Types of scratches
- Fine surface scratches — the hazy swirl you see when light hits the floor at an angle. Caused by sand and grit. Fully removable by polishing.
- Medium scratches — you can see a line but can't catch a fingernail in it. Usually from dragging furniture. Removable with an extra grinding stage.
- Deep scratches and chips — your fingernail catches in it, or a piece is missing. Polishing reduces how visible they are, but cannot fully remove them because the damage goes into the tile body.
Why homogeneous tiles can be polished
Unlike glazed tiles, which have a thin decorative coating, homogeneous tiles have the same colour and material all the way through. Taking a very thin layer off the surface with diamond pads reveals fresh tile underneath with the same colour — so the scratch is removed instead of exposing a different layer.
Glazed tiles are different. Grinding would cut through the glaze, so scratched glazed tiles can only be cleaned and buffed.
Preventing new scratches
- Felt pads under chair, table and sofa legs
- Door mats inside and outside the main door to catch sand
- Sweep or vacuum before mopping, so grit isn't dragged around
- Lift, don't drag, heavy furniture
Get scratched tiles polished
Send us a close-up photo of the scratch with a coin next to it for scale. We'll tell you whether it will polish out completely. Homogeneous tiles polishing starts from $2 per sq ft.
Related service: Homogeneous Tiles Polishing — from $2 per sq ft. Smaller areas quoted from photos on WhatsApp.