The Fila MP90 sealer made a mess, how to remove?

[lhw930]

I applied to the Fila MP90 Polished Porcelain & Stone Sealer to my Polished Porcelain tiles. I have followed the instructions and it has ruined the floor. I used a paint brush to apply a thin layer and left it for 24 hours as it said on the tin. Used a damped cloth with the same product to wipe the tiles and then a dry cloth to wipe it again. It looks very bad now - see photo. How to I remove the sealer now? Please advise. Thanks.

 

[Perfect Tiling]

You'll be best giving the fila tech line a call.....number should be on the container. Sealers tend to work by soaking into the tile rather than coating the top of it. Some polished porcelain tiles don't need to be sealed.....they are already sealed at manufacture so if you put on a sealer on will just sit and set on the surface....did these tiles need to be sealed. If it doesn't say on the box I usually use a marker pen on an offcut.....if the pen mark dries and when you wipe it off it doesn't leave a mark....they don't need sealed.

 

[lhw930]

You'll be best giving the fila tech line a call.....number should be on the container. Sealers tend to work by soaking into the tile rather than coating the top of it. Some polished porcelain tiles don't need to be sealed.....they are already sealed at manufacture so if you put on a sealer on will just sit and set on the surface....did these tiles need to be sealed. If it doesn't say on the box I usually use a marker pen on an offcut.....if the pen mark dries and when you wipe it off it doesn't leave a mark....they don't need sealed.

The retailer, TileMountain, said I need to apply the sealer. I have contacted them again, they said I need to purchase the Fila Stain Remover to remove it.... what a joke. I have emailed Fila and waiting for a reply. I have used white spirit today. It works but not completely. It is quite difficult to remove the marks.

 

[Lithofin BOB]

Hi -if this is the solvent MP90 ,test one tile if you have some of the sealer left
apply the sealer generously to one tile in a discreet area , keep wet with the sealer for 6-8 minutes and scrub with a white emulsifying pad (ideally)or brush every 30 seconds/minute of the 8 min
straight after this- buff the tile hard with a white towel -fully dry
this can work , you are reactivating the excess product on the surface with the solvent product , no need to strip and the tile will be fully sealed.if this works , work through in controlled sections. 1-2 sqm at a time

 

[lhw930]

Hi -if this is the solvent MP90 ,test one tile if you have some of the sealer left
apply the sealer generously to one tile in a discreet area , keep wet with the sealer for 6-8 minutes and scrub with a white emulsifying pad (ideally)or brush every 30 seconds/minute of the 8 min
straight after this- buff the tile hard with a white towel -fully dry
this can work , you are reactivating the excess product on the surface with the solvent product , no need to strip and the tile will be fully sealed.if this works , work through in controlled sections. 1-2 sqm at a time

Thanks for your advice. It has still changed the appearance and the tiles are not shiny anymore. I have tested with white spirit and striped the layer.
[automerge]1588255158[/automerge]

You'll be best giving the fila tech line a call.....number should be on the container. Sealers tend to work by soaking into the tile rather than coating the top of it. Some polished porcelain tiles don't need to be sealed.....they are already sealed at manufacture so if you put on a sealer on will just sit and set on the surface....did these tiles need to be sealed. If it doesn't say on the box I usually use a marker pen on an offcut.....if the pen mark dries and when you wipe it off it doesn't leave a mark....they don't need sealed.

The sealer still sit and set on the surface. and the retailer, TileMountain, still say these tiles need to be sealed... They were shiny before sealing, Now they are not anymore. They blamed my tiles were not cleaned. i have stripped it with white spirit now.

 

[Bluebirdnick]

Thanks for your advice. It has still changed the appearance and the tiles are not shiny anymore. I have tested with white spirit and striped the layer.
[automerge]1588255158[/automerge]

The sealer still sit and set on the surface. and the retailer, TileMountain, still say these tiles need to be sealed... They were shiny before sealing, Now they are not anymore. They blamed my tiles were not cleaned. i have stripped it with white spirit now.

With apologies for bumping an old thread- what tiles are those? I've got Doblo polished porcelain tiles which tilemountain say need sealing, but the tiler is less convinced and I'm concerned about it leaving a mess. The packaging for the tiles doesn't seem to say anything about sealing.

 

[lhw930]

With apologies for bumping an old thread- what tiles are those? I've got Doblo polished porcelain tiles which tilemountain say need sealing, but the tiler is less convinced and I'm concerned about it leaving a mess. The packaging for the tiles doesn't seem to say anything about sealing.

It was Super White Polished Porcelain Size: 600x600.
They wanted to earn few extra quids but left me a big mess by applying this Fila MP90. They replied I didn't clean the surface which I did......

 

[Bluebirdnick]

In the end I contacted the manufacturer of the tiles who contradicted Tile Mountain - they stated categorically that the tiles do not need sealing and they do extensive testing to prove this.

I am pleased we got to where we did before the sealer was put down, but a bit annoyed at the retailer for advising against the manufacturer's instructions. It also means I've got a 1l bottle of sealer that I have no use for - and it is many times more expensive than the LPG equivalent product, too!

 

[lhw930]

Looks like you had the same seller. I actually went to their store travelling from London to Stoke to return 4L. They said I will definitely need it. Do you want to send a joint letter to claim some money back?

In the end I contacted the manufacturer of the tiles who contradicted Tile Mountain - they stated categorically that the tiles do not need sealing and they do extensive testing to prove this.

I am pleased we got to where we did before the sealer was put down, but a bit annoyed at the retailer for advising against the manufacturer's instructions. It also means I've got a 1l bottle of sealer that I have no use for - and it is many times more expensive than the LPG equivalent product, too!

 

[Bluebirdnick]

Wow - that is tough! I'd be unhappy if I'd made the journey, I do feel for you. However, and without wishing to be selfish here.... Tile Mountain have been good about it with me. No quibbles, they refunded me the MP90 immediately. Of course we hadn't used it yet so there was no labour costs for cleaning up any mess, but nevertheless they didn't hang around, they even volunteered to refund it themselves.

I suppose the other difference may be that the manufacturer of your tiles may have agreed that they needed sealing. You might contact them to see what they say - their name will be on the tile box. If they say that, categorically, the tiles should not be sealed then you may have a better case to take to the retailer to get your cash back for the sealer and the cleaner I would think. In my case, the manufacturer sent me (and Tile Mountain) an email within an hour or two of me asking the question, stating clearly that the tiles should not be sealed. So full marks all around, as far as I am concerned. The manufacturer has given a cast-iron statement that the tiles do not need sealing, and tile mountain has refunded me immediately for the sealer that their website told me I needed. I appreciate your experience has not been as good, but credit where it is due, Tile Mountain righted the wrong quickly and without complaint in my case.

However now that we are not sealing the tiles, I am a bit concerned about the grout. I've got them in a wet room shower. BAL tell me not to worry and that their micromax doesn't need sealing, but we used that in the other bathroom and it does discolour over time. Oh well. I am sure there is another world of detail around grout cleaning chemicals that i will learn about in the next year or so.

Honestly, every time I take on a tiling project I am amazed at the level of complexity involved and knowledge needed to do it right. And I wasn't even laying the tiles this time, and they are basic porcelain tiles! I dread to think what percentage of installations are done with some error somewhere that would invalidate any warranty. No wonder the tile companies have technical support hotlines!