Urgent Help !!! Need to remove pen from tiles

My tiler informed me yesterday that the pen he uses to mark tiles before cutting them won't come off the tiles. He reckons he's tried everything and it won't come off. I don't know what sort of pen it is but it's some sort of thin blue marker pen. Whats weird is that the tiles are high quality Italian polished porcelain so I don't think the tiles have 'absorbed' the pen....

Anyone got any tips for removal.....

Thanks
Tony

Sounds like your tiler has the problem, not you. I'd say to him "My pen wont go near my cheque book until yours is off my tiles" :wink:

Try paint thinners maybe.

Have you tried White spirits, thinners or maybe Eucalyptus oil. If these won't remove it, maybe you better get the tiler to replace them, with him supplying and installing them at his cost

I think he's tried the usual ie meths, white spirits etc with no success. Obviously it's his mistake but it would be preferable to he and I to remove the pen rather than replace the tiles......

It might be worth trying something abrasive, like one of those scotch brite pads or even steel wool. If the glaze is that hard, it shouldn't damage it. But I'd try it on a scrap first. I used a pot scourer to remove some paint from a tile here and it didn't seem to damage the surface of the tile.

That might be worth a try. Anyone know what the likelyhood is that the tile has actually 'absorbed' the pen, bearing in mind that it is polished porcelain. If it has then no amount of scrubbing is gonna get it off. In this case maybe a strong solvent could get absorbed as well thereby 'dissolving' the mark....???

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by flashman1207

That might be worth a try. Anyone know what the likelyhood is that the tile has actually 'absorbed' the pen, bearing in mind that it is polished porcelain. If it has then no amount of scrubbing is gonna get it off. In this case maybe a strong solvent could get absorbed as well thereby 'dissolving' the mark....???

---

If the tile has Absorbed the pen then any solvent that removes it may well stain or bleach the tile :rolleyes:

Only advice I can think of is to mark a scrap tile with the pen and use this as a test incase you do damage the surface in the process.


Rgds


Added SHMBO said to try "Penoff " and if that dosn't work make a paste with equal parts talcum powder and powdered borax mixed with methylated spirits, cover and leave for an hour remove with a mix of a cup of metho and 50ml eucalyptus taken from a hint book she has.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by flashman1207

I think he's tried the usual ie meths, white spirits etc with no success. Obviously it's his mistake but it would be preferable to he and I to remove the pen rather than replace the tiles......

---

I wish more of my clients thought along those lines! :rolleyes:

This is where I resort to acetone. A damned good wash of it. Evacuate the kids, turn off the gas''n'power, open all the doors'n'windows and make sure your insurance is paid up first. (Read the warnings on the side of the can; this is dangerous stuff.)

Trying it on a test piece first is always a good idea (you ought to casually mention this concept to your tiler. :D:D) but if the ink has soaked into the tile then this should remove it. No guarantees, of course. :p

Thanks but where do i get Acetone from ?????

Tony

Some nail polish removers are made from Acetone
Also try Chemical suppliers in your local Yellow pages and let your fingers do the walking

Rgds

I rang one of the tile companies here and they basically said 'you got no chance'. If the pen is a permanent marker then in their experience nothing will shift it. Apparantly one guy had to redo a whole room. They did mention a new product called nanoscrub which is supposed to be the 'dogs nads' but they haven't actually tried it. i checked the product on the web and the website says nothing of removing pen ink....... Anyways, basically polished porcelain tiles are very porous.....

Will try the acetone though....

Perhaps give Shellite a go!

Possibly, dip a white plastic eraser in water, and give that a try, shouldnt hurt the polish

You can buy acetone from the local hardware, it might work. Also try wax and grease remover from supercheap or various thiiners from the paint shop. I don't hold to the what someone said about it not coming off, there is a solvent for most things, it's just a matter of finding it. You're buggered if the tiles are porous(unlikely)

goodluck

Cheers
Michael

I did some research on the web and normally porcelain tiles are very good against stains as impervious layer forms when they are fired. When they get polished however, the pores in the tile are opened up thereby making them porous. makes sense I suppose. As for getting the mark out I guess it depends wether the ink can be 'drawn out' of the pores......