Help!: Polished Porcelain

[MissNC]

Can any one help me??

I have recently had laid in my kitchen area a grey polished porcelain tile, I read the manufacture instructions of 1) cleaning the tile of dirt/dust 2) sealing the tile with the recommended Plasplugs sealer 3) seal again after they have been laid to my distress they titles have lost their ‘polish’ and are now covered in a smeary, hazy film!!!! Can any tell me what’s happened and how I get rid of it? The more i try to clean then the worse they get!!

Thanks

[brian c]

what did you seal them with..if you did seal them?

Are they b and q tiles?

what are you cleaning them with?

Welcome to the forums.

[dhsanta65]

Can I ask if you bought your tiles from B&Q ? if so these tiles can have a protective wax coat on them which has to be removed before you seal them. This may be the cause of the dull finish on your tiles.

[MissNC]

Yes they are B&Q tiles i cleaned them with hot soapy water, all the tile ‘experts’ in store did not tell me they were coated and wiping them down would be sufficient!! I used a plasplugs sealer for polished porcelain, the 1st coat went on fine and they remained very reflective the 2nd cost has made them matt!!

[brian c]

LIthofin do a range of products which will help restore the shine,try using Lithofin Oil ex whhich isused for removing discolouration,removing wax,grease and oils that have penetrated deeply into the tile.After doing this use Lithofin stain stop and use as per instructions.

[Dave]

Hi Miss NC..

when you applied the sealer , did you wipe off the excess or did you just leave it to dry on the surface...polished porcelain only needs one coat of sealer...this is to close the pores in the surface to aid in the cleaning of the tiles...

[enduro]

Hi Miss NC..

when you applied the sealer , did you wipe off the excess or did you just leave it to dry on the surface...polished porcelain only needs one coat of sealer...this is to close the pores in the surface to aid in the cleaning of the tiles...

I agree with Dave, it sounds like to much sealer was left on the tile, i would use a sealer and coating remover and start again.

[doug boardley]

another problem could be that you have trapped moisture in the tile surface. This happens when you seal the tiles and they aren't bone dry. The solution is to strip off the sealer, LTP Grimex is a product that I'd recommend, clean up the tiles and wait until they are completely dry before re-sealing

[smurf21]

Yes they are B&Q tiles i cleaned them with hot soapy water, all the tile ‘experts’ in store

since when...lol

But does as the others have said sound like the second unneeded coat was left to dry and not buffed of.

[MissNC]

Thanks for all your help, what product would be best for removing the sealer LTP Grimex or Lithofin Oil ex?

[Dave]

LTP is good..

[spooner68]

LIthofin do a range of products which will help restore the shine,try using Lithofin Oil ex whhich isused for removing discolouration,removing wax,grease and oils that have penetrated deeply into the tile.After doing this use Lithofin stain stop and use as per instructions.

Not noticed Stain Stop being recommended for polished porcelain. It'll sit on the surface and take a lot of "buffing" off. They do a sealer specially for polished porcelain. I'd only ever use stain stop on porous natural stone.

Buffing with a car polisher after sealing (halfords special) brings polished porcelain up beautifully and is easier on the elbow.

[Dave]

The lithofin one is called FZ impregnator...

[spooner68]

The lithofin one is called FZ impregnator...

That's the monkey, couldn't remember it.

[365drills]

The good-ol B&Q polished porcelain tiles strike again.....

[brian c]

spooner you are right ,my mistake..i did mean to say an impregnator.

dont shout at me...

[bubblebobble]

Hi,

I have just laid 40 square of these; the grey and beige ones.
I have had no problems at all with them.
This is what I did but others may see it differently.
1) I threw the instructions in the box away.
2) I laid the tiles with the cellaphane still on the beige to protect them, the grey didnt have it.
3) removed all the cellaphane then used abraclean to remove wax ( if there was any?)
4) used FZ Protective Impregnator to seal them.
5) grouted
6) sealed again with FZ.

Recommendations of sealers were from "Dave", it worked and is a lovely job.

Also the FZ impreg really does do its stuff in my opinion, a little pricey( from were i had it) but well worth it.

good luck

[365drills]

Bubblebobble you did it exactly the right way.

My neighbour installed B&Q porcelain and was impressed with the cheap price but horrified at the preparation.

Doing it to the list you supply is exactly the way to get a great finish

[spooner68]

spooner you are right ,my mistake..i did mean to say an impregnator.

dont shout at me...

Wouldn't dream of shouting at a Gers fan