How do I remove stains from black polished porcelain floor tiles? (merged threads)

TileSavingExpert

BobProperty wrote: »

If you are tiling over it then you would just use flexible tile adhesive, IMHO. Do you have any links showing where it suggests both? The only reference I have found so far talks about both flexible self-levelling screen and tile adhesive but in the context of timber floor finishes and tiles respectively.

This is what happens when someone who doesn't know what they are doing asks for advice from a generalised forum rather than asking those who know what they are talking about.

Only an amateur would cut corners and not screed over underfloor heating. As if it isn't bad enough that he is wanting to lay probably one of the hardest types of tile to lay, you're here telling him to just forget the screed and use flexible adhesive!! If the guy lays a tile and it sinks too far and needs to lift it again to apply more adhesive, the likely hood is that he'll pull up the heating wires with it!! The vaccuum created by these tiles once laid is huge!

This is how it's done........

*Lay the heat matting/wire
*Screed over it
*Use a flexible floor adhesive ideally with at least an "S1" flexibility rating
*For your own sake use 3mm spacers to account for tile imperfections.
*Use a large notch trowel and spread the adhesive evenly
*back butter the tile with adhesive with the flat edge of the trowel and lay the tile. Once the tiles is set in the mortar, twist it a little to make sure there aren't any voids underneath.

Once the tiles are laid and the adhesive is dry........

*Buy a porcelain cleaner, the best on the market in my opinion is lithofin wexa which also removes wax films that polished porcelain tiles normally have and clean the face of the tiles.
*Buy another product called Lithofin protective impregnator which is again the best porcelain sealer on the market in my opinion, seal all of the tiles, wipe away any residue
*Using a flexible wide joint grout of your choice (never ready mixed!!!), grout the tiles but don't grout the whole floor before washing the tiles, flexible grouts can be faster setting than normal grouts. Grout approx 3-5 square metres at a time and repeat the procedure.

Once you're all cleaned up and the grout is fully dry (can take upto 2 weeks), apply another coat of Lithofin impregnator which will give you another coat of protection against staining and will also help protect your grout.


I know this guy has probably done this job by now but hopefully the next DIY'er attempting this will take note and do the job properly.


P.S - here's a money saving tip, look for a stockist of "Weber" products close to where you live and ask for either the Weber set Rapid SPF or the standard setting flexible variant, Weber set SPF. These products are very high spec, highly flexible and a third of the price of other adhesives of lower spec such as Bal rapid set flexible.