Proper Care During Construction

Since Porcelain Stone products are considered to be a finish material, they should not be installed until all heavy construction is completed.

Between the installation and putting the floor into service, it is imperative to properly protect
the tile and grout in order to avoid construction related cleaning problems. Generally, there is a build-up of dirt and debris on every construction site. This dirt and debris may cause the grout, and sometimes the tile, to be adversely affected.

We recommend that a protective cover be put over the tile surface to safeguard the appearance. The cover could include uncolored Kraft paper, cardboard, plywood, or any other
clean covering that will not damage the integrity of the installation. Do not use plastic as it may not allow the grout and thin-set to properly cure, and it also may become extremely slippery as construction dust settles. Proper and diligent care must be used to maintain the protective cover during construction. This will ensure a quality appearance when the floor is opened for continuous use.

Initial Cleaning And Maintenance

The single-most important step for future daily maintenance involves the complete
removal of grout and construction dirt after installation. Grout manufacturers print instructions for proper mixing, curing, and cleaning of grout on each container. These directions must be followed. In most cases, Porcelain Stone can be cleaned successfully by scrubbing the installation with hot water and a neutral detergent, followed by a thorough rinsing, then removing the rinse water with a wet vacuum or dry toweling. If grout residue still remains, further cleaning of the tile should be accomplished in consultation with the grout manufacturer and AHF Products.

Some grout manufacturers distribute proprietary products which they recommend for the removal of their particular grout from the surface of tile. These products can be diluted for removal of light deposits of grouting materials with the possibility of using stronger concentrations when more aggressive cleaning is required.

Equipment recommended for more aggressive cleaning are floor scrubbers or floor buffing
machines equipped with a nylon pad or brush. A wet vacuum should be used to pick up suspended grout residue and construction dirt completely. Acid washing is rarely recommended, and is not usually necessary to successfully clean a new installation if the cleaning is done in a timely fashion. Caution should be exercised when using acid, or acid-based cleaners as they can adversely affect the grout.

If a customer insists on use of an acid for cleaning the installation (when cement grout
is used), he or she should be cautioned to use sulfamic acid or other acidic cleaner approved
by the grout manufacturer mixed in a solution according to manufacturers’ instructions. If a
ready to use or pre-mixed grout is used, typically an alkaline cleaner or other specialty cleaner
is used, refer to the recommendations of the grout manufacturer. It is important that before
any solution is placed on the floor, the grout joints be thoroughly saturated with water first.
Grouts which contain latex can actually bond more strongly to the tile surfaces if cleaned with acid. Latex or polymer modified grouts should be cleaned with a solution recommended by the grout manufacturer.

Contractors or installers should also wait until the grout joint has fully cured, usually 7 to 10 days before using acidic cleaners.

Once the initial cleaning has been thoroughly completed, our daily maintenance procedures can be followed for continuous and long-lasting beauty.

We recommend a two-bucket mopping approach as exemplified by the WaveBrake®
mopping system offered by Rubbermaid®. For specific details call (800) 347-9800 or go to
www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/wavebrake

Daily Maintenance

We highly recommend the use of low VOC, non-hazardous, and non-polluting products for cleaning and maintaining your tile and grout.

General maintenance and cleaning of Porcelain Stone tile will vary depending on the
surface texture and soil load. General cleaning should be performed first by sweeping or
vacuuming to remove loose soil or other surface contaminants. Depending on the soil load, a more tailored cleaning process may be required. Select the type of cleaner based on the type of soil on the floor. After using a cleaning solution follow with a thorough rinsing. Please refer to the Cleaning Chart for suggested cleaners/detergents.

There are six steps that are critical and should always be remembered for the successful
maintenance of porcelain tiles:

1. All spills should be cleaned as quickly as possible. Use damp mopping to clean up spills. Damp mopping uses approximately 1 gallon of cleaning solution (mixture of water and detergent) per 600 square feet. An easy way to prepare for damp mopping is to wring out the mop prior to use.
2. Use wet mopping daily to clean the floors. Wet mopping uses approximately 1 gallon of cleaning solution (mixture of water and detergent) per 300 square feet. An easy way to prepare for wet mopping is to NOT wring out the mop prior to use.
3. Use only the recommended dilution of detergent. More is not always better; higher concentrations of detergent in the cleaning solution will only make it more difficult to rinse.
4. Allow the proper dwell (remain on the floor) time. The detergent solution must be given time to act on the soil load. Generally 5-10 minutes is sufficient.
5. Always agitate the floor when wet mopping to ensure soils are removed. Use a nylon pad, bristle brush, or deck brush after the cleaning solution has been applied.
6. Rinse thoroughly with clean, clear water to remove the dirty detergent solution and emulsified soil. Rinsing is a critical step in the maintenance procedure. Remove the rinse water with a wet vacuum, dry mop or toweling. If dirty detergent solution is not removed and is allowed to dry on the surface, a coating will form which is very difficult to remove.

In addition to the above steps, slightly different cleaning techniques should be administered for each of the following surface textures: Unpolished Matte Finish, Polished, CROSS-SHEEN®.

The use of auto-scrubbers and/or wet extraction machinery can make routine cleaning easier and more efficient.

Penetrating Sealers

For polished tiles, the use of a penetrating type sealer is required prior to grouting. A penetrating sealer is one that does not leave a coating on top of the tile. Rather, these sealers assist in filling the microscopic surface pores.

The grinding involved in the polishing process produces microscopic surface pores on all
polished tile products. Penetrating sealers can fill these pores, making the tile even more
impervious to surface staining, resulting in easier maintenance. Penetrating sealers do not alter the appearance of our products since they are designed only to fill the microscopic pores and not to coat the tile. Slip resistance also should not be affected.

Proper application of penetrating sealers is important. Follow the manufacturer’s application
guidelines. If you have questions prior to application, contact the manufacturer directly.
The following is a suggested application procedure for a penetrating sealer:

1. Surface must be thoroughly clean and free of any foreign matter that may prevent the sealer from penetrating.
2. Apply in a circular motion using a clean rag, an applicator or a dense sponge, working sealer tightly into tile surface.
3. One thin application should be sufficient.
4. Completely remove excess sealer from the surface within 3 to 4 minutes using a clean cotton cloth, rag, microfiber towel or absorbent paper towels. Penetrating-type sealers must not be allowed to dry on tile surface.

Penetrating sealers are applied only once, and generally do not require constant maintenance through reapplication

Top Finishes and Waxes

Porcelain Stone tile’s dense, low-absorptive, porcelain body inhibits the penetration of contaminants and, therefore, is a tile that is easy to maintain. The low absorptive nature of our porcelain tile not only inhibits dirt and stains, but also prevents top finishes and most chemicals from penetrating the surface.

Top finishes, those that become a coating over the tile and grout joints, are not recommended
for Porcelain Stone tile. They will change the appearance of the tile by coating the surface and giving matte finished tiles a shiny finish. When a particular type of tile is selected for the coefficient of friction values, the values can be changed by the application of the finish. Rather than improving the ability to maintain the surface, top finishes will increase the maintenance requirement. Top coating finishes also will show traffic patterns as the finish becomes scratched or wears away. Some finishes may even peel off in spots.

Problems most frequently encountered with the use of top coating finishes are

1. Wear patterns are easily developed over time.
2. Finish applied to a floor which has not been properly cleaned will cause the floor to look hazy.
3. Finishes applied to textured surfaces will wear unevenly on the raised areas as compared to the low areas.
4. Improperly applied finishes can turn a milky white color.
5. Multiple coats of top finish can cause discoloration of the tile surface.
6. May alter the natural slip resistance of the tile to some degree.
   

When problems such as these occur, the finish must be stripped off of the tile and a new coat of finish reapplied. This is a costly and unnecessarily repetitive procedure.

CROSS-SHEEN® and Unpolished Matte Finish Tile

CROSS-SHEEN® finish is not a glaze, but rather a special surface preparation sprayed on the tile before firing. CROSS-SHEEN® closes the pores, resulting in a permanent surface finish that has a high degree of stain resistance.

The following represents a simple procedure for maintaining CROSS-SHEEN® and unpolished
matte finish tile floors with a moderate soil load.

For best results:

1. Sweep or vacuum the floor of all loose dirt and other foreign materials.
2. Saturate the floor with a mild cleaning solution and hot water, agitate, and allow it to dwell (remain on the floor) 5-10 minutes. Do not allow cleaning solutions to dry. It may be best to complete small areas at a time.
3. Remove the dirty cleaning solution and rinse the surface with clean, clear water.
4. Buff with a dry mop or towel.

If the CROSS-SHEEN® or unpolished finish product is extremely dirty, a more aggressive cleaning method may be necessary:

1. Sweep or vacuum the floor of dirt and other foreign material.
2. If there are difficult-to-remove contaminants on the surface of the tile, first attempt to identify the specific spill or contaminant. Different surface contaminants require different cleaning methods and chemicals (see chart).
3. Saturate the floor with cleaning solution and hot water, agitate, and allow it to dwell (remain on the floor) 5-10 minutes. After the dwell time, scrub the cleaning solution with a floor machine equipped with a nylon pad or bristle brush. For residential applications and small areas, use a hand brush or nylon pad.
4. Remove the dirty cleaning solution and rinse the surface with clean, clear water. This can be accomplished with a mop or a wet vacuum. It may be necessary to rinse the tile several times to thoroughly remove the cleaning agent from the surface.

Polished Tile

For polished porcelain tiles, please follow these instructions for general cleaning:

1. Sweep or vacuum the floor of loose dirt. An untreated, dry dust mop may be more effective than a soft-bristle broom.
2. Mop with a mild cleaning solution. Use 50% less detergent concentrate than one would use on an unpolished floor.
3. Rinse the floor thoroughly with clean, clear water.
4. Dry thoroughly with a soft buffing pad cloth to increase the shine and prevent water spots.

Satin/Leather/Honed/Semi-polished

These finishes do not generally require a grout release or sealing prior to grouting. Instructions for Cross-Sheen maintenance is applicable for these finishes as well.

Grouts should always be small scale tested before proceeding to the entire floor or wall.

Chemical Resistance

Porcelain Stone tiles are chemical resistant to both strongly acidic and strongly alkaline chemical products, with the exception of hydrofluoric acids or compounds containing fluoride salts and derivatives. Hydrofluoric acid is the only acid which will attack our tiles, due to their molecular structure.

Suggested Cleaners

Custom Building Products, Aqua Mix
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
800.272.8786
custombuildingproducts.com

Fila Chemicals USA Corp.
10800 NW 21^st St. # 170 Miami, FL 33172
305.513.0708
www.filasolutions.com

Mapei
1144 E. Newport Dr. Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
888-876-2734
mapei.com/us

Miracle Sealants Co.
12318 Lower Azusa Rd. Arcadia, CA 91006-5872
800.350.1901 ext. 3013
miraclesealants.com

	STAIN	FILA	MAPEI	AQUA MIX	MIRACLE SEALANTS	COMMON
Food Groups	Mustard Ketchup  Mayonnaise  Tea Bags  Ice Cream  Beer/Wine  Orange Juice  Grape Juice  Coffee  Coke  Soy Sauce	PS87  or  SR95  or  KITCHENKARE	Concentrated Tile & Grout Cleaner and/or Abrasive Surface Cleaner	Concentrated Stone & Tile Cleaner Grout Deep Clean Abrasive Surface Cleaner	Porcelain & Ceramic Tile Cleaner or Liquid Poultice or Heavy Duty Acid Cleaner (HDAC)	Mr. Clean® Neutral Floor Cleaner® 409® Spic and Span® Fantastic® Comet® Windex® Lysol® Soft Scrub® Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bar Keepers Friend®
Oil & Grease	Vegetable Mineral Petroleum Wax Sealer Meat Grease Hydraulic Oil Trans. Fluid Linseed Oil Lipstick Rubber Shoe Polish Paint (Oil Based)	PS87  or  No Spot or  PROSTRIP	Concentrated Tile & Grout Cleaner and/or Abrasive Surface Cleaner	Heavy-Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner	Porcelain & Ceramic Tile Cleaner or Liquid Poultice or Heavy Duty Acid Cleaner (HDAC)	Mr. Clean® Neutral Floor Cleaner® 409® Spic and Span® Fantastic® Comet® Windex® Lysol® Soft Scrub® Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bar Keepers Friend®
Markers/Graffiti	Felt Tip Ink Water Marker Permanent Fluorescent Pencil Crayon	PS87  or  SR95	Heavy-Duty Sealer & Coating Stripper and/or Abrasive Surface Cleaner	Sealer & Coating Remover	Porcelain & Ceramic Tile Cleaner or Heavy Duty Acid Cleaner (HDAC)	Mr. Clean® Neutral Floor Cleaner® Comet® Soft Scrub® Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bar Keepers Friend®
Water-Based Agents	Water Based Paint or Stain	S87 or Deterdek	Heavy-Duty Sealer & Coating Stripper and/or Abrasive Surface Cleaner	Sealer & Coating Remover	Porcelain & Ceramic Tile Cleaner or Heavy Duty Acid Cleaner (HDAC) or Tile & Stone Cleaner	Mr. Clean® Neutral Floor Cleaner® Comet® Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bar Keepers Friend®
Tile Grout	Cement Latex Polymer Epoxy	S87 or Deterdek or EPOXYOFF	Sufamic Acid Crystals Acidic Tile & Grout Cleaner Cement Grout Haze Remover Abrasive Surface Cleaner Epoxy Grout Haze Remover Heavy-Duty Sealer and Coating Stripper	Sulfamic Acid Crystals or Cement Grout Haze Cleaner or Grout Haze Clean-Up*Sealer & Coating Remover	Heavy Duty Acid Cleaner (HDAC) or Phosphoric Acid or Epoxy Grout Film Remover	White Vinegar Lime-A-Way Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bar Keepers Friend®