Have you ever noticed a thick white salt like powdery substance covering your tile and grout? No matter how much you scrub it, it does not leave the surface. This is nothing but efflorescence, which is the residue of calcium and mineral deposits originated due to masonry. Some even try to scrape it away with sharp tools, resulting in scratches on the tile. Mold is another problem in damp shower areas and pool surfaces. If not removed immediately, it spreads quickly, leading to health hazards. D'Sapone® offers the best in class efflorescence and mold removal service to renew your flooring, pool and shower just like new. But before we explain our procedures, we would like to discuss everything in detail.
Efflorescence is nothing but calcium and mineral deposits settling over your tile surface. These mineral deposits settle once the water evaporates, leaving a white residue. Sometimes, when showers are not installed correctly, the water is allowed to dwell underneath the tile. This water mixes with the minerals in the concrete mud bed, making these mineral deposits travel in the shower drain through the weep holes and eventually on your tile and grout. If not removed in due time, efflorescence can crack the tile and grout and can also clog the shower drain. Efflorescence removal is not a DIY job. A good quality product needs to be used for removing efflorescence and mineral deposits effectively.
Problems with Efflorescence:
- Efflorescence in shower gives a very unsightly look to the tile and grout with its white powdery appearance.
- It is not harmful to the structure and nor does it convey that your building structure is corroding or deteriorating.
- Although not harmful to health or to the building structure, it does indicate that there is an accumulation of moisture somewhere inside the floor tile or wall tile, which can lead to a bigger problem later on such as mold and mildew, which love to breed in damp areas.
- Efflorescence also travels to the outer surface where the water can evaporate. If in a good quantity, it might cover the drain and clog it, which will require you to go through expensive tile and grout repair services.
What is Mold?
Mold is a type of fungus that forms in damp surfaces. It loves to thrive in damp places such as shower corners, tile and grout. It develops anywhere where the conditions are warm and moist. Shower and pool areas are always susceptible to water splashes and regardless of how dry you may keep them, if you have not sealed your surfaces, moisture penetrates inside the pores of tile and grout, leading to formation of black mold.
- Mold reeks of a bad odor.
- Mold and mildew quickly spread over the entire surface within a few hours.
- They leave a greenish black residue, which makes your surfaces look very dirty.
- Mold causes many health hazards such as eye problems and respiratory issues such as wheezing and runny nose.
- If not removed immediately, it can enter deep into the pores of the tile and grout, further deteriorating the stone.
D'Sapone® Offers Detailed Efflorescence and Mold Removal Services:
D'Sapone® is one of the leading stone, tile, grout, brick and glass restoration service providers in the US. We use products only manufactured by pFOkUS® – a paramount restoration products manufacturing company. D'Sapone® artists are highly trained in performing restorations with patented procedures and high-quality products. Here is a brief description on the efflorescence and mold removal services offered by us.
Efflorescence and Mold Removal Services:
Mold and mildew have to be removed using powerful cleaners and steps have to be taken to prevent recurrence. Furthermore, if you have efflorescence on your shower tile, we use powerful cleaners to get rid of it completely. We follow a proper procedure in which we first clean mold and efflorescence from tile and grout and then ensure that it does not occur again.
Efflorescence takes birth from the migration of soluble salts that originate from masonry or soils. Most efflorescence removal processes performed by other contactors remove it just from the top and also cause surface deterioration, while our services tackle this issue at the top and underneath tile and grout as well. If efflorescence are not attacked at the root, it will grow throughout the surface again, which is nothing short of a burden.
First, we clean the drain covered with efflorescence with Zido – a powerful penetrating cleaner, especially designed to eliminate efflorescence. If there is a heavy build up then we scrape the efflorescence off tile and grout with a screwdriver while applying Zido. Our incredible cleaning process not just removes the efflorescence at the top, but it also attacks the salts inside the surface to eliminate this issue at the root level without causing any damage to tile and grout.
Cleaning Mold and Stains:
We use our own patented procedures to knock off mold, mildew and stains from tile and grout. Stains and mold travel settle deep inside the pores of natural stone tile and porous grout. Our artists not just clean tile and grout, they also prep and sanitize them at the same time with a patented deep cleaning process, removing all the stains, mold, mildew and existing sealers from the root. Our tried-and-tested procedures can remove all kinds of impurities from your surfaces without damaging the integrity of tile and grout using Imperia Deep Clean from pFOkUS®.
Grout is porous and if it is not sealed, it retains moisture. If you seal tile without sealing the grout, the moisture present inside will lead to mold formation beneath the top coat, resulting in a hazy looking surface. Our patented grout sealing procedures are so good that we offer a 5-year labor warranty on our services. Using Caponi® – a 2 part pigmented titanium resin, we seal your grout lines in such a way that they become completely water-proof. Our artists can pigment Caponi® in over 40 different colors to suit the needs of your project. Our procedures ensure that your grout cannot be damaged by scrubbing and harsh chemicals.
Sealing Corners and Repairing Damaged Tile and Grout:
Mold also loves to form on caulk when it starts to show wearing off signs. As soon as your caulk begins to peel or crack, gaps form and water gets stagnant. Mold starts forming in these gaps, further deteriorating your shower caulk. Furthermore, after efflorescence has been removed from the floor, wall, shower, grout and pool surface, we need to ensure that it does not form again. We need to prevent water and moisture from seeping into the surface again.
Sealing Shower Tile:
Finally, after cleaning and sealing the grout lines, we proceed to sealing the surface. By sealing tile surfaces, we prevent mold and mildew to form again and this way, you get a permanent solution to removing mold from your travertine surface. Sealing also prevents efflorescence to form again. To waterproof natural stone surfaces, we use Celine – a natural look sealer which forms a hydrophobic layer, preventing the entry of liquids.
We have explained our efflorescence and mold removal services in detail above. If you are impressed by our attention to detail, do contact us to get your free estimate today. A word of caution from our end would be to not try removing efflorescence on your own, as it needs expert intervention.