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Hi there

I wonder if anybody can help me. We had some lovely large porcelain tiles laid in July 2010 in our kitchen. Over the last 12 months they have become more and more marked and are now dull and cloudy - see picture.

Kitchen Tiles.jpg


These tiles were not cheap and the guy that laid them sealed them afterwards. I've spoken to the shop where we bought them and they suggested that they shouldn't have been sealed and that the sealer might be attracting the dirt. The manufacturer suggested cleaning them with Lithofin Intensive cleaner which I've done but this didn't make any difference.

We're really dissapointed with these tiles as they looked great when they were laid, cost lots of money and now look really bad.

Any help or suggestions much appreciated.

Steve
 

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copels

Hi Tony

I scrubbed a tile with boiling water this morning and then wiped it and buffed it but unfortunately it looks just as bad.

Steve

Sorry - didn't realise my earlier reply had been posted!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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MARBLE_TONY

Okay if you PM me your contact information and details then will get in touch with you sometime next week I will be in Southampton in about 2 weeks doing a job so may pay to visit you around then to have a look.
 
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Massam89

Hi, sorry for piggy backing onto your thread Steve but i have a similar problem and was wondering if you managed to resolve yours?
I had 600x600 porcelain tiles laid in my kitchen 10 months ago - i was advised that they would need sealing after theyd been laid which i did. However they are no longer black and shiny but rather a dark grey and dull! V dissappointing considering I have been extra careful with them.
I clean them with diluted flash cleaner so i wouldnt think this was abrasive enough to remove the sealer, and i dont over clean them either.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

Stacey
 
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copels

Hi Stacey

I looked at getting them repolished but it was going to cost too much. They're even worse now so I'm reconsidering! Did you have any joy?

Steve
 
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Apexgrange

hi copel
by the looks of things the grout is stained, i wound say that the grout was not sealed when the floor was layed
to restore the grout line colour use lithofin outdoor cleaner.
apply for 5 min then remove with sponge.
you may need to do this process for a bit longer if the stain does came out completely.
once cleaned leave to dry for 24 hours.
ps try this on a test area to get an idea of the dwell time needed and to ensure no damage is evident
after this process seal with the new product from fila pd15 to restore the porcelain tiles.
ps this will also seal the grout

good luck let me know how you get on
 
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MARBLE_TONY

Apex you are completely wrong I am afraid I have seen these tiles and grout haze is not his problem they are just not practical in the way they have been finished in the factory
 
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Apexgrange

good morning mr marble man

please read my answer again and look at the products i have spec

it has nothing to do with grout haze the product acts as a poultice
to remove the brown staining in the grout line and it works

to get a shine back on the tiles i have told you about a new product for porcelain
please read the spec on the product and then make your comments
 
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MARBLE_TONY

Ok I read incorrectly but he has no problem with the grout its the tiles so perhaps you should re-read the problem he has which is loss of shine on his tiles due to the make up of them no amount of cleaner Alkaline, Acid, "Outdoor Cleaner" so called poultice action is going to work. They need Grinding and re-honing properly to eliminate the problem he has.

As for the sealer that is not going to bring back the shine either.

I completely understand his view yes it's not cheap to do and probably feels after spending probably a small fortune on these tiles why should he have to have them re-finished.
 
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Apexgrange

we can not be looking at the same picture then, but you know best and that must be the way forward

maybe some one elses view point could be consided not only yours.

maybe our method might work you never know??
 
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MARBLE_TONY

I have a sample of the tile here I can dig it out if your that confident then bring your stuff here we will make a nice video and will see who's method works. But I must pre-warn you I have tried every chemical to try and bring that tile up. So my method is not a opionion it's fact. The problem with this tile is simple it has lost it's factory finish due to the way it has been made it is like a mock unfilled trav.
 

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