Dark grey porceline tiles

Susan1942

I have just put down dark grey porceline tiles in my new kitchen. White gloss with dark grey worktop.
They have just been grouted today but I noticed that they tend to show everything. Water drips etc. Wonder if anyone can advise me as to what I should use to clean them. To date I am just using water with a bit of washing up liquid. May live to regret my decision. They look great and I have gone for black grout as the tiles are so dark.

Advice would be appreciated.

Sue

samtheman1k

Washing up liquid is fine, or you can buy proper tile cleaner from larger supermarkets.

Susan1942

Thanks for that I will have a look and see what is out there

Sue

joe_t

just clean soapy water, never bleach.
you used black grout and when its fully dry you might find its a bit charcoal coloured, if you buy a decent grout sealer it will darken them and stop any future problems with staining.
joe......

Susan1942

Thanks again. Do I need to seal the grout? I have never done this and what do I seal it with?

Sue

tpt

Get hold of some specialist cleaner
http://www.tradepricetiles.co.uk/cleaning-maintenance/lithofin-easy-care.html

BUT are they an unglazed porcelain? if so they will need sealing. you can tell by doing an absorption test or by asking the shop you bought them from

joe_t

you dont have to seal the grout but it will get very dirty over time.
when you wash the tiles you tend to wash the grease and grime into the joint.
the more the grout joint is filled flush with the tile surface the less this will happen, but all tiles are different.
if they have a square edge you can make the joints flush, yours probably have a rolled edge and the grout has to sit lower otherwise it looks all wrong.
regarding sealing the porcelain, just ask where you bought them from or read the boxes they came in.
i am a floor + wall tiler and in reality there are not that many that need sealing, if you have white tiles and want to use black grout this can if not sealed give a patchy effect where the black grout dye has got into the tile surface.
black and brown grouts are the worst for this as they contain a lot of dye.
as you already grouted it would be too late anyway if there was going to be a problem.
you will have noticed a shading around the edge of the tile already if theres a problem, so dont worry.
as for cleaning there are loads of proper products to use once a month or even a year but i have found cheap pound shop sugar soap as good as anything, this will degrease and clean but a floor that is kept clean will only need this every 6 months or a year.
joe.......

Susan1942

Thanks everyone for your advice. The tiles are glossy and a very dark grey. The Tiler used black ground and I wanted the tiles as close as possible so there is not a great deal of grout to see. The black looks just like the charcoal and I am really pleased with the overall job in total. ie my new kitchen.

I don't have the boxes for the tiles as they were thrown out by the tiler. I had a problem that more than halfway through the job I noted that 4 tiles on the floor looked lighter. Thought it might be the light. I had bought an extra box (6) and when I check the 2 left they were indeed the exact tile already on the floor. The tiler didn't notice but sort of wondered. He had to lift the 4 tiles and put the new ones down, Fortunately I had an extra box. I am now left with only 2 and a half tiles in the dark grey.
I could have returned the other tiles but of the 6 I have got cement on the back. At the end of the day I am just happy to have had enough in the 2 unopened box.

I am going to go into Homebase and see what they have in cleaners etc.

Once again many many thanks for the advice.

Sue

Susan1942

Forgot to say that I wash my kitchen floor every day but it looks like I may to this twice if in the evening after dinner it looks marked with drips etc.
Just want to keep it looking as good as possible.
No tiling on the walls as I have opted for a glass splashbacks and upstand. This is all that is missing now but it takes 3 weeks to make the glass to order.
For now I love my kitchen and feel sure that when the glass goes on I will like it even more

Sue

Susan1942

Update my Tiler has just arrived with a HG Hagesan Quick Porcelain Cleaner.
He went to the tile suppliers and this is what they recommend. He would not take any money and just said he appreciated the work I had given me.
He is actually the joiner who did the work in my Kitchen.

Sue

joe_t

HG do great products although they are chemical based so some people dont like them.
every thing is fully under control stop worrying and enjoy.
if you got the tiles from homebase or bq they often either get odd boxes from different batches or even have the odd box that stands out like a sore thumb.
the problem with some of these shops they use there own codes and not the codes used by the actual manufacturer.
sometimes you cannot see the difference untill you grout them, which is then a pain in the neck.
yours is fine.
enjoy your kitchen :j

joe