what do you guys think

[gm renovations]

Laying some porcelain tiles onto a floor tomorrow, they are polished, i have put some water on them and some coke and left them on there for 1 hour and they have not aborbed or left a mark, would you still seal them or woulfd the sealer not take to the tile?

Thanks in advance

G

 

[davy_G]

I wouldnt be inclined to seal them as they didnt absorb or stain. However if you are still unsure for any reason contact the tile supplier, pass the buck!

 

[DHTiling]

Porcelain tiles have an absorption rate of 0.5% so doing a water test doesn't neccarily work..you seal them because the open pores of porcelain grab the dirt and stains etc..and makes maintenance easier.......

 

[Fekin]

Aye, it might not have taken any in over an hour, but over the course of months of spills and thrills they are going to look dull and dirty without sealing them.

 

[TilingLogistics]

Dave,

I thought vitrified porcelain absorption rates were between 0.5-3.0%?

Kev

 

[DHTiling]

High quality porcelain tiles are about 0.5% absorption rate but as you say some can by higher but not many..it depends on the PEI rating but any PEI rating of 3% and lower is considered to be a low water absorption rate....

 

[UKTT Darren]

Try using a dry wipe marker pen on it and wiping it off, should tell you in a few seconds weather or not to seal them

 

[davy_G]

There you go gm! I stand corrected. Seal them! As ever thanks for the advice lads

 

[MICK the Tiler]

Down here all polished porcelain has a cloudy wax film aplied for transport reasons this must be removed after laying with a mechanical floor polisher, this in turn opens the pores of the porcelain so they also must be sealed, then buffed to a high polish.

 

[Deleted member 1779]

The website porcelain-tiles.co.uk is a very elegant site as has some great info about porcelain tiles.

This link in particular is always worth a read on the subject matter of porcelain.

Even when I read their mini-articles I cant help looking at the pictures...


Stunning stuff !! And the website is so classy....

Good luck with your own porcelain job and as I always say at the end of these posts... DONT FORGET YOUR DRILL BITS !!