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 South Lancashire

Cleaning and Polishing Porcelain tiles

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.

Porcelain Tiled Plank Floor Leigh Grout Colouring

Planked Effect Porcelain Floor Renovated after Water Damage in Leigh

Grout Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning /

I was originally called to this home in Leigh to deep clean approx. 100m2 of porcelain floor tiles in the living area after recent works, but plans changed somewhat when I arrived.

Porcelain Tiled Plank Floor Leigh Before Renovation

On my arrival the owners informed me that since my last visit to quote for cleaning the Porcelain floor a leak had come through the ceiling. This had left the previously dark grout in the textured ‘plank’ effect porcelain looking washed out and, leaving the floor in need of a refresh. I strongly suspect it wasn’t the leak that caused the problem, but the use of strong cleaning products used afterwards to clean up the mess, a lot of these cleaning products contain bleach, and this can wash the colour out of grout.

Out of interest the main issue we encounter with this type of flooring is grout haze, which occurs when the installer doesn’t manage to remove all the grout. This results in a thin film of grout on the surface which detracts from the final appearance. This probably happens with all installations but is certainly very evident on porcelain. The solution is to give the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Grout Clean Up, but most tilers don’t bother.

After discussion it was agreed to re-focus the time, we had available on the grout. However, after a deep clean it became clear the grout would need recolouring to look it’s best.

Grout Colouring Porcelain Floor Tiles with Chocolate Grout Colouring

Applying a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant in Chocolate colour was the ideal solution and after an urgent call to Tile Doctor HQ I set up a delivery to ensure it would be with us the next morning.

In the meantime, I continued the preparation of the grout and cleaning of the tiles using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which not only removes the grout haze but will also etch the surface of the grout to ensure a superior bond with the colourant.

That afternoon we also discussed the high gloss porcelain floor in the hallway, the owners had spent a lot of time polishing it themselves since installation and were not completely happy with it. I setup a floor buffer fitted with a 3000-grit pad and dry burnished a small section in the hallway. The difference was obvious, and they could see an immediate improvement, as a result they decided to rebook me to do a day polishing as well once the living room was completed.

I returned on day two to find the colourant had arrived and so started the process of recolouring the grout with the chocolate colourant. This is a straightforward process but very time consuming as with these thin planks there were a lot of grout lines to cover.

Afterwards the tiles were gently buffed with a White pad before leaving to dry. The owners were very pleased with the result commenting we had done a “brilliant job in the front room.” Later he added the following feedback:

“Kevin was excellent and did a fantastic job at the house.”
Porcelain Tiled Plank Floor Leigh After Grout Colouring

They also booked us in to do the polish on the next available date, but I’ll discuss that in a separate post.

Porcelain Tiled Plank Floor Leigh After Grout Colouring Porcelain Tiled Plank Floor Leigh After Grout Colouring

 

Professional Restoration of a Porcelain Planked Tiled Living Area in Greater Manchester

Planked Effect Porcelain Floor Renovated after Water Damage in Leigh Read More »

High-Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Polishing Atherton

High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Kitchen Floor in Atherton

Porcelain Tile Cleaning /

The tiled floor shown isn’t Marble, it is actually high gloss Porcelain made to look like Marble installed in a house near Atherton. This was my second visit to the property after originally resolving several issues with another Porcelain tiled floor that was laid with wood grain effect Porcelain planks.

High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Atherton Before Polishing High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Atherton Before Polishing

I had noticed the floor in the Kitchen whilst working at the property on my first visit and so I offered to improve its appearance using a 3000-grit polishing pad. Impressed with the difference I was able to achieve I was booked in to do the whole floor.

Cleaning a Marble Effect Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor

On arrival I took some readings with a gloss meter so I could assess the gloss levels before and after the work, this would enable me to assess the level of improvement once finished. Sometimes it is difficult to see the difference, so this meter is useful for validating the process actually made an improvement, in this case however I need not have worried!

High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Atherton During Polishing High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Atherton During Polishing

This was a large area, but I was confident that the polishing could be done in a day. The process involves fitting a 3000-grit diamond burnishing pad to a floor buffer and slowly running the pad over each tile at least three times. This very fine diamond pad gently cleans and brings up the polished appearance of the Porcelain. The whole area is polished in this manner and then followed up with a soft white buffing pad just to further refine the polished appearance.

High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Atherton During Polishing

In addition, we removed some silicone sealant that had spread onto tiles from the adjoining expansion joints.

The gloss meter readings confirmed an improvement and as the owner pointed out the floor now looked like it had water on the surface, such was the deep nature of the polish I had managed to achieve.

Gloss Meter Reading Atherton Before Polishing
Gloss Meter Reading Before Polishing		 Gloss Meter Reading Atherton After Polishing
Gloss Meter Reading After Polishing

Sealing High Gloss Porcelain Tiles

In this instance there was no need to seal the floor as this type of Porcelain is sealed in the factory during production. However, the last step before leaving was to discuss aftercare cleaning.

High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Atherton After Polishing High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Floor Atherton After Polishing

For this floor I recommended Tile Doctor Stone Soap, whilst I appreciate this is not a stone floor this product contains a patina enhancer that will help maintain the polished appearance of the tile.

My clients were delighted with the work we carried out.

 

Professional Polishing of a High Gloss Porcelain Tiled Kitchen Floor in Greater Manchester

High Gloss Marble Effect Porcelain Kitchen Floor in Atherton Read More »

Very Dirty Porcelain Kitchen Tiles Refreshed in Heywood

Very Dirty Porcelain Kitchen Tiles Refreshed in Heywood

1 Comment / Heywood Tile Cleaning, Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Work History /

Porcelain tiles are known to be provide durability at a reasonably low cost in comparison to some other types of stone flooring however you do have to be careful as many varieties are micro-porous and need to be sealed to ensure dirt doesn’t become ingrained making them difficult to clean.

Porcelain Floor Tiles Before Cleaning in Heywood
I recently visited a customer in Heywood, which sits between Bury and Rochdale, who was suffering from this exact problem. Their Porcelain kitchen tiles had been laid about twelve months prior as part of some changes to the property. Unfortunately, builder’s dirt, grout and plaster got stuck to the tiles during the building works and nothing the customer had tried could get it out. The customer was very unhappy with the floor and thought that nothing would resolve the issue, they had even considered ripping it out and getting new flooring.

Porcelain Floor Tiles Before Cleaning in Heywood
As their last cry for help, they got in touch with Tile Doctor and being their local representative, I went around to take a look at the problem. I conducted a test clean using Tile Doctor Pro Clean, which is our highly reliable alkaline-based cleaner for tile and stone. The product was scrubbed into a test patch of the tile and grout with a black pad. The results were promising and so the customer booked a day for us to do the job.

Cleaning a Dirty Micro Porous Porcelain Tiled Floor

On our return we repeated the process with Pro-Clean using a black scrubbing pad this time fitted to a heavy rotary machine which weighs 41kg! This combined with the Pro Clean gave the tile and grout a deep clean. Some stubborn areas were scrubbed by hand, especially in the corners where machine would not reach. The grout lines were also given special attention with a grout brush and more Pro-Clean to get them clean again.

Porcelain Floor Tiles During Cleaning in Heywood
The now dirty cleaning solution was rinsed with water and then removed using a wet vacuum. Being micro-porous the tiles didn’t take too long to dry.

Porcelain Floor Tiles During Cleaning in Heywood

Sealing a Micro Porous Porcelain Tiled Floor

The results from the cleaning were great so, once the floor had dried completely, we sealed the tiles using a coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal to protect them from dirt becoming ingrained in the pores of the Porcelain and Grout and also to ensure the floor would be much easier to clean in future.

Ultra-Seal is a premium quality sealer which offers a natural look finish and is designed to provide maximum stain protection, which makes it excellent for use in food preparation and serving areas such as this kitchen. It also very works well as a grout sealer.

Porcelain Floor Tiles After Cleaning and Sealing in Heywood
The customer was over the moon with the outcome of the clean. Perhaps most importantly, this job has saved them the significant cost of having to replace the floor. Another satisfied customer!

Porcelain Floor Tiles After Cleaning and Sealing in Heywood
 

Builders Clean of a Dirty Micro-Porcelain Tiled Floor in Lancashire

Very Dirty Porcelain Kitchen Tiles Refreshed in Heywood Read More »

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