cleaning polished porcelain tiles

[Neil Keech]

Hi,
We have just had 85sqm of polished porcelien tiles laid, when the tiling was competed the guys washed the whole area with water only, then applied the Lithofin FZ Protective Impregnator, grouted and then washed down agian with warm water. The dry grout powder has come off no problem but on lots of the other tiles there are smears/stains that we think is wax residue that I'm told is sometimes applied to the tiles during packaging to prevent scratching. We have tried all sorts of things to remove this but nothing so far has worked, used Lithofin Wax Off, cost me a fortune but still nothing. My question is- Is it the FZ Protective Impregnator that has been applied to in affect dirty tiles that is preventing the cleaning, if so, or not can anybody suggest a way forward. I will of course talk to the tiler but wanted to do a bit of research first.

Many thanks Neil

 

[Dan]

Can you take any pictures of an example for us to take a look at? Perhaps a tile that's fine and a tile with the problem?

 

[enduro]

You could try Aqua mix Phosphoric acid substitute, i have used it to clean porcelain and it works a treat, just follow instructions.

 

[jay]

hi yes some porc do come with a wax coat for protection the normal steps are lay tiles let dry then de wax befor grouting( i use a tile product designed for removal of wax from tiles called degreaser by warrens also sure clean does the same check with your supplier once clean grout leave 24 hours then seal impregnate norm 2 coates 2nd coat you buff off befor dry

 

[Floor_Restorer]

Hi Neil,

I've cleaned and resealed a lot of polished porcelain, and the wax residue on certain tiles (usually darker tiles or black) needs to be removed with a degreaser. We use LTP Grimex, Lithofin Wexa, Xola CDX, depending on the job. We then let it thoroughly dry and then apply a light coat of a polished surface sealant such as LTP MPG. Once dry we then buff it over with a mechanical polisher/buffer and a white 3M pad to push it into the tiles and bring up the shine. we repeat that 2-3 times depending on the absorbancy.

Hope that helps,

Tom.

 

[aussiesil]

Here in oz it is modern to use large porcelain tiles for walls of kitchen as splashback. It looks great but when i cook and you get splatters of food,oil,fats etc on the tiles i find it smears when you clean it off and you can see wipe marks in the daylight. How do i keep it always looking smear free or do i have to seal it with a porcelain tile sealer. t
thanks sil:yikes:

 

[Floor_Restorer]

Hi Sil,

I would definately seal the splash backs, as this would really help with the staining and cleaning.

Thanks,

Tom