The restoration process included a lot of preparation, ensuring none of our cleaning solutions leaked into the pool.   We then used our unique Wax & Residue Remover to remove old sealing treatments and ground in dirt.   The stone was allowed  and we then applied several coats of StonecareUk’s Stain-Gard SB (impregnator)

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Checkout one of my onsite videos @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nc9acpds3w

or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM0KdygC9OQ

Well, porcelain is becoming a very popular stone for both domestic and commercial clients.  It looks great, has a long life and is relatively easy to maintain.  Whether it is polished or honed porcelain, its a fantastic and very practical stone to have on a floor.

However, recently i have been called out to view more and more problems on porcelain floors and there seems to be some confusion as to whether to impregnate / seal porcelain tiles or not.

In my opinion you can’t take chances.  Sealing/impregnating of porcelain is absolutely vital.  Sealing porcelain should be undertaken with a solvent based impregnator, specifically formulated for use on less porous stones such as ceramic & porcelain.

I recommend this to be applied prior to, and after grouting.  Why?  because I have seen numerous porcelain floors where the grout has bled into this so called “non-porous stone”,  causing permanent damage.  Look out for my upcoming episode on Stonecare.tv.  regarding grout bleeding on polished porcelain (Grout Residue Removers).

So,  in answer to the question “Do porcelain tiles need sealing” its a massive YES from me.

The impregnator you chose, should ideally be specifically formulated for low porosity stones and you may need to a apply very thin coats,  removing any surface residues as you go (details can be found at www.stonecareuk.co.uk)

Thanks for reading and keep watchin Mike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nc9acpds3w

I’ve had a pretty amazing day today, this morning was delivering Christmas wine to my some of my customers, and this afternoon I had a very very interesting meeting with one of the UK’s largest stone supplier and one of their customers. (It’s really nice to see great after care service for the supplier of the stone)

The reason for this is that the client feels her limestone flooring is becoming very dirty even though she cleans it 3 times per week, and the main walkways are showing small areas of pitting which is holding the dirt. The floor is laid throughout the ground floor of the house in, the entrance hall, the kitchen, the dining area and family room. It is 8 months old and was impregnated several times during installation, the client has 2 dogs and lives near the beach.

The best thing about today was its not very often you get the client, the supplier, the tiler, and the maintenance company in the same room!!! What’s more amazing is that the tiler didn’t get the blame…. which i thought was cool as he had done a great job.

After undertaking a number of test on the floor including, microscopic visual testing and deep cleaning of the pores, In my opinion this is early signs of general wear and tear, the surface of the stone is becoming more open due to friction/usage, and the pours are attracting dirt particles giving the stone surface a overall dirty appearance. This a limestone flooring (white/cream) which is a relatively soft stone and not ideal from an ease of maintenance point of view for this particular environment.

I really don’t want to put people of white/cream limestone’s but you must be sure it fits your life style and your know the correct maintenance treatments to undertake.

I think i will make an episode of stonecareTV on this subject as I am really passionate about people getting help picking the right floor for their environment.

Mike