Advice on Sealing Porcelain tile [Archive] - Ceramic Tile Advice Forums - John Bridge Ceramic Tile

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rider89
07-04-2009, 11:40 AM
I have a new floor in a porcelain tile that has a rather rough stone-like finish and I'm doing the final acid clean, rinse, grout seal.
The tile surface does not absorb stains at all (pretty much anything wipes right off), but the problem is that the roughness of the surface seems to get smudged easily from a person's shoes that had walked on the dirty areas.
I'm thinking once the whole place is cleaned, maybe the footprint thing will be a non-issue, but on the other hand, maybe the tile should be sealed?
Is sealing this kind of tile going to cause more trouble in the future regarding residues, etc ?
If sealing is advised, any recommendations on the product?
Thanks

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Davestone
07-04-2009, 05:18 PM
No sealer advised it can only lead to problems as it won't be absorbed.I would invest in a neutral cleaner and wetvac, and maybe a cheap buffer with semi soft scrub brush or medium pads.

rider89
07-04-2009, 05:45 PM
I was thinking that coatings might be a residue problem. Thanks for the reinforcement on that.
I guess I'll just concentrate on getting the whole place cleaned up before I worry about it. The smudgies do wipe off easily.
Thanks again.
Bill

SABoyt
07-04-2009, 10:10 PM
I would first do an absorbency test on the tile. If it is un-glazed, it might be absorbent. Put a drop of water on the tile and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Wipe it away and see if the tile shows a different shade where the water was. If so, it is absorbent enough to take a sealer. You can increase the dwell time up to 10 minutes to test the actual rate of absorbency, but the 2-3 minutes should give you an idea.

If the tile shade changes, i would seal the tile with a good impregnating stone sealer. If the water is not absorbed, the sealer won't be either.