Ceramic tile sealer - glossy vs matte

Walter Cohen

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May 9, 2006, 7:32:02 PM5/9/06

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I had a ceramic tile floor put in about 2-3 years ago in my kitchen and
off-kitchen room. The tiles are a matte finish, not entirely matte but it
looks like it had a bit of a sheen to it. They are certainly not like my
glossy bathroom tiles.
The floor has recently been looking rather grungy no matter how much I clean
it and it seems to hold the dirt more than I think it should.
Whatever sealer was put on by the installer most likely needs to be
reapplied, but not before I use a heavy duty tile cleaner/degreaser.

I stopped in my local HD and I see they have a matte finish sealer or a
glossy finish sealer. I'd prefer to purchase the glossy sealer and apply
that over the matte tiles/grout. The guy at HD said that I could do that
and it would make the tiles glossy(er) but not quite as though they were
originally glossy tiles. This is the effect that I am looking for anyway.
In retrospect I probably should have purchaseed glossy tiles to begin
with....

As the sealer, whether matte or glossy, would be absorbed into the
tiles/grout anyway and any remaining would dry on the surface I don't really
see any problem with using glossy instead of matte.
I guess it is a personal taste issue more than anything else but can anyone
see any downside to doing this?

Thanks.
Walter

PipeDown

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May 9, 2006, 8:40:12 PM5/9/06

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"Walter Cohen" <w_c...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:LD98g.29$Gr...@fe12.lga...

Not too glossy or the floor will be slippery when wet. Glossy floor tiles
are fine for a small room like a bathroom but the slipping issue makes matt
finish better for large rooms. You can also buff on some old fashond floor
wax. Use a penetrating sealer (if the tile is porous) and it will not
change the appearance but will make it waterproof and less likely to stain,
it may take 4-5 coats, keep going until it will not absorb any more. A
penetrating sealer will do nothing to a glazed tile but will still protect
the grout. Sounds like you are looking at an acrylic surface sealer, only
the first coat or two will absorb, after that you build up the film.

Walter Cohen

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May 9, 2006, 10:01:18 PM5/9/06

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Yes, it is an acrylic water-based sealer from TileLab.

Thanks.
Walter

"PipeDown" <now...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
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dadiOH

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May 9, 2006, 10:34:33 PM5/9/06

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Walter Cohen wrote:
> I had a ceramic tile floor put in about 2-3 years ago in my kitchen
> and off-kitchen room. The tiles are a matte finish, not entirely
> matte but it looks like it had a bit of a sheen to it. They are
> certainly not like my glossy bathroom tiles.
> The floor has recently been looking rather grungy no matter how much
> I clean it and it seems to hold the dirt more than I think it should.
> Whatever sealer was put on by the installer most likely needs to be
> reapplied, but not before I use a heavy duty tile cleaner/degreaser.

There is no point in applying a sealer to tile that has a glazed surface,
matte or not. Sealer on grout, yes; sealer on tile, no...all it can do is
add a film which gets dirty and is hard to clean. As you are experiencing.

--

dadiOH
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Cliff Hartle

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May 9, 2006, 10:55:26 PM5/9/06

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Sealer is for grout, unglazed tile(like qury tile) and stone.

Sealer on glazed tile just sits on the surface. Any tile that was
previously glazed and is so worn than sealer would would actually soak in
probally has to be replaced.

BTW The installer only sealed the grout. Not the tile.

"Walter Cohen" <w_c...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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PipeDown

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May 10, 2006, 1:50:29 PM5/10/06

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Ceramic tile may or may not be glazed

"dadiOH" <dad...@guesswhere.com> wrote in message
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PipeDown

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May 10, 2006, 1:52:22 PM5/10/06

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I use that on my slate foyer it looks fine but is not invisible. As long as
you have porous ceramic tile, it should work fine.

"Walter Cohen" <w_c...@hotmail.com> wrote in message

news:GPb8g.21$lY...@fe09.lga...

dadiOH

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May 10, 2006, 5:15:20 PM5/10/06

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PipeDown wrote:
> Ceramic tile may or may not be glazed

I know. That's why I restricted what I said to "glazed surface".

dadiOH
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