sealing polished porcelian - Tile Advice

[neil widdow]

hi all,
had a job to do with polished black por,was not sure if they where sealed,so i tested half a tile with some sealer,the next morning the side that had seal looked greasy and cloudy,and would not rub clean.do you guys think that this was sealed already,as when i cleaned up with a sealer remover it looked great again.
1. how can you tell if already sealed.
2. what is the best method to apply the sealer .
thanks guys neil.

 

[White Room]

Could it have a transit wax on it, if it was already sealed could you not talk to the supplier

 

[neil widdow]

tiles lookede spot on out of the box, nothing on them

 

[White Room]

Where were they from

 

[hillhead]

some need it,some don't. some shops say seal some don't. its a maze !i think we all need buffing machines to rub up the sealers

 

[Tomtiler]

they tiles mite not needed seealing should get in touch with the suplier see what they say

 

[Peter]

Is there any particular way to know which porcelain needs sealing? I'd generally wet one early on in the day and see how it takes to the water.

 

[Dontiler]

hello mate
i don't think you need to seal polished porcelain tiles :hurray:
even good polished stone hardly drink sealer

 

[Daz]

There are a lot of polished porcelain that do need impregnating. You do not necessarily need to apply a sealer to PP but you will more than likely need to apply impregnator.

To answer the OP question, first, it sounds as though the tiles have a transit wax on them and you have applied a sealer prior to removing the transit wax, hence the cloudy appearance. It's just like sealing moisture into the tile. IMO you will need to remove the transit wax with a "grime remover" and then apply an impregnator when the tiles have been thoroughly dried.

To assess whether a tile needs an impregnator, you can make a mark with pen or pencil in a corner, leave for a few seconds then try to wash it away. If you find that you can't remove the mark no matter how much you wash the tile, then it will require impregnating. Use the marked tile for a cut.

Another point to consider is that if a tile requires impregnating, then you will need to impregnate it prior to grouting to be sure of not causing any staining to the tiles. Obviously, if the tiles have a transit coat then you can grout, wash off and then remove the transit coat, allow to dry for at least 24hrs, then apply impregnator.