Caring for Your Tile

 

Ceramic & Porcelain Tile, Natural Stone, and Grout care

Ceramic & Porcelain

Ceramic and porcelain tile are a kiln-fired product and are available in glazed or unglazed finishes.  These tiles are baked under high heat making them very hard and often highly resistant or impervious to liquid stains.  Ceramic and porcelain tile are available in a multitude of colors, textures, shapes and are often designed to mirror natural stone surfaces and generally are easier to take care of than most natural stone surfaces.

 

The surface of most ceramic and porcelain tile does not need to be sealed, although some require a light application of a penetrating sealer to fill the micro pores on the surface of the tile.  However, the grout joint between the tiles is usually very porous and generally made of a cement based material.  Therefore, grout joints typically will need to be sealed and maintained properly to prevent stains and discoloration.

 

Natural Stone

Natural stones are a very porous material which have been formed over millions of years but improper care can ruin nature’s beauty.  When sealing this type of material an impregnating or penetrating sealer is required just like with grout or cement based material.  With natural stones you can either enhance the stones natural look or just seal the stone and leaving the natural beauty.  Enhancing the stone will not change the colors but just bring out as much of the natural color of the stone as possible.

 

There are a wide variety of sealers available, so you need to select one for your specific needs.  Penetrating sealers will help protect against water and oil based stains.  Industry professionals now recognize that grout and stones are best protected with fluorochemical-based sealer.

 

When sealing any material, care needs to be taken as to the amount of sealer used; any excess sealer needs to be removed.  It is not recommended to apply a thick coat in one application; instead the application of several thin coats is recommended, allowing drying time between coats as needed.

 

What to do when spills occur

No matter how careful we are, spills are going to occur.  The best solution is a quick response and the use of an appropriate tile cleaner to keep spills from damaging your ceramic or porcelain tiles, natural stones, and particularly your grout.

  
Grout Etching
Grout etching is a process where highly acidic substances, such as orange juice, coffee, vinegar, wine, tomato-based products, mustard and many soft drinks will leave an “etch,” a chemical reaction that may leave a dull area or mark. Properly sealing the grout will give you time to wipe up a spill to avoid staining, but it cannot prevent etching. In addition, ordinary household cleaners with colored dyes or those containing bleach, ammonia or abrasives are not recommended for ceramic, porcelain tile and grout. They may damage the surface and likely degrade the sealer that is applied to the grout, which provides stain protection.
 
Etching can also occur with your natural stone so care needs to be taken to help prevent this. As with grout highly acidic substances left on your stone will break down the sealer that was applied and could turn the stones colors leaving a dull area. And the best solution is a quick response not allowing the acidic substance to remove the sealer and penetrate the stone.
 
Food Spills
 Scoop up food and then blot with a dry white cloth. Then clean the area affected with a gentle cleanser.
Liquid Spills
Blot up the excess with a clean, dry cloth. Then clean the area affected with a gentle cleanser.
Mud

Let the mud stain dry completely. Remove dried mud with a soft plastic nylon brush. And then cleanse the area with a gentle cleaner and wipe up excess with a dry cloth.

 

Roma Tile carries a variety of cleaners and sealers along with some every day cleaners. The products that are carried by Roma Tile are proven cleaners and sealers from such companies as StoneTech and Sparks Southwest.
Cleaning procedures and recommendation
Keeping your ceramic, porcelain tiles, natural stones, and grout free of dust and dry, sandy soil will minimize scratches, wear patterns and grout soiling that can develop from everyday use and traffic. Sweep, dust or vacuum surfaces regularly to remove loose soil and dust. Clean your tile and grout using warm water and a clean nonabrasive cloth sponge or mop. Use a neutral cleaner that is specially formulated for material you are cleaning to help remove soils that sweeping, dusting, vacuuming or damp mopping leave behind. Do not use ordinary household cleaners, as you may damage the tile and grout and breakdown the sealer that was applied to protect against stains. This includes not using acidic or alkaline cleaners, bleach, abrasives or ammoniated cleaners.
 
   
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