Harder than ceramic tiles modern production methods have spurred a growth in the availability and design of Porcelain tiles which are known for their durability and water resistance making them a popular option for floors. Porcelain tiles come in three categories and its well worth knowing which type you have in order to maintain them properly, it can be very difficult to tell so if your unsure you will need to ask your supplier.

Single Bodied Porcelain - The manufacturing process of single bodied porcelain is similar to that of ceramic tiles and involves the porcelain clay being added on top of another clay, these tiles are usually cheaper to buy than a full bodied porcelain but can be maintained using the same methods as full bodied (see below), the disadvantage however is if chipped the base clay will show through and so are generally considered to be an inferior product.

Full Bodied Porcelain - With full bodied porcelain the colour of the porcelain clay runs all the way through the tile, therefore if it is chipped the colour is still present and any damage will not be as noticeable; to produce these tiles they are fired at a much higher temperature than the standard ceramic tiles and have virtually replaced the ceramic tile market in the last twenty years as full bodied porcelain tiles are fully vitrified (frost proof), can be installed on a wall or floor, internal or external and thus gives them a large scope of usage.
This type of porcelain do not require a sealer unless they are textured, see the Sealing section at the bottom of this page for more information.

Micro-Porous Porcelain - This method of tile production is mainly applied to polished porcelain, the micro porous holes aid in adding friction to the surface to reduce slipping on the tile, however it is normally recognised that these holes need to be filled with an impregnating sealer such as Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal prior to being grouted as this will prevent the grout getting into the micro porous holes.  The impregnating sealer sits below the level of the tile and will not upset the balance of the friction which has been created to reduce slippage provided all excess sealer had been polished off within ten minutes of application.  Ultra-Seal is a matt finish sealer and will not change the colour of the tile but a slight darker tone will be apparent after it has dried.

Cleaning Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles are generally fully glazed, even the matt porcelain tile is fully glazed so this means they won't need to be sealed unless they are textured (see below) however the textured tiles can trap dirt in the groves (unless sealed) and thus will need to be cleaned out with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and rinsed with water afterwards.

Polished Porcelain tiles generally only require a light clean using Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner where only a couple of cap fulls diluted in a bucket of warm water should be sufficient. Additionally We find that a Green No. 4 Burnishing pad attached to a slow speed buffing machine will polish up the porcelain to a very high shine, then use a vacuum to remove any dust created. Using excessive amounts of cleaning agents on polished porcelain actually creates problems with chemical build-up so the method recommend above is the correct process for these type of tiles.

	If grout smears (also known as grout haze) are present following installation then use Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to remove them, for situations where the haze is very stubborn then use Tile Doctor Acid Gel instead.
	Shower Cubicles and Wet Rooms will need a spray on product such as Tile Doctor Oxy-Pro for cleaning the tiles, we also find Mould Away works equally well on removing mould spores and cleaning dirty grout.  Once clean and dry we recommend sealing the grout with Tile Doctor Wall Grout Sealer (see below).
	Once clean and dry we recommend sealing the grout with Tile Doctor Wall Grout Sealer which will protect the grout and make it much easier to clean in future.
	If the grout is the patchy after it is cleaned and before it is sealed we recommend instead of grout sealing use a Grout Colourant instead, this will restore the appearance of the grout which has lost its colour dye from heavy usage of bleaching agents.
	Spray on Tile Doctor Aqua Pro after showering to eliminate acid build-up from the use of soaps, shampoos and body-washes, this will not damage any sealer or grout colourant that has been applied.
	To remove rust stains Tile Doctor has developed Rust Away which is a gel based product unique to the market place which can be brushed or sponged onto vertical surfaces without drips forming, use as directed for best results.

Most Ceramic tiles are quite easy to clean with these methods however grout is normally recessed and this can act as a dirt trap on floor tiles when they are mopped leading to a build-up of dirt on the grout, this can be resolved using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and then once clean and fully dry, seal the grout with one coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal applied using a pipette along the grout line.

Sealing Porcelain Tiles

Here at Tile Doctor we often get asked to recommend a sealer for Porcelain Tiles; the simple answer is they don't usually need one however there are a couple of exceptions:
We recommend that Micro-Porous Porcelain is sealed with a coat of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal before grouting to prevent the tiny holes being filled with grout during installation.
Textured Porcelain tiles that simulate the appearance of Slate and Stone often benefit from one coat of Tile Doctor Seal and Go as this stops the dirt trapping itself into the texture of the tile.  Seal and Go is however a satin finish sealer so will leave the tiles with a satin finish.

For many examples of Porcelain tile cleaning activities carried out by UK Tile Doctors please visit http://Porcelain.TileCleaning.co.uk

Recommended Products for Porcelain Tiles

When using our products please take time to familiarise yourself with the directions on the back of the bottle first.