Tile & Grout Maintenance
TILE & GROUT MAINTENANCE
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Most types of tiles are made from clay, or a mixture of clay and other materials, and are known as “Ceramic Tiles.” These tiles are split into two groups, porcelain tiles and non-porcelain tiles, where non-porcelain tiles are frequently referred to as, simply, ceramic tiles. Non-porcelain ceramic tiles are almost always finished with a durable glaze, which carries the color and pattern, and are very suitable for light to moderate traffic. They generally have a relatively high water absorption rating, making them less frost resistant and more prone to wearing and chipping than porcelain tiles.
Porcelain tiles are generally made by a dust-pressed method from porcelain clays, which results in a tile that is dense, impervious, fine grained, and smooth. These tiles come in both glazed and unglazed forms. Porcelain tiles usually have a much lower water absorption rate than non-porcelain ceramic tiles, making them frost resistant. Full body porcelain tiles carry the color and pattern through the entire thickness of the tile, which makes them virtually impervious to wear and suitable for any application.
CLEANING YOUR TILE & GROUT
Maintaining your tile is easy. Keeping tile and grout free of dust and dry, sandy soil will minimize scratches, wear patterns, and grout soiling. The easiest way to prevent this is to use walk-off mats to trap abrasive soil before it gets onto the floor. Similarly, you should sweep, dust, or vacuum your surfaces regularly to remove loose soil and dust.
The tile and grout can be cleaned using warm water and a clean, non-abrasive cloth sponge or mop. Use a neutral cleaner, such as Revitalizer, that is specially formulated for tile and grout to help remove soils that sweeping leaves behind. For extremely soiled tile, clean with products like KlenzAll, a heavy duty alkaline cleaner and degreaser. Do not use ordinary household cleaners, as you may degrade the sealer that was applied to the grout to protect against stains.
SEALING YOUR TILE & GROUT
Glazed tiles are coated with a liquid glass, which provides an unlimited array of colors and designs while protecting the tile from staining. A glaze tile is already stain proof, so there is no need to put on a sealer. However, the grout joint between the tiles is usually very porous and generally made of cement-based material. Therefore, grout joints typically will need to be sealed and maintained properly to prevent stains and discoloration. Grout is best protected with a flurochemical-based sealer, such as Dupont Heavy Duty Sealer.
