Tile Plus, Inc.
Tips on sealing your tile & stone
This blog gives you a few tips on sealing your new tile and stone installation wherever it may be. It is recommended to seal your custom tile or stone job because the sealant helps to preserve a natural look or even enhance the current look while protecting from oil, grease, dirt and water. It is best to seal right after the stone has been grouted since you don't want dirt and oil penetrating the stone or grout joints and then sealing them in. When sealing a ceramic tile job your main focus would be the grout joints because the ceramic tile usually comes pre-sealed.
If you are going to seal an area where you expect oil and grease to frequently come in contact with the stone we recommend using a deeply penetrating sealer. When it comes to water and dirt, a general sealer should do the job. We recommend Miracle Sealants' 511 Porous Plus for oil and grease or their 511 Impregnator Sealer for water and dirt.
To apply sealer we first advise you to read the directions. We can give you general tips but you should always follow the manufacturer's directions.
First, make sure you have purchased enough sealer to cover the square footage you have installed. Then, have a few clean rags or some sort of cloth at hand that you can wet with the sealant. Next, wipe the stone with your sealer wetted cloth in circular movements to ensure your tile is evenly sealed. Generally sealers will penetrate very deeply so we don't recommend pouring the sealer onto the tile directly (especially enhanced sealers) as it may cause some areas to appear more dark than others because it has penetrateted one area much more thoroughly than another.
Never dilute your sealer with water unless instructed by the manufacterer. It may heavily affect the sealing properties rendering the sealer ineffective.
If you feel it appropriate to reapply the sealer to provide a stronger coating against water, dirt, etc. then make sure you let the sealer sit for 1-3 hours in this way you allow the first coating to cure.
The longevity of your sealer depends on the frequency of use upon the treated area. Some areas such as commercial floors may last only for a year while some residential floors may last for 10+ years!
When you reapply the sealer after it has pretty much worn off, make sure you first clean the area thoroughly with a substance such as diluted vinegar. Mix about 50% vinegar with 50% water and use a scrubbing brush soaked with the diluted vinegar to clean all of the joints and tiles. You need to wash the vinegar off with a sponge and clean water after you have cleaned the area with vinegar. Once it is dry you should be all set for the reapplication of sealer to the tile or stone.
That should cover much of the subject on sealing your freshly installed floors. If you want to first learn from visual experience how sealing is done and later do it yourself or if you just want us to do it you can give us a call and we will happily do it for you. Our contact information is below and is on the bottom of our web page at http://tileplus.net or by clicking the link below.
-The Tile Plus Team
1832 Stone Ave.
San Jose, CA
Office - (408) 938-3494
Fax - (408) 938 3493
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