Mapei’s UltraCare range is a series of products designed to cater for all surface types and maintenance stages, from initial builders clean to periodic deep cleaning. TSJ looks at the UltraCare range in greater detail.
A good protection and maintenance regime ensures that a tile retains its looks and performance.
High To achieve this, it’s essential that the correct products are specified; this is largely steered by a tile’s characteristics and whether or not it is acid sensitive.
Unpolished natural stone can be sensitive to acid, so always check before using an acid cleaner; if you are unsure, it is best to use either an alkaline or a pH neutral cleaning product. Natural stone with a polished finish should only be cleaned and maintained with neutral products. Porcelain, ceramic and acid-resistant materials, on the other hand, can be cleaned with acid-based solutions.
To ensure correct maintenance and to simplify regimes, Mapei has developed the UltraCare range – a series of products designed to cater for all surface types and maintenance stages, from initial builders clean to periodic deep cleaning.
UltraCare Acid Cleaner & UltraCare Keranet
For acid-resistant tiles, stone and glass mosaics, Mapei UltraCare Acid Cleaner and UltraCare Keranet are ideal choices for a builders clean and stain removal.
Both safely remove fixing residue, including stubborn cementitious grout, organic dirt, salt and limescale efflorescence. Being ‘buffered’ formulations, they do not emit fumes, so it is safe for the applicator, the environment and it will not cause damage to stainless steel and aluminium profiles. The cleaners also remove rust, so can be particularly useful for use on external porcelain, where furniture and flowerpots can leave their mark.
The range also includes Mapei UltraCare Keranet Easy ready-to-use spray. This treatment can be used to carry out a builder’s clean as soon as grout becomes opaque, rather than having to wait for the joint to be fully cured. In the case of Mapei UltraColor Plus rapid-setting grout, the joint becomes opaque after approx. 30 minutes, so combined use of the two products speeds up the process enormously.
Mapei UltraCare Multicleaner
Mapei UltraCare Multicleaner concentrated pH-neutral cleaner gives a thorough clean without rinsing.
It can also be used to remove dirt and grout residue from polished stone after installation, so offers a safe option for a builders clean. For this procedure, a lower dilution is used and the surface is rinsed.
Mapei UltraCare Multicleaner Spray
A ready-to-use treatment, Mapei UltraCare Multicleaner Spray is ideal for ongoing cleaning of treated surfaces, especially natural stone in showers and wet areas, and porcelain/ceramic splashbacks that have been treated with a grout protector.
Mapei UltraCare HD Cleaner
A high performing alkaline product, Mapei UltraCare HD Cleaner breaks down the build-up of organic dirt, making it an ideal choice for deep cleaning of porcelain and ceramics.
It can also be used for the initial cleaning of unpolished natural stone, before it is sealed. The formulation brings back a floor to its original condition, restoring its R rating, as well as its aesthetic. Outdoors, it also tackles the removal of moss and algae and it is effective as a wax remover for water-based and metalized waxes.
Mapei HD Cleaner is also recommended for use alongside Mapei Eco Prim Grip Plus primer, to undertake the deep clean of an installed tile surface that is going to be tiled over, i.e. a “tile on tile” installation.
Caring for sealed stone
Extra consideration needs to be paid to natural stone once it has been treated with a protective product, and to grout joints that have been protected with Mapei UltraCare Grout Protector.
Once sealed, surfaces should be cleaned with a pH-neutral product, like Mapei UltraCare Multicleaner, as alkaline cleaners can compromise the performance of the protector.
For periodic deep cleaning of polished natural stone, the dilution of Mapei UltraCare Multicleaner can be adjusted to give a deeper clean. Surfaces should then be rinsed to remove any cleaning residue.
Other Mapei UltraCare products include Mapei UltraCare Epoxy Off Gel – a special, high viscosity cleaner designed to remove epoxy residues from floors and walls.
For expert advice on cleaning regimes and more information about the Mapei UltraCare range, please contact: [email protected]
W: https://www.mapei.com/gb/en/
