Lisa Breakspear, head of sales, Mapei UltraCare, explains how steps taken at the installation stage can keep tiles looking their best for their entire lifecycle.
The most important aspect of any tiling project is the care taken at the point of installation. How the tiles will look and perform over time is directly related to issues that can be faced before, during and after installation. It’s therefore, essential that the correct products are used and best practice methods adopted throughout this key phase.
The importance of a pre-seal
Porcelain tiles with a matt textured finish don’t have to be sealed but application of a sacrificial pre-sealer can save a lot of time after the grouting process, in both internal and external installations. A good pre-sealer will stop the grout sitting into the texture of the tile. If one isn’t applied, it can be very difficult to remove grout residue from a tile with a PTV rating of 36.
Matt, textured tiles are generally chosen and specified for their anti-slip properties, with consideration from a safety aspect, and are particularly popular in environments where water may be present and in high traffic areas. Pre-sealing provides multiple benefits. It saves time when undertaking the Builders Clean, as residues sit on the surface of the pre-sealer, rather than coming into direct contact with the tile. We recommend UltraCare Grout Release.
In natural stone installations, pre-sealing – particularly on tiles and slabs that have a high level of porosity – is a crucial part of the installation and grouting process. Application of a pre-sealer stops grout ingress, which can result in the grout staining the stone. This is commonly referred to as picture framing, as the appearance is literally that – a picture frame around the outside edges of the stone cause by grout ingress.
There are various options available for pre-sealing of natural stone. Some choose to apply the same product as they’ll use to undertake the final seal; this can be expensive, as you’re applying an impregnator to do the job of a more economical pre-sealer. A pre-sealer will be less expensive and will act as an impregnator on a porous surface. This is in contrast to a porcelain tile where the pre-sealer is purely sacrificial. For all types of natural stone, as well as polished porcelain tiles, we recommend UltraCare Grout Release – a water-based pre-grouting protector that promotes easy removal of cementitious grout and eliminates the risk of picture framing halos.
The Builders Clean
The importance of a thorough Builders Clean cannot be emphasised enough. On porcelain and ceramic tiles, mosaics or surfaces that are non-porous, removing all grout and installation residues is key to a great looking installation and easy ongoing maintenance. If not removed, grout residues will track dirt, making floors difficult to clean and compromising the look of the installation.
The best solution to use on porcelain tiles is a good quality acid-based cleaner. Look for high yield, as well as a product that offers additional benefits, such as also containing a detergent to remove organic as well as inorganic cementitious grout residues. This detergent will also help to break down the polymers added to the grout that provide flexibility but which can be problematic on textured tiles. Also, look out for a buffered formulation, like UltraCare Keranet concentrated acid cleaner; this means that the product will not emit fumes, so does not need to be extracted from confined installation environments. Buffered solutions are also safe for the applicator and will not damage stainless steel and aluminium trims.
When undertaking a Builders Clean on porous stone surfaces that will require sealing, the removal of all grout and installation residues from the tile face is really important. Water alone is not sufficient to remove and clean the surface – and if you fail to use a suitable cleaning product, it will lead to the impregnator not being able to fully penetrate and close the porosity of the stone. This will leave the stone susceptible to staining. It’s also possible that you may seal in very visible residues; all too often a footprint can be seen sealed underneath the sealer! For this stage, we recommend concentrated high-yield cleaner, UltraCare Multicleaner for polished natural stone, terrazzo and agglomerates and HD Cleaner for unpolished natural stone, terrazzo and agglomerates. Thankfully, putting right a poor Builders Clean is generally straightforward but it does add an additional cost in labour and materials, and is easily avoided if best practice is followed.
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