A few of our bath tub tiles have become slightly discolored.

Gal29441876
by Gal29441876
We had our bath tub retiled. Every tile matched perfectly. After about a year, a few random tiles have become slightly discolored.
The actual color of the tile is white. The slightly darker ones in the image above tend toward a very light gray. They were white originally.
  6 answers
  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Nov 20, 2017

    If the tile was professionally done, I would contact that person/company and the maker of the tiles to see what went wrong. They can be replaced. They may even go good for the problem.

    • Gal29441876 Gal29441876 on Nov 20, 2017

      Installer is baffled along with all of his contacts. Grout is epoxy so we are afraid that adjacent tiles may be damaged if we try to remove and replace.

  • SandyG SandyG on Nov 20, 2017

    Sounds like you have a water problem either in the glazed front or in behind the tile. Here is an article that will explain what it sounds like is happening and the site page to read how to fix/repair the problem. Good luck.


    The glaze finish on the face of glazed ceramic tiles is impervious to water; however, if there are undetected cracks in the glaze, water may permeate through these cracks into the tile body (which isn’t glazed). This means that the back of the tile (termed the ‘base’ or the ‘biscuit’ of the tile) can absorb water.


    Detecting the problem


    The surface of a glazed tile is similar to a semi-transparent glass finish. Should there be moisture ingress into the tile installation, the face of the tile, particularly light-colored ceramic tiles with a transparent glaze, will change color, and appear darker than the surrounding tiles. When this happens you will know that your tiles are exposed to an excess of moisture.

    What can cause the problem?

    • Most instances of water absorption in tiles will take place in showers, bathrooms, kitchens and outdoor areas and the reasons could be as follows:
    • The shower recess or balcony was not waterproofed before tiling.
    • Incorrectly applied waterproofing compounds.
    • A leak in the water pipes behind the tiling.
    • The floor water outlet is not draining water properly and as such it is flooding.

    Incorrectly applied grout which is not sealed, or cracks in the grout itself.


    https://www.tal.co.za/home/index.php?ipkArticleID=106

  • Jmr15231038 Jmr15231038 on Nov 20, 2017

    What are the tiles made of?

  • Gal29441876 Gal29441876 on Nov 20, 2017

    Basic ceramic tiles bought off the shelf at Lowe's.

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Nov 20, 2017

    Most likely a defect in the tile.

  • William William on Nov 21, 2017

    Not a water problem. Too random of discoloration. I agree with Janet. Defective tiles. Sometimes tiles are not fired properly at the factory and the back/sides absorb colorant from the thinset or grout. Have the installer remove the tile and replace. Take them back to Lowes. A hand tile saw to remove the grout around the bad tiles and pop/break them out. Shouldn't affect the surrounding tiles. I always buy 10% more material than I need in case of "OOPS".