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Glasgow Tile Doctor
Steve is your Tile Doctor specialist covering the restoration of all types of stone and tiled flooring including Ceramic, Limestone, Marble, Porcelain, Quarry Tile, Sandstone, Slate, Terracotta, Terrazzo, Travertine, Victorian and Vinyl.
DRB 17 Inch 200 Grit Coarse Diamond Milling Pad with Segments
Coarse 17 inch 200 grit milling pad with DRB (Diamond Resin Block) segments for milling rough or uneven stone floors and resolving lippage issues.
£142.50
Testimonials
Porcelain tile cleaning and maintenance
Category
Help with Tile and Stone  >  Porcelain Tile Cleaning
Porcelain Tile Cleaning

Harder than ceramic tiles modern production methods have spurred 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. Porcelain tiles come in three categories and its well worth knowing which type you have in order to maintain them properly, it can be very difficult to tell so if your unsure you will need to ask your supplier.

Single Bodied Porcelain - The manufacturing process of single bodied porcelain is similar to that of ceramic tiles and involves the porcelain clay being added on top of another clay, these tiles are usually cheaper to buy than a full bodied porcelain but can be maintained using the same methods as full bodied (see below), the disadvantage however is if chipped the base clay will show through and so are generally considered to be an inferior product.

Full Bodied Porcelain - With full bodied porcelain the colour of the porcelain clay runs all the way through the tile, therefore if it is chipped the colour is still present and any damage will not be as noticeable; to produce these tiles they are fired at a much higher temperature than the standard ceramic tiles and have virtually replaced the ceramic tile market in the last twenty years as full bodied porcelain tiles are fully vitrified (frost proof), can be installed on a wall or floor, internal or external and thus gives them a large scope of usage.
This type of porcelain do not require a sealer unless they are textured, see the Sealing section at the bottom of this page for more information.

Micro-Porous Porcelain - This method of tile production is mainly applied to polished porcelain, the micro porous holes aid in adding friction to the surface to reduce slipping on the tile, however it is normally recognised that these holes need to be filled with an impregnating sealer such as Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal prior to being grouted as this will prevent the grout getting into the micro porous holes.  The impregnating sealer sits below the level of the tile and will not upset the balance of the friction which has been created to reduce slippage provided all excess sealer had been polished off within ten minutes of application.  Ultra-Seal is a matt finish sealer and will not change the colour of the tile but a slight darker tone will be apparent after it has dried.

Cleaning Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles are generally fully glazed, even the matt porcelain tile is fully glazed so this means they won't need to be sealed unless they are textured (see below) however the textured tiles can trap dirt in the groves (unless sealed) and thus will need to be cleaned out with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and rinsed with water afterwards.

Polished Porcelain tiles generally only require a light clean using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner where only a couple of cap fulls diluted in a bucket of warm water should be sufficient. Additionally We find that a Green No. 4 Burnishing pad attached to a slow speed buffing machine will polish up the porcelain to a very high shine, then use a vacuum to remove any dust created. Using excessive amounts of cleaning agents on polished porcelain actually creates problems with chemical build-up so the method recommend above is the correct process for these type of tiles.

If grout smears (also known as grout haze) are present following installation then use Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to remove them, for situations where the haze is very stubborn then use Tile Doctor Acid Gel instead.
Shower Cubicles and Wet Rooms will need a spray on product such as Tile Doctor Oxy-Pro for cleaning the tiles, we also find Mould Away works equally well on removing mould spores and cleaning dirty grout.  Once clean and dry we recommend sealing the grout with Tile Doctor Wall Grout Sealer (see below).
Once clean and dry we recommend sealing the grout with Tile Doctor Wall Grout Sealer which will protect the grout and make it much easier to clean in future.
If the grout is the patchy after it is cleaned and before it is sealed we recommend instead of grout sealing use a Grout Colourant instead, this will restore the appearance of the grout which has lost its colour dye from heavy usage of bleaching agents.
Spray on Tile Doctor Aqua Pro after showering to eliminate acid build-up from the use of soaps, shampoos and body-washes, this will not damage any sealer or grout colourant that has been applied.
To remove rust stains Tile Doctor has developed Rust Away which is a gel based product unique to the market place which can be brushed or sponged onto vertical surfaces without drips forming, use as directed for best results.

Most Ceramic tiles are quite easy to clean with these methods however grout is normally recessed and this can act as a dirt trap on floor tiles when they are mopped leading to a build-up of dirt on the grout, this can be resolved using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then once clean and fully dry, seal the grout with one coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal applied using a pipette along the grout line.

Sealing Porcelain Tiles

Here at Tile Doctor we often get asked to recommend a sealer for Porcelain Tiles; the simple answer is they don't usually need one however there are a couple of exceptions:
We recommend that Micro-Porous Porcelain is sealed with a coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal before grouting to prevent the tiny holes being filled with grout during installation.
Textured Porcelain tiles that simulate the appearance of Slate and Stone often benefit from one coat of Tile Doctor Seal and Go as this stops the dirt trapping itself into the texture of the tile.  Seal and Go is however a satin finish sealer so will leave the tiles with a satin finish.

For many examples of Porcelain tile cleaning activities carried out by UK Tile Doctors please visit http://Porcelain.TileCleaning.co.uk

 

Recommended Products for Porcelain Tiles

When using our products please take time to familiarise yourself with the directions on the back of the bottle first.

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17 Inch  3000 Grit Very Fine Salmon No.4 Burnishing Pad
Final Polishing, use dry, add a small amount of water to get a High Shine Finish.
700005
£45.00
In Stock!

Grout Colourant
Easy-to use waterborne epoxy that recolours, seals and rejuvenates existing grout joints. Recommended for use on sanded, unsanded and epoxy grout joints.
210237
£26.80
In Stock!

Grout Colourant Kit
All-in-one Grout Colourant kit to prep, recolour and seal your grout joints. Kit contains 237ml Grout Colorant, 750ml Grout Colorant Pre-Treat Cleaner, grout brush and scrub pad.
210401
£35.00
In Stock!

Grout Colourant Pre-Treat Cleaner 750ml ( with trigger spray )
Effective ready-to-use cleaner designed to lightly etch and also remove dirt, soil, soap scum and hard water deposits from grout joints. Use before applying Grout Colourant to prepare the grout joints for a superior bond with the Grout Colourant.
210502
£11.90
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Acid Gel 1 Litre
PH1 blend of Phosphoric and Hydrochloric acids in a gel form for the treatment of grout haze (grout smears) and efflorescence on wall and floor tiles. The gel is especially effective on vertical or sloped surface where where more dwell time is required.
776100
£13.90
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro ( with trigger spray )
Tile Doctor Aqua-Pro is an effective yet pH neutral tile and grout cleaner designed for every day use in bathrooms and kitchens. The neutral formula eliminates soap scum build-up and hard water deposits when used regularly.
724500
£11.20
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Duo Clean 1 litre
Fast effective double action grout cleaner and mould remover. Cleans up grout and can remove mould and blackspot from grout and silicone and is suitable for use on plastic and enamel baths and showers
781052
£10.80
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up 1 Litre
Grout Clean-Up contains concentrated phosphoric acid and cleaner designed to penetrate below the surface to remove light grout smears (grout haze), mineral deposits, rust stains and efflorescence.
770946
£12.60
In Stock!

Tile Doctor High Shine Sealer 1 litre
Tile Doctor High Shine Sealer is a specially formulated water-based blend of acrylic polymers that provides both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable high-sheen finish eliminating the need for two products.
730246
£18.90
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Pro-Clean 1 Litre
A concentrated, multi-purpose high-alkaline cleaner, stripper and degreaser. Best for Heavily Soiled & Neglected Tile, Stone or Grout.
760946
£15.20
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Rust Away 1 Litre
Rust-Away is used to remove embeded rust stains on any type of Stone or Clay based tile including Terracotta, Porcelain and Ceramic Tile.
779100
£24.50
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Rust Away 5 Litre
Rust-Away is used to remove embeded rust stains on any type of Stone or Clay based tile including Terracotta, Porcelain and Ceramic Tile.
775100
£103.10
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal 1 litre
Premium, no-sheen, natural-look, solvent-based penetrating sealer formulated to provide maximum stain protection, especially in food preparation and serving areas.
740246
£39.40
In Stock!

Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal 5 litre
Premium, no-sheen, natural-look, solvent-based penetrating sealer formulated to provide maximum stain protection, especially in food preparation and serving areas.
745246
£179.20
In Stock!

Ask the Tile Doctor
If you have a problem with your Tile and Stone why not ask the Tile Doctor for advice.

Contact us for a personal solution to your tile installation problem by calling us on 0345 512 0122 or e-mail Info@TileDoctor.co.uk. Please include as much detail about your issue as possible and if you feel it will help attach a photograph. Our Tile Doctor have many years of experience of dealing with the typical issues that people experience and were confident we can find the right solution.


Alternately take a look at one of our dedicated sites below where we detail real examples of issues faced by our customers and how they were resolved.

Ceramic Tiles | Church Floors | Encaustic Cement | Stone Fireplaces | Grout | Limestone | Marble | Pamments | Patios | Porcelain Tiles | Quarry Tiles | Sandstone Flagstones | Shower Tiles | Slate Tiles | Swimming Pools | Terracotta Tiles | Terrazzo | Travertine | Victorian Tiles | Vinyl | Stone Worktops



Porcelain tiles are a very popular and hard wearing option these days due their durability, water and scratch resistance.
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