Ceramic floor question


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Old 12-31-06, 03:06 PM
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Ceramic floor question

My husband just finished a project in our kitchen using a glazed ceramic tile 12-1/4 x 12-1/4. The tile is smooth in some areas and rougher in others. The low spots in the tile have a very low sheen making it look almost "dirty". To try to cover this dirty look, we put a Tile Lab gloss sealer and finish on it which was recommended by the HOme Depot people. We were disappointed in this product because it began to look scratched after a short while just from our dog's feet on it. My husband then used Tile Lab heavy duty stripper/cleaner to remove the sealer as we did not like the scratches and the floor was a lot shinier than we liked. To make a long story short we are back to square 1 with the tile having a dirty look on it depending on how the light hits it. We discussed that maybe there was a grout haze on it but when we took a clean tile from the box and compared it to the ones on the floor, it looks the same way. If you move the tile around there is one side that look better than the other sides. Our question is does tile have a grain to it or something that we should have considered before we laid it down? Is there any product out there like a polish or something that might enhance the look of it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Old 12-31-06, 03:37 PM
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Not all tile shades are the same, that is why they tell you to mix and match tile from different boxes (lot #'s). If you lay tile down in order from the same box, those tiles may look different from the rest.

I don't believe you are supposed to put a tile sealer on the tiles because the tile itself is already glazed and sealed from the factory.
 
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Old 12-31-06, 04:21 PM
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HotinOKC is correct, you don't seal ceramic tile. It has a baked on glaze that the sealer just sits on when it dries and will eventually start to flake off. As you've already discovered, it can't soak into the tile like it does with grout, natural stones, or unsealed saltillo so it scratches easily. He's also correct about shuffling as the material is installed. Pulling from several cartons at a time helps hide any dye lot or shading differences. I don't believe, however, that this explains what you've got going on. It sounds to me that the problem stems from the choice of tile used and there may not be a fix short of replacing it with something you like. I could be wrong and there may be, but, if so, I'm not aware of it.
 
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Old 12-31-06, 06:28 PM
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If new tiles out of box have the same "dirty look on it," the coloration was added as a decorative enhancement and is not considered a defect or flaw. "The tile is smooth in some areas and rougher in others." The color is added before glazing to highlight the texture, giving it a more natural look. The glaze is kiln fired at very high temperatures to seal and protect the tile. There is no way to remove the color highlights. And, there is no need to seal kiln fired ceramic glaze.
 
 

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