Do I need sealing matt porceliane tiles?

[deca]

Hello,

My shower room was tiled.
I bought the tiles Regal Grey Matt from topp tiles for the floor and it says that "These tiles require sealing."
My tiler told me that the shop says it so they can sell me the sealant.

I would appreciate your comments, please. do I need to seal the tiles or not, please?

Regards,
Denise

 

[pete f]

if it says seal then seal them

 

[beanz]

Basically grout clings to the Matt finish, and is difficult to remove. I don't think the tiles will have the microscopic holes that polished porcelain tiles have. Why the tiler would want to make his job harder than it needs to be, I can't imagine!?! Just make sure that you're happy with the finish before you pay him. Look down the tiles from the side, and if there's a hazy film over them, make sure it all gets removed.

 

[White Room]

Put a drop of water on the tile surface and see if it soaks in....

 

[beanz]

Put a drop of water on the tile surface and see if it soaks in....

Im pretty sure it won't, as its the polishing process that opens the pores on porcelain. I've ignored the advice before though, and the grout really does cling to some of these tiles. I ended up having to use a grout film remover, so didn't save any time by not sealing lol!

 

[White Room]

Im pretty sure it won't, as its the polishing process that opens the pores on porcelain. I've ignored the advice before though, and the grout really does cling to some of these tiles. I ended up having to use a grout film remover, so didn't save any time by not sealing lol!

There not polished porcelain just a matt finish...

 

[beanz]

There not polished porcelain just a matt finish...

Thats what I said.. Lol

 

[Daz]

Matt porcelains can be as porous as polished. Do a water test, as per Whitebeam, and if the water has soaked in after approx 20 mins then they will deffo need sealing.

 

[beanz]

Matt porcelains can be as porous as polished. Do a water test, as per Whitebeam, and if the water has soaked in after approx 20 mins then they will deffo need sealing.

Really!?! That's just completely blown my understanding (or lack of), of the process, completely out of the water! I thought the Matt, was just a textured coating/glaze, for want of a better word!?!

 

[Daz]

A through bodied matt porcelain is just an un-polished "polished" porcelain. The matt porcelains don't have any kind of glaze on them....a water test is the only way to be sure whether a tile needs to be sealed or not.

 

[beanz]

I was always told that it was the polishing process that 'opened' the face of the tile! But I will definitely be checking from now on, so thanks for the heads up!