Bet you thought our grouting post was the last time we’d talk about installing tile. Not quite. After the grout dried we still had a few less-glamorous tasks to finish: buffing away haze, using a haze remover for stubborn residue, sealing the grout, and caulking the edges. Several readers asked for the details, so here’s a clear, practical rundown of what we did to finish our penny tile backsplash.

Anyone who’s tiled knows that grout often leaves a thin, cloudy film on the surface. We saw this on our subway tile and marble floor in a previous bathroom, and the penny tile behaved the same way. My first step was simple elbow grease: I grabbed a clean white rag and buffed the tile surface with some pressure. That basic rubbing removed a lot of the haze and brought the tile back to a smooth, shiny finish. Cheesecloth gets high marks from pros, but a plain white rag worked well for us.

Buffing helped, but it didn’t eliminate every trace of haze. Around the darker outer ring of many pennies the tile still dried with an irregular dusty ring. It wasn’t visible when the tiles were wet, but once dry the edges looked cloudy and uneven. Sherry tried scraping some of those grooves with her thumbnail and could get some of it off, but that’s slow, unpleasant work (and left her nails ruined). We didn’t want to spend countless hours scraping each tile, so we called The Tile Shop for advice.

Their recommendation was to use a commercial haze remover designed for post-grout residue. I’d hesitated before because haze removers are extra chemicals and can damage certain delicate tiles, but The Tile Shop confirmed it was safe for penny tile. I bought a bottle for about eight dollars and tested it. The product did a remarkable job: most of the remaining haze lifted away, and the tiles regained a lot of their original shine. There were tiny, hardly noticeable spots left, but the improvement was dramatic and well worth the effort. The haze remover application is straightforward: apply with a sponge, let it dwell a few minutes, then rinse and dry. It’s a little tedious over a whole wall, but it’s much faster and more effective than trying to buff and scrape every tile by hand.

After de-hazing, the next essential step is sealing the grout. Sealer protects grout from stains and makes clean-up far easier—especially important for a kitchen backsplash that will see splashes and spills. Our penny tile is nonporous, so we only sealed the grout lines. The application process is similar to the haze remover, except you don’t wait in the middle: apply, smooth, and remove excess where needed. Sealing didn’t noticeably change the appearance; the tiles and grout look the same, but now the grout is protected. We prefer the grout to remain matte so it balances the shine of the tile, and that’s exactly how our sealed grout turned out. A quick tip: only seal when the tile and grout are completely clean. Sealing over dirt or residue just locks that grime in place.

We also caulked every seam where tile meets another surface at an angle: where the backsplash meets the counter, where it meets a wall corner, along the cabinet edges, around door frames, and near the microwave. This prevents cracks and keeps the joints watertight. We bought caulk that matched our grout color from the same tile supplier, which made the transitions look seamless. For installation, we worked from opposite ends of the counter and met in the middle, smoothing the bead as we went so the finish looked professional and consistent.

There aren’t many dramatic before-and-after photos for sealing and caulking because those steps don’t change appearance much; they’re about long-term protection and durability. Still, completing these finishing tasks made a big difference in the backsplash’s final look and how it will wear over time. The haze remover restored shine and clarity, sealing safeguarded the grout against stains, and caulking ensured clean, stable edges.

That wraps up the final steps of installing our penny tile: buffing, de-hazing, sealing, and caulking. These are the small but crucial tasks that turn a good tile installation into a finished, long-lasting backsplash. If you’re tackling similar work, take the time to de-haze and seal properly—it pays off in durability and ease of maintenance.