Paint stains & building mess – Building, tiling and renovating are all messy trades. Laying a floor is usually one of the earlier tasks, so a stone or tile surface is exposed to all kinds of hazards until the work is completed. Damage that occurs during this time is usually either general building mess or paint stains. If a stone or tile surface is left unprotected during painting work, it is likely to get paint droplets (at best), or possibly even a large paint spill (at worst). It is very difficult to remove paint from tiles, and it gets harder the longer the paint is left to set. A stone or tile floor should ALWAYS be protected during building work, renovations or painting

Etch marks (dull rings, spots) – An ‘etch mark’ is a dull patch on an otherwise shiny, polished surface. Even if just a small area of a surface is affected, the etch mark still alters the entire aesthetic of the stone – sometimes even more than if the whole surface had been evenly damaged. An etch mark really ‘sticks out’, especially in certain lights. Etch marks are caused by acid damage. Floor tiles, benchtops or bathroom vanity tops are the most common places for spills that cause etch marks on sensitive stones. Any acidic (or sometimes even alkaline) food or drink can eat into the surface, leaving contrasting etch marks or discolouration on the surface. These dull spots can be seen more readily on polished stone surfaces, but also can happen on honed or matt as well. Common culprits are juice, wine, vinegar, urine, vomit or blood. Etching more often occurs on acid-sensitive calcium-based stones such as marble, limestone or travertine.

Dullness/loss of shine – Consistent dullness or a general loss of shine on a previously gleaming surface can be caused by a number of different factors:

1. The polished surface shows traffic marks where it’s most commonly used – Traffic marks are most often seen on polished or semi-polished tiles laid in heavy traffic environments. They appear as dull areas where people walk the most – in entranceways, in front of lifts, at bottom of stairs and so on. These areas will appear duller faster and require more frequent maintenance. This is particularly common in commercial environments.
2. Wear and tear causes dullness – Many of the more desirable polished stone surfaces such as marble, limestone and travertine are more susceptible to wear through surface grime, grit and general traffic. Dirt and grit in particular can scratch the surface and eventually this area will become dull.
3. Incorrect cleaning products can reduce shine – In some cases the use of incorrect cleaning chemicals (such as an acidic product on a calcium-based stone such as marble) will also lead to dullness.
4. Fading tiles – Fading tiles are more common on darker-coloured surfaces, which can lighten quite substantially over time. Colour fading can occur on some natural stones, and also on some terracotta tiles. Fading tiles can be caused by the overuse of strong chemicals on some types of natural stone, which will etch or leave a surface burnt on the stone. Fading tiles can also be caused by prolonged exposure to strong UV light, which can be seen as a lightening of the tile colour only in areas in strong direct sunlight. The UV light will ‘fade’ some colours, resulting in a patchy and ‘washed out’ effect.
5. Fire or flood damage – Stone and tiles are one of the few parts of a building that can survive a fire or flood – stone and tiles that have been through a fire or flood will be extremely damaged. Fire damaged stone will blacken from the soot and ash of the fire, usually penetrating deeply into the stone. Direct heat can do irreparable damage to natural stone. Tiles, on the other hand, are usually fired at a very high temperature and therefore direct heat is less like to cause an issue, so sooting and fire grime is the main source of damage. Often the grout lines will have suffered more damage than the tiles themselves.
6. Spalling (flaking or peeling) – ‘Spalling’ stone is delamination, chipping or peeling of the stone’s surface can originate from a number of sources. For sandstone, spalling (which looks like the stone is peeling or flaking) generally indicates a problem with a salt attack, where salt crystals grow from the mineral-laden water that has penetrated into the stone. The crystals grow and fracture off the top layer of stone, resulting in loose sand on the surface of the tile.
7. Cloudy tiles (optical hazing) – Optical hazing is colourless, and just looks like smudges on the surface. If your surface has a white haze on it, you are more likely to have grout haze. Optical hazing is caused by sealer residue, from the factory sealer applied when the tiles were processed. This can occur on polished or semi-polished porcelain tiles. The sealer residue can be seen as cloudy or swirling marks across the tile surface, often with some consistency or pattern to the location of the marks, and is more visible in low angle light. These sealer residue marks can be very difficult to see when viewed directly from above. For this reason, the problem is commonly called ‘optical hazing’. Optical hazing occurs when polished or semi-polished tiles are factory processed, either by factory-applied ‘nano’ sealers or through the abrasive tile polishing process. It does not occur in matt tiles, or on any type of polished natural stone.
8. Marks around the grout lines – If there are wet-looking marks and the tile edges appear to be discoloured around the grout lines, you probably have what is commonly called     ‘picture-framing’. As water penetrates into the edge of the tile from the grouted edges, it leaves a ‘frame’ of discolouration on the tile.
9. Mould on tiles – Mould on tiles, mould on stone and algae growth are most common on exterior areas with textured and /or porous tiles. Mould on tiles appears more in sheltered or southerly facing areas, or in areas under overhanging trees or shelter. The more textured the surface, the easier it is for mould spores to accumulate, grow and discolour. This can also be made worse by accumulated leaves and grime.
10. Rust marks on tiles – Rust marks on tiles can either come from within the surface (if it’s a natural stone) or from external sources. External sources include outdoor furniture, nails or metal filings, pots, or any other metal objects left on the stone or tile in the presence of water. Mineral ferrous veining can be part of the stone natural structure. While this can often be hidden for many years, heavy soaking can bring ferrous minerals to the surface with a yellowing discolouration. In some cases, spot marks can be very distinct with bold colour contrast to the rest of the tile.
11. Scratches on tiles – Scratches on tiles most often affect a highly-polished surface. Polished stone can show scratches on the surface when damaged by hard items such as grit, wheels on trolleys, heavy chairs, dog toenails, hard shoes and so on.  These scratches can often be highly visible in open or backlit areas. Light scratches on tiles usually appear as a general dulling of the surface, where heavy scratches (that can be felt when running a fingernail along the surface) are more often individual marks.
12. Sealer marks – When properly applied, a sealer should either be invisible to the naked eye (if it’s a penetrating sealer) or have an even, consistent gloss finish (if it’s a topical sealer or coating). When a sealer isn’t applied properly – aside from not working effectively – it can look patchy and uneven. This is particularly disconcerting when the product is meant to be an invisible sealer! Often these sealer marks are caused by incorrect application techniques, but it can also be from choosing the wrong sealer for the surface.
13. Slippery tiles – Slippery tiles are a real hazard, and are particularly dangerous in commercial environments with high traffic flows. Slippery tiles should be immediately dealt with to prevent slip and fall accidents. Tiles can be slippery when dry, but they are generally more slippery when wet from rain or spills. Slippery tiles generally occur on smooth rather than textured floor tiles ie:
14. Smooth tiles have been used in a wet area – Smooth finish tiles used in wet ‘at risk’ areas instead of textured tiles is a case of poor tile selection
15. The tiles are worn – Over time, the texture of your tiles may wear down, causing the original grip of the tile to deteriorate, causing the tiles to become slippery
16. Build-up on the surface of the tile – If the tiles are correct for the area, but are still slippery, they may have an accumulation of grime and chemicals on the surface which have reduced the slip coefficient of the tile below acceptable standards.
17. Porous tiles & stone – To identify if you have porous tiles or stone, drop a small amount of water on the surface. If it is porous, watermarks and darkening are visible after the floor is wet, leaving areas patchy and discoloured until they dry out. Most natural stone is porous, some more than others. Porosity ranges from very high (sandstone) to very low (granite) or negligible (porcelain). The natural structure of stone has very open pores that allow the entry of moisture and stains deep into the stone. Most stains are liquid-based and can contaminate the tile. Many stains, depending on the content (type and size of molecules) can penetrate several millimetres into the stone making it very difficult to remove. The more porous the tiles, the deeper the staining can go.
18. Stained tiles – Depending on the source of the staining (and often the location of the surface) staining can either occur in isolated spots or can be consistent across the surface. So many things around the Premises can cause stains – isolated stains generally occur from spills of oils, food, drinks, glue or cleaning chemicals. Depending on the contaminant (what caused the stain), the porosity of the tiles (how deep the stain it has gone) and the age (how long it’s had to ‘cure’) will determine whether you stand a chance of removing the stain yourself, or whether you’ll need an expert to fix your stained tiles.
19. Aged Tiles –  Dirty tiles might be discoloured, have staining, or just look “tired”. This is generally a symptom of age and ingrained contamination. After a few years, every surface is going to have the odd stain and has probably absorbed contaminants into the tile itself where your day-to-day cleaning is ineffective at removing it. Poor cleaning methods are another possibility – it is ironic that poor cleaning can actually make tiles dirty! Many people don’t realize that flooding a surface with water – particularly a porous surface like sandstone – won’t clean the surface, it’ll actually soak in and make it dirtier.
20. Using the wrong cleaning product – This problem generally occurs on sensitive tiles such as marble or limestone, or sometimes even on basalt or some marble composite tiles. Using the wrong cleaning chemical can make the surface dull, look scratched all over, and possibly fade in colour. It may even go white. The cleaning marks (circular wiping or mop marks) are often obvious and can be seen across adjacent tiles. The majority of people use any chemicals to clean with, but unfortunately, they often do not understand what the tile is made of how it should be cleaned, or what products should be used to clean it. If you’ve bought the stone or tile, the retailer should tell you how you should look after it – or refer to our Care Guidelines. If in doubt, read the label. Most people don’t read the entire label (including the small print) and so the chemicals they use can sometimes cause damage to a stone or tile surface. This is particularly true for calcium-based stone such as marble and limestone, which is eaten away by any chemical with a high pH level (acidic). Abrasives and even strong alkaline cleaning agents can dull polished surfaces. If a chemical is not suitable for a specific surface, it should say on the bottle – so read the small print.