Porcelain Tile Cleaning Archives - Leicestershire Tile Doctor

Porcelain Tile Cleaning

Welcome to my Work History archive where you will find detailed examples of the cleaning and renovation of Porcelain tiles carried out in Leicestershire

Harder than ceramic tiles modern production methods have allowed a growth in the availability and design of Porcelain tiles which are known for their durability and water resistance making them a popular option for floors. Like Ceramic, Porcelain tiles are generally very easy to clean and need little maintenance however some are micro porous and do require sealing, you will need to ask you supplier which type you have installed as it can be very difficult to tell.

If your Porcelain tiles are of the micro porous variety then they will need to be sealed to avoid a build-up of dirt in the pores of the tile. For this we recommend Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal which works by impregnating the pores to ensure dirt can’t become ingrained there without changing the appearance of the tile itself.

Apart from sealing the biggest issues with this type of tile are usually grout related. Either the adjacent grout discolours over time or the tiler has been unable to remove excess grout from the surface of the tile, an issue known as Grout Haze or Grout Smears. Modern grouts can be particularly susceptible to the grout haze issue due to shorter working times and polymers in the grout which make it difficult to remove once dry. If this sounds familiar do contact us so we can advise you on how best to remove it.

Below you will find detailed examples of work we have carried out in the past, it should give you some idea of what’s involved and what can be achieved with the right techniques and products.

Removing Grout Haze from Wood Effect Porcelain Floor Tiles in Stoneygate

Post Installation Clean of Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles in Stoneygate Leicester

The floor in the Kitchen photos of a property in the Leicester suburb of Stoneygate are not as you might think made of wood but are in fact Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles. They had recently been installed but unfortunately the tiler had not managed to remove all the grout resulting in a film of grout haze on the surface. This film does affect the appearance of the tile and due to the textured nature of the grout it will also attract dirt more easily making it much more difficult to keep clean.

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor During Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor Before Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester

Normally grout haze can be removed using an acid-based product such as Tile Doctor Grout-Clean-up however this was a modern polymer cement grout which is much harder to remove. Unsure how resolve the problem we were tasked by our customer to remove the grout haze and clean up the tiles to improve their appearance.

Removing Grout Haze from a Wood Effect Porcelain Tiled Floor

Before tackling the grout haze, the floor was thoroughly vacuumed and a silicone seal ran along the kitchen unit end panels to help protect against moisture ingress during cleaning.

The next step was to break down the polymers in the grout haze using Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a versatile floor cleaning product we usually use to remove coatings such as sealers. This was allowed to dwell prior to agitation with an abrasive Tile Doctor 800-grit diamond pad. The resultant slurry was then rinsed off the tiles with water and extracted with a wet vacuum.

Next, I tackled the grout haze by giving the floor a wash and scrub in Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up diluted 1 to 10 with water. This product is designed for removing grout haze or grout smears as its sometimes referred to. This was agitated with a White floor pad getting into grain of the wood effect and removing the remaining grout and paint spots from decorating. Once done the floor was rinsed with water again and the slurry extracted using a wet vacuum as before.

Sealing Grout on a Porcelain Tiled Floor

With the grout haze removed the floor looked so much better and due to the nature of Porcelain should stay that way. Grout however is easily stained and there’s much more risk of that happening in a Kitchen so before leaving I agreed to seal the grout.

First the grout needed to be dry so I force dried the tiles with floor fans, then applied Tile Doctors Ultra Seal ‘natural look’ impregnating sealer to the grout lines.

Wood Effect Porcelain Floor After Grout Haze Removal Stoneygate Leicester

For aftercare I left my client with a bottle of Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a gentle but effective cleaning product designed for use on tile and stone.