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Flooring Kitchens

What is this floor stain and how can I get rid of it?

4 years ago

Unfortunately I don't know what material the floors are, but perhaps someone will be able to identify from the photo. Thanks!

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

4 years ago

Can we assume these are stone? Is this indoor or outdoor? Residential or commercial space? How big are the tiles? Are they large or are they small? How old are the floors? Was anything sitting on the surface that was hiding the stain? If so, what was it?

I'm sorry but we need much more information.

Comments (10)

Joyce
Original Author
4 years ago
Indoor (kitchen), residential, tiles are 12" x 12", floors are 25 years old, nothing was sitting on the surface but it is near the frigerator/freezer, which leaks on occasion but not in that spot. Thank you!
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If you absolutely cannot stand the texture, sure go ahead and skim it smooth but I'm going to guess you'd be willing to live with it since you said smooth walls would be your preference. You do not need to skim the entire wall (and actually you'd have to do the entire room) for this one little rectangle. Even if you can't achieve a 100% perfect texture match, you will never notice it with this small of a repair as long as it's a close match. Just fill the void with drywall mud so it's smooth with the wall and feather it out onto the wall. After it's dry you can check it with a level or straight board to make sure it's level. Lightly sand if you need to, get some spray texture that matches what you have, spray it on and knock it down with a drywall knife. I would normally not recommend spray texture but this is a small area and the knock-down part of it is easier to match than if you weren't knocking it down. I wish my drywall repairs were this small! I've had to repair areas 10x this size and the drywall paper was torn to boot! I've never had a problem matching the texture and I'm a walking, breathing perfectionist. You can do it! It's very unlikely you'll even be able to find someone willing to do this small of a repair. Ps, be sure to remove the plastic screw anchors.
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Joyce
Original Author
4 years ago
Other important information that I should have mentioned: we are redoing the kitchen, plan was to replace everything except the floor. Everything is ordered, work is starting soon, and then this stain appears!
chispa
4 years ago
What is under the tile (concrete slab, or subloor over crawlspace/basement)?

You mentioned a leak, so maybe there is a bigger leak and the water is staining the stone from below? You don't want to proceed with your reno without knowing if you have to fix the floors first.
Joyce
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I think it's a concrete slab but I need to confirm that (it's an apartment building.) I'm wondering if that's the case... staining from below. I know that the problem with the freezer is that the drain gets blocked and it spills a bunch of water all at once--that I clean up quickly--and then stops. So I don't think there's a plumbing thing, but definitely will need to confirm that before we proceed. Is there a way to remove the stain?
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
Any updates?
Joyce thanked SJ McCarthy
live_wire_oak
4 years ago
Wet concrete slab and stone tiles equals a big wet splotch.
Joyce thanked live_wire_oak
Joyce
Original Author
4 years ago
@SJ McCarthy Thanks for checking in...it is indeed concrete. The stain seems to be getting smaller, I guess it's drying out. Demolition has started and they haven't found any leaks--the foreman says he thinks the water is from condensation from the refrigerator.
Joyce
Original Author
4 years ago
@live_wire_oak Indeed! Can I assume that nothing needs fixing and it will dry out over time?
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
If the stain is already shrinking then yes it is possible it will dry out completely (ie. disappear).
Joyce thanked SJ McCarthy

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