Hi, have a limestone floor in my shower and there are some "stains" - think it's mold - some that looks like rust and other black and are spreading - they are below the surface - how can I get them out. Thanks Murthy

 

Dear Murthy:

Maybe with a jack-hammer. L

You obviously have lots of water under those tiles and – I hope that I'm wrong on this – for too long a time.

Before you go and rent a jack-hammer try this:

Stop using that shower stall effective immediately. Hoping that the tiles were set with an appropriate grout gap (1/16” to 1/8”), open all the grout lines. Gently push sheets of Bounty paper towel (no, I don't hold any stock on the company that makes Bounty: it is simply the very best for this purpose J ) inside the open grout lines and, if and where possible even a little under the tiles. Leave them there until the paper towel will be as dry as a bone. It may take a few weeks.

Once that is done, you will remove any possible mold stains with a poultice based on MB-9. As for the rust stains: they're there for keep, alas.

Once the stains are gone, re-grout using latex-based color-matching caulk instead of grout and start using the shower again.

All this hoping that the situation is not too far gone.

 

All of which goes to prove one more time that no matter how good a stone you select and how well it was sealed (which is never a good idea inside a shower stall), if the installation is not done right, you're going to be in a world of hurt.

 

May I ask you now to please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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