Hi fellas, house is 2 years old and so is unglazed tile floors and shower surrounds. The tile looked nice and smooth in store but not so much in our house. Tiles look dirty all the time and so does grout. Is there a sealer that I can apply over tiles and grout??? Tile so rough that it shreds mop head apart. Looking for a "wet look"
Porcelan tile needing sealer???
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
Its pretty rough. Looks like slate tile but its porcelan. It's not bad on bare feet. It's defently not a glazed smooth tile though. I have the sample tile still from the store and its fairly smooth and shiny. Guess there was a sealer applied to that one.JetSwet said:
Joined
·
6,054 Posts
If the tiles are porcelain, they can not be porous, just rough. Sounds like the type of tiles that should not be used in a bath/shower, bad selection. The tiles are probably glazed, but it's a matte glaze. Glazed tiles do not have to be shiny.
Two ways to proceed without ripping all the tiles and starting from scratch.
Use a tile & grout cleaner. Then seal with a good penetrating sealer which will help keep moisture from absorbing into the grout and fill the microscopic pores of the tiles whether glazed or not. Or....
Clean as above, then apply a topical finish to give the tiles a gloss. They're available in varying gloss levels. But, this method means you'll have to keep applying the finish on a regular schedule to maintain the "look". I do not recommend this method, but you can get a gloss.
Jaz
How is that possible? Maybe you got a different tile?
Sounds like a maintenance issue to me. Do you not wipe the walls and floor after use? Ever?
A mop? You don't use mops to clean bathroom floors. You gotta get down.:laughing:
Two ways to proceed without ripping all the tiles and starting from scratch.
Use a tile & grout cleaner. Then seal with a good penetrating sealer which will help keep moisture from absorbing into the grout and fill the microscopic pores of the tiles whether glazed or not. Or....
Clean as above, then apply a topical finish to give the tiles a gloss. They're available in varying gloss levels. But, this method means you'll have to keep applying the finish on a regular schedule to maintain the "look". I do not recommend this method, but you can get a gloss.
Jaz
Joined
·
1,020 Posts
Correct, porcelin tiles arent as porus as ceramic but im pretty shore that you can only tell by the bottom of the tile which will hold water on the tile and witch will propel the water off.
The rougher the tile the less glaze its going to have and you cant seal a high glazed tile.
The rougher the tile the less glaze its going to have and you cant seal a high glazed tile.
Joined
·
10,718 Posts
That particular tile is a good tile with a very high co-efficient-of-friction rating. This means it is one of the more "slip-proof" tiles. Good for floors but not necessarily good for a shower because of the surface texture. Mineral deposits from the water will build quickly and be difficult to clean.
That tile is not porous (as porous tiles go) and has only a 0.50% water absorption rating. All porcelain tiles have microscopic pores that can collect grout color pigment and discolor the tile slightly during the grouting process. Porcelain tiles don't require a sealer but in this case the tile could be sealed to make it easier to initially clean the grout from the surface. The sealer will however wear-off in the future do to cleaning methods. Just because the tile has a rough surface doesn't mean it isn't a glazed tile in this case.
Best way to clean those tiles in the future is with a mild soap/water solution and a fiber scrubbee - NO STRING MOPS.
That tile is not porous (as porous tiles go) and has only a 0.50% water absorption rating. All porcelain tiles have microscopic pores that can collect grout color pigment and discolor the tile slightly during the grouting process. Porcelain tiles don't require a sealer but in this case the tile could be sealed to make it easier to initially clean the grout from the surface. The sealer will however wear-off in the future do to cleaning methods. Just because the tile has a rough surface doesn't mean it isn't a glazed tile in this case.
Best way to clean those tiles in the future is with a mild soap/water solution and a fiber scrubbee - NO STRING MOPS.
Right on, thanks. But i could apply a sealer type coat to give it more gloss? Like wet look. When they are washed and wet the tile looks so much better (can see all different colors/patterns) when tiles dry they look dirty no matter how hard they are scrubbed.
Joined
·
10,718 Posts
When the tiles are dry they look "dirty" because the surface is holding some grout haze. Those tiles should pop their colors just like the samples do. I would first scrub the tiles with a "grout haze remover" and see if that helps. Clean the tiles and rinse them thoroughly. Any sealers you apply will become a routine maintenance issue and that isn't what porcelain tile is all about.
The tiles need a good cleaning. If the grout haze remover doesn't work then you can use a sealer if you want the ongoing issues. The word "sealer" may be the wrong choice of words in this case. What you want to use is a "stone enhancer" to bring out the colors of the tiles and provide a "wet-look". A sealer will only leave you with what you have now. Today's sealers (when they dry) take you back to what you had to begin with. A regular sealer will not enhance the colors but a stone-enhancer will.
The tiles need a good cleaning. If the grout haze remover doesn't work then you can use a sealer if you want the ongoing issues. The word "sealer" may be the wrong choice of words in this case. What you want to use is a "stone enhancer" to bring out the colors of the tiles and provide a "wet-look". A sealer will only leave you with what you have now. Today's sealers (when they dry) take you back to what you had to begin with. A regular sealer will not enhance the colors but a stone-enhancer will.
If it is actually porcelain, then by definition it is not "porus" (porous). Porcelain means not porous. Otherwise it is regular ceramic or something else.
This tile wasn't installed backward, was it? :no:
Lol no not backwards. It is porcelean for sure. Guess I gotta live with it.jeffnc said:
Anyone know how to keep black grout looking black? It's not acrylic grout. The grout was mixed with a product called "grout boost" was told using this that it doesn't need to be sealed
Joined
·
10,718 Posts
Not necessarily true!
Porcelain tile is a tile of high density - this is true. But when porcelain tile is made it is high-fired, this process causes microscopic pores to open and remain open. Not all porcelain tiles are true porcelain tiles and the actual quality of the tiles can vary. Some lower quality so-called porcelain can and does stain when applying the grout. Porcelain tile (true porcelain tile) has a water/moisture absorption rate of only .5% giving it one of the lowest absorption rates of any tile but it is possible to stain it.
Porcelain tiles with a high level of surface texture such as this tile can also be stained by clinging onto the grout products. The surface has a high co-efficient of friction rating that makes it more slip resistant but the trade off is the possibility of surface staining.
Yes, I was exaggerating a bit to make a point. My point was, porcelain is ceramic that has .5% water absorption or less and relatively speaking it is not a porous tile.
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
