Porcelain Tile Maintenance

Act NOW to Protect your Porcelain Tiles & Grout!

Tiling is not an inexpensive exercise, so why not protect your investment:

About Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain Tiles are man made, generally by compressing dust at extremely high pressure and then firing at very high temperature. The result is a tile that is dense, impervious, fine grained and smooth, with a water absorption rate of less than 0.5 percent. Porcelain Tiles can be can either be unglazed or glazed. Porcelain tiles are available in matt / honed, unglazed or a high polished finish. A true porcelain tile is the same colour throughout the tile. If the tile chips, the same or similar colour is underneath so is less noticeable than the chipped ceramic tile. Unglazed Porcelain Tiles are strong and can withstand extreme surface traffic as there is no glaze that can wear off. However, Unglazed Porcelain Tiles can be hardener to maintain and often require sealing.

Cleaning Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain Tiles require regular cleaning with a PH neutral cleaner. Do not use bleach based or acid based products as these may damage the surface of the tile. Tiles with a rough or textured surface may benefit from the use of a doodlebug rather than a mop for a more effective clean. Note – most new Polished Porcelain Tiles are covered in a protective wax coating to prevent damage to the high gloss surface during transit / shipment. This wax coating must be thoroughly cleaned off prior to sealing.

Common Cleaning Mistakes

  • Using the wrong cleaning products – too harsh a chemical or too abrasive a cleaner.
  • Using too much product – dilute as per instructions, more is NOT better.
  • Applying too much water to the surface / flooding the area.
  • Not changing the water or cleaning solution often enough.
  • Not finishing with a rinse to remove any cleaner / chemical residue.
  • Leaving residual moisture on the floors – make sure to dry mop, wet vac or dry with an old towel or rag so that there is no residual moisture left on the floors (especially in the grout joints).

Sealing Porcelain Tiles

Act NOW to Protect Your Porcelain Tiles & Grout…. Glazed Porcelain Tiles are not porous and therefore do NOT require sealing. With Polished Porcelain Tiles, the surface of the tile is not actually glazed – they are unglazed tiles which have a polished exterior. The process of polishing opens the microscopic pores on the surface of the tile which means that Polished Porcelain Tiles DO require sealing to prevent staining. Further, as mentioned above, most Polished Porcelain Tiles are covered in a protective wax coating to prevent damage to the high gloss surface during transit / shipment. This wax coating must be thoroughly removed prior to sealing. At Total TileCare we strongly recommend that any newly laid Polished Porcelain Tiles and grout be sealed immediately so that the area gains the full benefit of the protection.

  1. Prevent unsightly stains
  2. Prevent discolouration
  3. Keep your tiled floors looking better for longer

About Grout

Grout is a porous product and should always be sealed. Once discoloured, regrouting or recolouring (using an epoxy based sealant) are the best options for renewing grout that has not been sealed previously.

How Total TileCare Can Help

Newly Laid Tiles

Professional Tile Cleaning – to remove grout residue or grout haze.

Professional Sealing – to protect the new Porcelain Tiles & grout.

Existing Tiles

Professional Tile Cleaning – to remove build-up of dirt and other contaminants.

Professional Sealing or Re-Sealing – to protect the Porcelain Tiles &/or grout.

Tile Regrouting – for cracked, deteriorated or discoloured grout.

At Total TileCare we offer cleaning & sealing of both new and existing tiles.

For an obligation free quotation, please phone…

FreeCall 1800 02 02 03 - Sydney Wide

Total TileCare
Experts in tile regrouting, tile cleaning, tile sealing, grout recolouring and repairing leaking showers.