tile
Our contractor didn't do a good job installing the Quartizte wall tile, and left a white thinset film on all the tiles.
[1]: https://imgur.com/a/fwHJ5 Wall Tiles
What we have tried:
Are there any suggestions how we can remove this?
Don't re-grout, clean it! Talking with a Home depot guy last year about this and he was amazed I still had to use a brush. He shows me this stuff called oxygen bleach from Ajax. This was literally the easiest method I have ever used. Make a solution with just enough hot water to dissolve it, apply and let it sit for 15-20 min and mop off. That easy. I will never use a tile brush again. Once you get it sparkling white, you can upkeep it my adding a small amount every time you mop and you will have pearly white floors forever.
It sounds like your goal is to avoid cutting any tiles in the dimension from the 48.5" + Entry (from your pictures). 12X12 tiles won't necessarily be 12". I grabbed an extra that I had in the garage and it is actually 11.75" but is sold as a 12" tile.
As mentioned in the comments, I'd buy the tiles that you like first. You could actually buy all the tiles you are going to need and lay them out in that area with the grout spacers (little plastic spacers that keep all the tiles evenly spaced). Then you could pencil in your wall at exactly the location you'd need to keep from cutting tiles (in that dimension at least... you can't do much about the space between your front door and closet door).
Note that the tile shouldn't butt right against the wall. Your floor/molding trim will cover the small gap between the tiles and the wall.
Hope that helps. Good luck! Tiling is actually not that bad and can be fun.
Best Answer
If you are reasonably careful you can pick up a bottle of muriatic acid (the trade name for HCL) at the hardware store. Dilute it according to the instructions and gently scrub with a nylon brush. The acid will dissolve the mortar while leaving the quartz.
It goes without saying that reasonable care includes not using excessive amounts or spilling it on any cement-based surfaces you're worried about etching. I'd suggest working from a pail with a brush so you don't apply too much. You'll see bubbles in the acid while it's reacting with the mortar which will slow and cease as the pH normalizes. Then you can wipe down the tile with a damp cloth and move onto the next.