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How to: Clean | Seal | Restore
Porcelain Tile
Sealing - Cleaning - Problem Solving - Protection - Care
Porcelain tile are not a glazed tile. They are the same extremely hard, durable, nonabsorbent material all the way through. The smooth tile face finishing process creates microscopic open pores (micro pores).
"Stone Look" has stone texture and colors pressed into the face. its needs are discussed here, however, see the "Stone Look" tile page because "Stone Look" tile can be made from other materials than porcelain.
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There is no need for confusion or problems brought about by misidentification of a surface type, yet it happens all too often. If you would like to see why this is the case and how to properly identify a surfacing material .....
Click here
If you are concerned about doing it yourself - consider that the satisfaction of a project is directly related to your knowledge of what needs to be done and how. Who actually does the work is less important. We estimate that 25% of the usage of Aldon products is by "do it yourself" homeowners and we know they are happy because we hear from them.
MATERIAL DESCRIPTION - With Identifying Characteristics
- High fired and very tough and durable.
- Textured type provides traction.
- Heavy textures can be improved for dirt retention. See below.
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ADVANTAGES TO THIS MATERIAL
- Dense, hard, tough
- Comes in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and textures.
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CONSIDERATIONS (All Are Preventable!)
(Click links for Aldon's solutions to these issues!)
- For textured face tile - do not use a sealer as a grout barrier
(pre-seal). Prevent grout smears, surface scratching and keep grout residue out of surface texture by coating with Aldon "Grout Easy" before grouting. "Grout Easy" is a water soluble coating that comes off easily while grout is being cleaned up with water and a sponge.
- If the tile was installed without using "Grout Easy" and you now have a grout haze to clean off the tile face, use Aldon Grout Residue Remover.
- Efflorescence (subsurface originating white powdery stains) can occur on the grout. However, it is
easily cleaned.
- Grout can have light efflorescence, but that
can be stopped by sealing with the appropriate Aldon sealer.
- Some manufacturers ship their porcelain tile with a coating on the face to ease the grouting process (act as a grout release). The coating materials can vary from weak sealers to greases or oils. These coatings can cause problems after installation and should be removed after grouting. See the Aldon
 section for the page
Redoing a Previously Sealed Surface! as these factory applied coatings fall within that category.
- Sometimes porcelain tile will vary from batch to batch in terms of smoothness of finish. If the tile finish or color is uneven or "dull", test Aldon SBS Sealer to even out gloss, enhance dull colors, and seal the grout in the same operation. The sealer's low gloss finish will also make cleaning easier.
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PROTECTION:
Typically, Porcelain tile do not need to be sealed, but they do need surface protection to impede dirt collection and improve ease of cleaning. Aldon Tile Cover will provide these improvements. However, first the grout must be sealed. See below. A technique to fill and seal the micro pores (if they exist in your tile) is to seal the tile and grout with S-B-S Sealer. This will usually create a light gloss on the tile face. If desired, this gloss can be then be removed with
lacquer thinner so that the end result is a filling of the micro pores without creating a glossy finish.
Following are recommendations for products you may need (in sequence of use ) for whichever of the categories applies to you. Please review each and mark your printed
worksheet accordingly.
Layed, But Not Grouted
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 Grout Easy
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 Efflorescence Treatment
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 Grout Residue
Remover
(should not be needed after using Grout Easy)
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Grouted, But Not Sealed
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Grout Residue
Remover
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Efflorescence Treatment
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.............Sealer ( see below )
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 Lifeguard
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Care ...........
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Sealer Has Been Applied
Important! - First -
Click here!
 Premium Stripper- ...........Cleaners ?
- ...........Sealer ( see below )
- Lifeguard
- Care ..........
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An Aldon sealer does far more than just bead water and look pretty! To see what that is
click here.
Important: If your project has had any sealer applied in the past, it must be evaluated differently. To see why,
Click here! To insure a good bond of the sealer to the tile face - be sure to clean off any residual coatings (oils, waxes, sealers) that might come from the tile manufacturer. Usually lacquer thinner will accomplish this.
"Same Day Sealer"
Water Based - Penetrating Type
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For sealing the grout only, not the tile.
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One application to seal the grout and wipe from the tile face.
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No change to color
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No gloss
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"Crystal Glaze Sealer"
Water Based - Coating Type
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"S-B-S Sealer"
Solvent Based - Penetrating Type
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One Application
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Some Color Enhancement
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Medium (matte) finish on the tile and little or no gloss on the grout unless multiple applications build up to higher gloss.
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Creating gloss provides easier cleaning, especially in commercial applications.
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Best choice for filling micro pores
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* Note: "Lifeguard" will add another level of gloss to any of the above sealed surfaces.
It also prevents traffic wear to the sealers finish.
Or - To create an almost invisible film because you do not want gloss, but do want to improve a dirt grabbing texture,
see  "Tile Cover"
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