTUBE who says he gets $2000 per shower

 

[Bryce C]

There’s a Mexican dude on UTUBE who says he gets $2000 per shower

I don't understand how without substantial repair work . But there are many things I don't understand.

 

[BIG WOOD]

There’s a Mexican dude on UTUBE who says he gets $2000 per shower

$2k will buy a new shower

 

[hogjowl]

Well, it’s UTube. Kinda like here.

 

[MarkieMark]

I have the same stone floor from when we built our home but even worse it is the non flat version like river rock. Definitely look nice new but once you use it, terrible. It's been on our list of things to swap out eventually.

 

[Mikey P]

I have the same stone floor from when we built our home but even worse it is the non flat version like river rock. Definitely look nice new but once you use it, terrible. It's been on our list of things to swap out eventually.

Not bare feet friendly is it..

 

[they live]

$2k will buy a new shower

Thats on the low end.

 

[they live]

Thanks for the ace advice Mike! The rest of the shower cleaned up nicely, even the glass, but that floor was tough. At first I used a high alkaline cleaner with a nylon brush on the walls, and a brass brush on the floor. Then I used an acidic cleaner around 2 pH or a little less on the floor with more scrubbing and rinsing, and I repeated everything on the floor several times, lots of dwelling, scrubbing, and rinsing. And this is what I ended up with

View attachment 134177

It looked better immediately after I finished, but the minerals wicked up to the surface in just a few minutes. I set the customers expectations well beforehand so they were happy with it all. I was in that shower for way too long. I'm going up on my shower prices. They didn't opt for an enhancing sealer to temporarily hide the whitish remains in the grout. This is what it looked like before I worked on it.

View attachment 134178View attachment 134179

What did you use to clean the glass? It was really bad.
Dont use high PH products on glass. It etches it.
I use white vinegar and distilled water with a little isopropyl alcohol. Dampen a microfiber towel and put borax on the towel. Spray the glass and let dwell for 5 or ten minutes then scrub with the borax.
I would use that combo on the floor too but maybe use a blue scrub sponge first.
Thats a restoration job and should be charged accordingly. Especially adding the glass and fixtures.

And be careful with finishes on fixtures. Nickel finish and chrome are safe for vinegar but some darker types can be effected. We use clr on the dark finishes.
Take a small brush and clean the shower head where the water comes out too.

 

[they live]

With the amount of wasted time on a shower it takes to make it look a little better, I came to the conclusion that showers are most of the time already ruined before we can clean them. So if 2 different methods of cleaning can do anything (normally about a 30min interval) then it’s time to move on because my customers here won’t spend 300-400 just for a deep detailed cleaning of one shower

I know its your experience about what people are willing to pay but prejudging your customers is the 1st sin in sales.
Price the job not the customer.

 

[Bryce C]

What did you use to clean the glass? It was really bad.
Dont use high PH products on glass. It etches it.
I use white vinegar and distilled water with a little isopropyl alcohol. Dampen a microfiber towel and put borax on the towel. Spray the glass and let dwell for 5 or ten minutes then scrub with the borax.
I would use that combo on the floor too but maybe use a blue scrub sponge first.
Thats a restoration job and should be charged accordingly. Especially adding the glass and fixtures.

And be careful with finishes on fixtures. Nickel finish and chrome are safe for vinegar but some darker types can be effected. We use clr on the dark finishes.
Take a small brush and clean the shower head where the water comes out too.

Thanks for the tips Steve! I just used a mildly acidic detergent with a razor blade on the glass, rinsed, and then finished with Spray Way glass cleaner and buffed it with a cotton terrycloth. It came out pretty good but the glass wasn't in bad shape this time.

Are you saying you mix white vinegar, distilled water, and isopropyl alcohol together? What percentage of acetic acid do you think your mix ends up at? I haven't applied high pH detergents directly to glass, but some overspray has gotten on there, I'll be more careful about that in the future. Seemed ok so far though. I thought acids were more prone to etching glass? Are both extremes of the pH scale prone to etching glass?

I'll keep an eye out on the darker finished fixtures and grab some clr for those too...

 

[Mikey P]

The acids we use in our cleaning businesses will not etch glass.

 

[they live]

I dont like using razor blades. Its too easy to scratch glass.
I couldn't tell you what ph the solution is. You can go half vinegar half water but that's really strong. I just put an inch or two in the bottle a splash of alcohol and fill with distilled water. You can always make it stronger if its not cutting it.
Ive been using it on my porcelain shower walls and floors too. Just not as often.it really brightens the grout lines. I see no damage of grout from it.
Be careful with high pH products on glass. You can always apply products with a sponges to avoid overspray.
Hydrochloric acids are bad for glass and pH over 9. Vinegar is safe and it cuts the hard water marks easily.
Skip the borax for regular glass cleaning to leave a streak free finish. The alcohol removes grime.

 

[Dwain Ray]

I dont like using razor blades. Its too easy to scratch glass.
I couldn't tell you what ph the solution is. You can go half vinegar half water but that's really strong. I just put an inch or two in the bottle a splash of alcohol and fill with distilled water. You can always make it stronger if its not cutting it.
Ive been using it on my porcelain shower walls and floors too. Just not as often.it really brightens the grout lines. I see no damage of grout from it.
Be careful with high pH products on glass. You can always apply products with a sponges to avoid overspray.
Hydrochloric acids are bad for glass and pH over 9. Vinegar is safe and it cuts the hard water marks easily.
Skip the borax for regular glass cleaning to leave a streak free finish. The alcohol removes grime.

As a window cleaner if i have to scrape windows I use a Triumph 6" razor scraper with stainless blades and scrape in only one direction. If you keep pressure on the blade during the back stroke, contaminants can/will get on the back of the blade and scratch the glass then. Also as a window cleaner a powerful tool in the arsenal is steel wool. But not just any steel wool, bronze wool. Bronze wool doesn't rust and make a mess. Its not coated with oil that has to be removed before using on glass . It is much softer than steel and the fine stuff won't scratch bright work. Ive not tried it while cleaning tile but if you need a light abrasive for glass thats it. And it's always on my trucks. Bronze wool comes in three grades fine,medium ,coarse. I use mostly fine and sometimes medium. Ill take one pad and unroll itand roll another full pad inside to make a larger pad and as it wears down i add more the same way .